Impacts of Aerosol Dry Deposition on Black Carbon Spatial Distributions and Radiative Effects in the Community Atmosphere Model CAM5

Impacts of Aerosol Dry Deposition on Black Carbon Spatial Distributions and Radiative Effects in the Community Atmosphere Model CAM5 PDF Author: Mingxuan Wu
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780438313620
Category : Aerosols
Languages : en
Pages : 65

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Book Description
Dry deposition is an important process affecting the lifetime and spatial distributions of atmospheric aerosols. Black carbon (BC) plays an important role in the Earth’s climate, but is subject to large bias in remote regions in model simulations. In this study, to improve the BC simulations, the scheme of Petroff and Zhang (2010) (PZ10) is implemented into the Community Atmospheric Model version 5 (CAM5), and model simulations using PZ10 are compared with the one using the default scheme of Zhang et al. (2001) (Z01) and observations. The PZ10 scheme predicts much lower dry deposition velocity (Vd) than Z01 for fine particles in Aitken, primary carbon, and accumulation modes, resulting in 73.0% lower of global mean BC dry deposition fluxes and 23.2% higher of global mean BC column burdens. CAM5 with PZ10 increases modeled BC concentrations at all altitudes and latitudes compared to Z01, which improves the agreement with observations of BC profiles in the lower troposphere in the Arctic. It also improves the simulation of surface BC concentrations in high-latitudes remote regions and its seasonality in the Arctic. The global annual mean radiative effects due to aerosol-radiation interactions (REari) and aerosol-cloud interactions (REaci) of BC from the CAM5 experiment using Z01 are 0.61±0.007 and -0.11±0.02 W m-2, respectively, compared to slightly larger REari (0.75±0.01 W m-2) and REaci (-0.14±0.02 W m-2) from CAM5 using PZ10. The results suggest that Brownian diffusion efficiency is a key factor for the predictions of Vd, which requires better representation in the global climate models.

Impacts of Aerosol Dry Deposition on Black Carbon Spatial Distributions and Radiative Effects in the Community Atmosphere Model CAM5

Impacts of Aerosol Dry Deposition on Black Carbon Spatial Distributions and Radiative Effects in the Community Atmosphere Model CAM5 PDF Author: Mingxuan Wu
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780438313620
Category : Aerosols
Languages : en
Pages : 65

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Book Description
Dry deposition is an important process affecting the lifetime and spatial distributions of atmospheric aerosols. Black carbon (BC) plays an important role in the Earth’s climate, but is subject to large bias in remote regions in model simulations. In this study, to improve the BC simulations, the scheme of Petroff and Zhang (2010) (PZ10) is implemented into the Community Atmospheric Model version 5 (CAM5), and model simulations using PZ10 are compared with the one using the default scheme of Zhang et al. (2001) (Z01) and observations. The PZ10 scheme predicts much lower dry deposition velocity (Vd) than Z01 for fine particles in Aitken, primary carbon, and accumulation modes, resulting in 73.0% lower of global mean BC dry deposition fluxes and 23.2% higher of global mean BC column burdens. CAM5 with PZ10 increases modeled BC concentrations at all altitudes and latitudes compared to Z01, which improves the agreement with observations of BC profiles in the lower troposphere in the Arctic. It also improves the simulation of surface BC concentrations in high-latitudes remote regions and its seasonality in the Arctic. The global annual mean radiative effects due to aerosol-radiation interactions (REari) and aerosol-cloud interactions (REaci) of BC from the CAM5 experiment using Z01 are 0.61±0.007 and -0.11±0.02 W m-2, respectively, compared to slightly larger REari (0.75±0.01 W m-2) and REaci (-0.14±0.02 W m-2) from CAM5 using PZ10. The results suggest that Brownian diffusion efficiency is a key factor for the predictions of Vd, which requires better representation in the global climate models.

