Realism of Lagrangian large eddy simulations driven by renalysis meteorology: Tracking a pocket of open cells under a biomass burning aerosol layer

Abstract. Marine boundary layer clouds, including the transition from stratocumulus to cumulus, are poorly represented in numerical weather prediction and general circulation models. Further uncertainties in the cloud structure arise in the presence of biomass burning carbonaceous aerosol, as is the case over the southeast Atlantic Ocean where biomass burning aerosol is transported from the African continent. As the aerosol plume progresses across the southeast Atlantic Ocean, radiative heating within the aerosol layer has the potential to alter the thermodynamic environment and therefore the cloud structure; however, this has yet to be quantified. The deployment of the First Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Mobile Facility (AMF1) in support of the Layered Atlantic Smoke Interactions with Clouds (LASIC) field campaign provided a unique opportunity to collect observations of cloud and aerosol properties during two consecutive biomass burning seasons during July through October of 2016 and 2017 over Ascension Island (7.96 S, 14.35 W). Using observed profiles of temperature, humidity, and clouds from the LASIC field campaign, alongside aerosol optical properties from the Modern Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) as input for the Rapid Radiation Transfer Model (RRTM), profiles of the radiative heating rate due to aerosols and clouds were computed. Radiative heating is also assessed across the southeast Atlantic Ocean using an ensemble of back trajectories from the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT). Idealized experiments using RRTM with and without aerosols and a range of values for the single scattering albedo demonstrate that shortwave (SW) heating within the aerosol layer above Ascension Island can locally range between 2 and 8 K per day, though impacts of the aerosol can be felt elsewhere in the atmospheric column. SW radiative heating due to biomass burning aerosol is not balanced by additional longwave cooling, and the net radiative impact results in a stabilization of the lower troposphere. However, these results are extremely sensitive to the single scatter albedo and the height of the aerosol plume with respect to the inversion layer.

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Above Cloud Aerosol Optical Depth from airborne observations in the South-East Atlantic

10.5194/acp-2019-43 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Samuel E. LeBlanc ◽

Jens Redemann ◽

Connor Flynn ◽

Kristina Pistone ◽

Meloë Kacenelenbogen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Biomass Burning ◽

Aerosol Layer ◽

The South ◽

East Atlantic ◽

Vertical Column ◽

Biomass Burning Aerosol ◽

Aerosol Plume

Abstract. The South-East Atlantic (SEA) is host to a climatologically significant biomass burning aerosol layer overlying marine stratocumulus. We present directly measured Above Cloud Aerosol Optical Depth (ACAOD) from the recent ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) airborne field campaign during August and September 2016. In our analysis, we use data from the Spectrometers for Sky-Scanning Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) instrument and found an average ACAOD of 0.32 at 501 nm, with an average Ångström exponent (AE) of 1.71. The AE is much lower at 1.25 for the full column (including below cloud level aerosol), indicating the presence of large aerosol particles, likely marine aerosol, embedded within the vertical column. ACAOD is observed to be highest near coast at about 12° S, whereas its variability is largest at the southern edge of the average aerosol plume, as indicated by 12 years of MODIS observations. In comparison to MODIS derived ACAOD and long term fine-mode plume-average AOD, the directly-measured ACAOD from 4STAR is slightly lower than the ACAOD product from MODIS. The peak ACAOD expected from long term retrievals is measured to be closer to coast in 2016 at about 1.5°–4° W. By spatially binning the sampled AOD, we obtain a mean ACAOD of 0.37 for the SEA region. Vertical profiles of AOD showcase the variability of the altitude of the aerosol plume and its separation from cloud top. We measured larger AOD at high altitude near coast than farther from coast, while generally observing a larger vertical gap further from coast. Changes of AOD with altitude are correlated with a gas tracer of the biomass burning aerosol plume. Vertical extent of gaps between aerosol and cloud show a large distribution of extent, dominated by near zero gap. The gap distribution with longitude is observed to be largest at about 7° W, farther from coast than expected.

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Above-cloud aerosol optical depth from airborne observations in the southeast Atlantic

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-20-1565-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 1565-1590 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Samuel E. LeBlanc ◽

Jens Redemann ◽

Connor Flynn ◽

Kristina Pistone ◽

Meloë Kacenelenbogen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Biomass Burning ◽

Wide Distribution ◽

Aerosol Layer ◽

Modis Aod ◽

First Results ◽

Biomass Burning Aerosol ◽

Aerosol Plume

Abstract. The southeast Atlantic (SEA) region is host to a climatologically significant biomass burning aerosol layer overlying marine stratocumulus. We present the first results of the directly measured above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD) from the recent ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) airborne field campaign during August and September 2016. In our analysis, we use data from the Spectrometers for Sky-Scanning Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) instrument and found an average ACAOD of 0.32 at 501 nm (range of 0.02 to 1.04), with an average Ångström exponent (AE) above clouds of 1.71. The AE is much lower at 1.25 for the full column (including below-cloud-level aerosol, with an average of 0.36 at 501 nm and a range of 0.02 to 0.74), indicating the presence of large aerosol particles, likely marine aerosol, in the lower atmospheric column. The ACAOD is observed from 4STAR to be highest near the coast at about 12∘ S, whereas its variability is largest at the southern edge of the average aerosol plume, as indicated by 12 years of MODIS observations. In comparison to MODIS-derived ACAOD and long-term fine-mode plume-average AOD along a diagonal routine track extending out from the coast of Namibia, the directly measured ACAOD from 4STAR is slightly lower than the ACAOD product from MODIS. The peak ACAOD expected from MODIS AOD retrievals averaged over a long term along the routine diagonal flight track (peak of 0.5) was measured to be closer to coast in 2016 at about 1.5–4∘ E, with 4STAR ACAOD averages showing a peak of 0.42. When considering the full observation set over the SEA, by spatially binning each sampled AOD, we obtain a geographically representative mean ACAOD of 0.37. Vertical profiles of AOD showcase the variability in the altitude of the aerosol plume and its separation from the cloud top. We measured larger AOD at a high altitude near the coast than farther from the coast, while generally observing a larger vertical gap farther from the coast. Changes in AOD with altitude are correlated with carbon monoxide, a gas tracer of the biomass burning aerosol plume. Vertical extent of gaps between aerosol and cloud show a wide distribution, with a near-zero gap being most frequent. The gap distribution with longitude is observed to be largest at about 7∘ E, farther from coast than expected from previous studies.

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Radiative heating rate profiles over the southeast Atlantic Ocean during the 2016 and 2017 biomass burning seasons

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-20-10073-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (16) ◽

pp. 10073-10090

Author(s):

Allison B. Marquardt Collow ◽

Mark A. Miller ◽

Lynne C. Trabachino ◽

Michael P. Jensen ◽

Meng Wang

Keyword(s):