Fast Processes in Large-Scale Atmospheric Models

Fast Processes in Large-Scale Atmospheric Models PDF Author: Yangang Liu
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119528992
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 483

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Book Description
Improving weather and climate prediction with better representation of fast processes in atmospheric models Many atmospheric processes that influence Earth’s weather and climate occur at spatiotemporal scales that are too small to be resolved in large scale models. They must be parameterized, which means approximately representing them by variables that can be resolved by model grids. Fast Processes in Large Scale Atmospheric Models: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities explores ways to better investigate and represent multiple parameterized processes in models and thus improve their ability to make accurate climate and weather predictions. Volume highlights include: Historical development of the parameterization of fast processes in numerical models Different types of major sub-grid processes and their parameterizations Efforts to unify the treatment of individual processes and their interactions Top-down versus bottom-up approaches across multiple scales Measurement techniques, observational studies, and frameworks for model evaluation Emerging challenges, new opportunities, and future research directions The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals.

Arctic Black Carbon Loading and Profile Using the Single-Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) Field Campaign Report

Arctic Black Carbon Loading and Profile Using the Single-Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) Field Campaign Report PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Book Description
One of the major issues confronting aerosol climate simulations of the Arctic and Antarctic cryospheres is the lack of detailed data on the vertical and spatial distribution of aerosols with which to test these models. This is due, in part, to the inherent difficulty of conducting such measurements in extreme environments. However given the pronounced sensitivity of the polar regions to radiative balance perturbations, it is incumbent upon our community to better understand and quantify these perturbations, and their unique feedbacks, so that robust model predictions of this region can be realized. One class of under-measured radiative forcing agents in the polar region is the absorbing aerosol--black carbon and brown carbon. Black carbon (BC; also referred to as light-absorbing carbon [LAC], refractory black carbon [rBC], and soot) is second only to CO2 as a positive forcing agent. Roughly 60% of BC emissions can be attributed to anthropogenic sources (fossil fuel combustion and open-pit cooking), with the remaining fraction being due to biomass burning. Brown carbon (BrC), a major component of biomass burning, collectively refers to non-BC carbonaceous aerosols that typically possess minimal light absorption at visible wavelengths but exhibit pronounced light absorption in the near-ultraviolet (UV) spectrum. Both species can be sourced locally or be remotely transported to the Arctic region and are expected to perturb the radiative balance. The work conducted in this field campaign addresses one of the more glaring deficiencies currently limiting improved quantification of the impact of BC radiative forcing in the cryosphere: the paucity of data on the vertical and spatial distributions of BC. By expanding the Gulfstream aircraft (G-1) payload for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility-sponsored ACME-V campaign to include the Single-Particle Soot Photometer (SP2)) and leveraging the ACME-V campaign's deployment within the Arctic Circle during the summer of 2015 (Deadhorse, Alaska [70° 12' 20" N, 148° 30' 42" W]), the truly unique opportunity presented itself to acquire profile data on BC loading at little additional cost. Since the SP2 is a particle-resolved measurement, the resulting data set provides refractory black carbon (rBC) mass loadings, size and mass distributions, and rBC-containing particle mixing state, all of which are expected to readily find value in the modeling community. As part of the ACME-V (http://www.arm.gov/campaigns/aaf2014armacmev) campaign, CO, CO2, and CH4 were also measured, providing the unique opportunity for carbon closure. We will also work closely with modelers who require such data and expect this collaboration will lead directly to a better understanding of the climate impacts of BC in the Arctic. The primary measurement objective was to acquire airborne data on the vertical and spatial distributions of refractory black carbon (rBC) loading, size and mass distribution, and particle mixing state. The primary scientific objective was to provide a targeted data set of rBC particle distributions to better understand and constrain the impact of black carbon radiative forcing in the cryosphere. The SP2-based data set during this campaign is available in the DOE-ARM archive (http://www.arm.gov/campaigns/aaf2015abclp).

Distribution and Sources of Black Carbon in the Arctic

Distribution and Sources of Black Carbon in the Arctic PDF Author: Ling Qi
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
The Arctic is warming at twice the global rate over recent decades. To slow down this warming trend, there is growing interest in reducing the impact from short-lived climate forcers, such as black carbon (BC), because the benefits of mitigation are seen more quickly relative to CO2 reduction. To propose efficient mitigation policies, it is imperative to improve our understanding of BC distribution in the Arctic and to identify the sources. In this dissertation, we investigate the sensitivity of BC in the Arctic, including BC concentrations in snow (BCsnow) and BC concentrations in air (BCair), to emissions, dry deposition and wet scavenging using a global 3-D chemical transport model (CTM) GEOS-Chem. By including flaring emissions, estimating dry deposition velocity using resistance-in-series method, and including Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen (WBF) in wet scavenging, simulated BCsnow in the eight Arctic sub-regions agree with the observations within a factor of two, and simulated BCair fall within the uncertainty range of observations. Specifically, we find that natural gas flaring emissions in Western Extreme North of Russia (WENR) strongly enhance BCsnow (by up to 50%) and BCair (by 20-32%) during snow season in the so-called 'Arctic front', but has negligible impact on BC in the free troposphere. The updated dry deposition velocity over snow and ice is much larger than those used in most of global CTMs and agrees better with observation. The resulting BCsnow changes marginally because of the offsetting of higher dry and lower wet deposition fluxes. In contrast, surface BCair decreases strongly due to the faster dry deposition (by 27-68%). WBF occurs when the environmental vapor pressure is in between the saturation vapor pressure of ice crystals and water drops in mixed-phase clouds. As a result, water drops evaporate and releases BC particles in them back into the interstitial air. In most CTMs, WBF is either missing or represented by a uniform and low BC scavenging efficiency. In this dissertation, we relate WBF with temperature and ice mass fraction based on long-term observations in mixed-phase clouds. We find that WBF reduces BC scavenging efficiency globally, with larger decrease at higher latitude and altitude (from 8% in the tropics to 76% in the Arctic). WBF slows down and reduces wet deposition of BC and leave more BC in the atmosphere. Higher BCair results in larger dry deposition. The resulting total deposition is lower in mid-latitudes (by 12-34%) and higher in the Arctic (2-29%). Globally, including WBF significantly reduces the discrepancy of BCsnow (by 50%), BCair (by 50%), and washout ratios (by a factor of two to four). The remaining discrepancies in these variables suggest that in-cloud removal is likely still excessive over land. In the last part, we identify sources of surface atmospheric BC in the Arctic in springtime, when radiative forcing is the largest due to the high insolation and surface albedo. We find a large contribution from Asian anthropogenic sources (40-43%) and open biomass burning emissions from forest fires in South Siberia (29-41%). Outside the Arctic front, BC is strongly enhanced by episodic, direct transport events from Asia and Siberia after 12 days of transport. In contrast, in the Arctic front, a large fraction of the Asian contribution is in the form of 'chronic' pollution on 1-2 month timescale. As such, it is likely that previous studies using 5- or 10-day trajectory analyses strongly underestimated the contribution from Asia to surface BC in the Arctic. Our results point toward an urgent need for better characterization of flaring emissions of BC (e.g. the emission factors, temporal and spatial distribution), extensive measurements of both the dry deposition of BC over snow and ice, and the scavenging efficiency of BC in mixed-phase clouds, particularly over Ocean. More measurements of 14C are needed to better understand sources of BC (fossil fuel combustion versus biomass burning) and to provide additional constrain on BC simulations.

A Plan for a Research Program on Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Climate Change

A Plan for a Research Program on Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Climate Change PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309175917
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
This book recommends the initiation of an "integrated" research program to study the role of aerosols in the predicted global climate change. Current understanding suggest that, even now, aerosols, primarily from anthropogenic sources, may be reducing the rate of warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to specific research recommendations, this book forcefully argues for two kinds of research program integration: integration of the individual laboratory, field, and theoretical research activities and an integrated management structure that involves all of the concerned federal agencies.

Aerosol Pollution Impact on Precipitation

Aerosol Pollution Impact on Precipitation PDF Author: Zev Levin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402086903
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 399

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Book Description
Life on Earth is critically dependent upon the continuous cycling of water between oceans, continents and the atmosphere. Precipitation (including rain, snow, and hail) is the primary mechanism for transporting water from the atmosphere back to the Earth’s surface. It is also the key physical process that links aspects of climate, weather, and the global hydrological cycle. Changes in precipitation regimes and the frequency of extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, severe ice/snow storms, monsoon fluctuations and hurricanes are of great potential importance to life on the planet. One of the factors that could contribute to precipitation modification is aerosol pollution from various sources such as urban air pollution and biomass burning. Natural and anthropogenic changes in atmospheric aerosols might have important implications for precipitation by influencing the hydrological cycle, which in turn could feed back to climate changes. From an Earth Science perspective, a key question is how changes expected in climate will translate into changes in the hydrological cycle, and what trends may be expected in the future. We require a much better understanding and hence predictive capability of the moisture and energy storages and exchanges among the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, continents and biological systems. This book is a review of our knowledge of the relationship between aerosols and precipitation reaching the Earth's surface and it includes a list of recommendations that could help to advance our knowledge in this area.