Optical Properties ◽

Atlantic Ocean ◽

Biomass Burning ◽

Single Scattering ◽

Radiative Heating ◽

Aerosol Layer ◽

Aerosol Optical Properties ◽

Ascension Island ◽

Biomass Burning Aerosol ◽

Aerosol Plume

Abstract. Marine boundary layer clouds, including the transition from stratocumulus to cumulus, are poorly represented in numerical weather prediction and general circulation models. Further uncertainties in the cloud structure arise in the presence of biomass burning carbonaceous aerosol, as is the case over the southeast Atlantic Ocean, where biomass burning aerosol is transported from the African continent. As the aerosol plume progresses across the southeast Atlantic Ocean, radiative heating within the aerosol layer has the potential to alter the thermodynamic environment and therefore the cloud structure; however, limited work has been done to quantify this along the trajectory of the aerosol plume in the region. The deployment of the first Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF1) in support of the Layered Atlantic Smoke Interactions with Clouds field campaign provided a unique opportunity to collect observations of cloud and aerosol properties during two consecutive biomass burning seasons during July through October of 2016 and 2017 over Ascension Island (7.96∘ S, 14.35∘ W). Using observed profiles of temperature, humidity, and clouds from the field campaign alongside aerosol optical properties from Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), as input for the Rapid Radiation Transfer Model (RRTM), profiles of the radiative heating rate due to aerosols and clouds were computed. Radiative heating is also assessed across the southeast Atlantic Ocean using an ensemble of back trajectories from the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. Idealized experiments using the RRTM with and without aerosols and a range of values for the single-scattering albedo (SSA) demonstrate that shortwave (SW) heating within the aerosol layer above Ascension Island can locally range between 2 and 8 K d−1 depending on the aerosol optical properties, though impacts of the aerosol can be felt elsewhere in the atmospheric column. When considered under clear conditions, the aerosol has a cooling effect at the TOA, and based on the observed cloud properties at Ascension Island, the cloud albedo is not large enough to overcome this. Shortwave radiative heating due to biomass burning aerosol is not balanced by additional longwave (LW) cooling, and the net radiative impact results in a stabilization of the lower troposphere. However, these results are extremely sensitive to the single-scattering albedo assumptions in models.

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Diurnal cycle of the semi–direct effect over marine stratocumulus in large–eddy simulations

10.5194/acp-2019-387 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ross J. Herbert ◽

Nicolas Bellouin ◽

Ellie J. Highwood ◽

Adrian A. Hill

Keyword(s):

Boundary Layer ◽

Direct Effect ◽

Mixed Boundary ◽

Large Eddy Simulations ◽

Aerosol Layer ◽

Marine Stratocumulus ◽

Large Eddy ◽

Stratocumulus Clouds ◽

Model Setup ◽

Cloud Response

Abstract. The rapid adjustment, or semi–direct effect, of marine stratocumulus clouds to elevated layers of absorbing aerosols may enhance or dampen the radiative effect of aerosol–radiation interactions. Here we use large eddy simulations to investigate the sensitivity of stratocumulus clouds to the properties of an absorbing aerosol layer located above the inversion layer. The sign of the daily mean semi–direct effect depends on the properties of the aerosol layer, the properties of the boundary layer, and the model setup. Diurnal variations in the cloud response mean that an instantaneous semi–direct effect is unrepresentative of the daily mean, and that observational studies may under– or over–estimate semi–direct effects depending on the observed time of day. The observed role of the distance between the cloud top and the absorbing layer in modulating the strength of the cloud and radiative response is reproduced by the large eddy simulations. Both cloud response and semi–direct effect increase for thinner, denser, layers of absorbing aerosol located nearer the cloud layer. The cloud response is particularly sensitive to the mixing state of the boundary layer: well-mixed boundary layers generally result in a negative daily mean semi–direct effect, and poorly mixed boundary layers result in a positive daily mean semi–direct effect. Properties of the boundary layer and model setup, particularly the sea surface temperature, precipitation, and properties of the air entrained from the free troposphere, also impact the magnitude of the semi–direct effect and the timescale of adjustment. These results suggest that the semi–direct effect simulated by coarse-resolution models may be erroneous because the cloud response is sensitive to small-scale processes, especially the sources and sinks of buoyancy.

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Variability of aerosol vertical distribution in the Sahel

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-10-17609-2010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 17609-17655 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