Global Radiative Effect of Particulate Black Carbon

Global Radiative Effect of Particulate Black Carbon PDF Author: John H. Seinfeld
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Air
Languages : en
Pages : 78

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Book Description


The Future of Atmospheric Chemistry Research

The Future of Atmospheric Chemistry Research PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309445655
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
Our world is changing at an accelerating rate. The global human population has grown from 6.1 billion to 7.1 billion in the last 15 years and is projected to reach 11.2 billion by the end of the century. The distribution of humans across the globe has also shifted, with more than 50 percent of the global population now living in urban areas, compared to 29 percent in 1950. Along with these trends, increasing energy demands, expanding industrial activities, and intensification of agricultural activities worldwide have in turn led to changes in emissions that have altered the composition of the atmosphere. These changes have led to major challenges for society, including deleterious impacts on climate, human and ecosystem health. Climate change is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing society today. Air pollution is a major threat to human health, as one out of eight deaths globally is caused by air pollution. And, future food production and global food security are vulnerable to both global change and air pollution. Atmospheric chemistry research is a key part of understanding and responding to these challenges. The Future of Atmospheric Chemistry Research: Remembering Yesterday, Understanding Today, Anticipating Tomorrow summarizes the rationale and need for supporting a comprehensive U.S. research program in atmospheric chemistry; comments on the broad trends in laboratory, field, satellite, and modeling studies of atmospheric chemistry; determines the priority areas of research for advancing the basic science of atmospheric chemistry; and identifies the highest priority needs for improvements in the research infrastructure to address those priority research topics. This report describes the scientific advances over the past decade in six core areas of atmospheric chemistry: emissions, chemical transformation, oxidants, atmospheric dynamics and circulation, aerosol particles and clouds, and biogeochemical cycles and deposition. This material was developed for the NSF's Atmospheric Chemistry Program; however, the findings will be of interest to other agencies and programs that support atmospheric chemistry research.

Particulate Carbon

Particulate Carbon PDF Author: George T. Wolff
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9781468441567
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description
This book contains the papers and discussions from the symposium, "PARTICU LATE CARBON: Atmospheric Life Cycle," held at the General Motors Research Laboratories on October 13-14, 1980. This symposium, which focused on atmospheric particulate elemental carbon, or soot, was the twenty-fifth in this series sponsored by the General Motors Research Laboratories. The present symposium volume contains discussions of the following aspects of particulate elemental carbon (EC): the atmos pheric life cycle of EC including sources, sinks, and transport processes, the role of EC in atmospheric chemistry and optics, the possible role of EC in altering climate, and measurement techniques as well as ambient concentrations in urban, rural, and remote areas. Previous symposia have covered a wide range of scientific and engineering subjects. Topics are selected because they are new or represent rapidly changing fields and are of significant technical importance. It is ironic that the study of particulate elemental carbon or soot should meet the above criteria for selection because soot, especially from coal and wood combustion, has been a recognized air pollutant for centuries. However, since the 1950s, when intense efforts to study air pollution were initiated, to until a few years ago, the role of elemental carbon in the atmosphere was largely ignored. The major reason for this was the lack of a suitable measurement technique.

Aerosol Effects on Climate

Aerosol Effects on Climate PDF Author: S. G. Jennings
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 9780816513628
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
There is now a growing awareness that, in addition to the well publicized influence of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases on the warming of the earth's atmosphere, aerosol particles may also play an important role in forcing climate change. This volume brings together previously unavailable data and interpretative analyses, derived from studies in both the U.S. and U.S.S.R., which review, update, and assess aerosol-related climatic effects.