O. Cavalieri ◽

F. Cairo ◽

F. Fierli ◽

G. Di Donfrancesco ◽

M. Snels ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vertical Distribution ◽

Biomass Burning ◽

Seasonal Pattern ◽

Dry Season ◽

Satellite Observations ◽

Orthogonal Polarization ◽

Aerosol Layer ◽

Air Masses ◽

Monsoon Flow ◽

Biomass Burning Aerosol

Abstract. We present and discuss ground-based and satellite observations of aerosol optical properties over Sahelian Africa for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. This study combines data acquired by three ground-based micro lidar systems located in Banizoumbou (Niger), Cinzana (Mali) and M'Bour (Senegal) in the framework of the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA), by the AEROsol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) sun-photometers and by the space-based Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO). The 2006 seasonal pattern of the aerosols vertical distribution is presented. It shows the presence of aerosol mainly confined in the lower levels of the atmosphere during the dry season, with the aerosol layer increasing in vertical extension and absolute values in spring, reaching the largest values in summer in correspondence with a progressive clearing up of the atmosphere at the lowermost levels. Aerosol produced by biomass burning are observed mainly during the dry season, when north-easterly air masses pass over large biomass burning areas before recirculating over the measurement sites. This kind of aerosol is present mainly in layers between 2 and 6 km of altitude, although episodically it may show also below 2 km, as observed in Banizoumbou (Niger) in 2006. Biomass burning aerosol is also observed during spring when air masses originating from North and East Africa pass over sparse biomass burning sources, and during summer when biomass burning aerosol is transported from the southern part of the continent by the monsoon flow. The summer season on the whole is characterized by a large presence of desert dust along the entire Sahelian region, widespread in altitude with Aerosol Optical Depths above 0.2. The interannual variability in the three year monitoring period is not very significant. An analysis of the aerosol transport pathways, aiming at detecting the main source regions, revealed that air originated from the Saharan desert is present all year long and it is observed in the lower levels of the atmosphere at the beginning and at the end of the year. In the central part of the year it extends upward and the lower levels are less affected by air masses from Saharan desert when the monsoon flow carries inland air from the Guinea Gulf and Southern Hemisphere. Biomass burning is mainly confined in the higher layers and observable in winter and in autumn.

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Diurnal cycle of the semi-direct effect from a persistent absorbing aerosol layer over marine stratocumulus in large-eddy simulations

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-20-1317-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 1317-1340 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ross J. Herbert ◽

Nicolas Bellouin ◽

Ellie J. Highwood ◽

Adrian A. Hill

Keyword(s):

Boundary Layer ◽

Direct Effect ◽

Mixed Boundary ◽

Large Eddy Simulations ◽

Aerosol Layer ◽

Marine Stratocumulus ◽

Large Eddy ◽

Stratocumulus Clouds ◽

Model Setup ◽

Cloud Response

Abstract. The rapid adjustment, or semi-direct effect, of marine stratocumulus clouds to elevated layers of absorbing aerosols may enhance or dampen the radiative effect of aerosol–radiation interactions. Here we use large-eddy simulations to investigate the sensitivity of stratocumulus clouds to the properties of an absorbing aerosol layer located above the inversion layer, with a focus on the location, timing, and strength of the radiative heat perturbation. The sign of the daily mean semi-direct effect depends on the properties and duration of the aerosol layer, the properties of the boundary layer, and the model setup. Our results suggest that the daily mean semi-direct effect is more elusive than previously assessed. We find that the daily mean semi-direct effect is dominated by the distance between the cloud and absorbing aerosol layer. Within the first 24 h the semi-direct effect is positive but remains under 2 W m−2 unless the aerosol layer is directly above the cloud. For longer durations, the daily mean semi-direct effect is consistently negative but weakens by 30 %, 60 %, and 95 % when the distance between the cloud and aerosol layer is 100, 250, and 500 m, respectively. Both the cloud response and semi-direct effect increase for thinner and denser layers of absorbing aerosol. Considerable diurnal variations in the cloud response mean that an instantaneous semi-direct effect is unrepresentative of the daily mean and that observational studies may underestimate or overestimate semi-direct effects depending on the observed time of day. The cloud response is particularly sensitive to the mixing state of the boundary layer: well-mixed boundary layers generally result in a negative daily mean semi-direct effect, and poorly mixed boundary layers result in a positive daily mean semi-direct effect. The properties of the boundary layer and model setup, particularly the sea surface temperature, precipitation, and properties of the air entrained from the free troposphere, also impact the magnitude of the semi-direct effect and the timescale of adjustment. These results suggest that the semi-direct effect simulated by coarse-resolution models may be erroneous because the cloud response is sensitive to small-scale processes, especially the sources and sinks of buoyancy.

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