scholarly journals Contrasting local and long-range-transported warm ice-nucleating particles during an atmospheric river in coastal California, USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 4193-4210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C. Martin ◽  
Gavin Cornwell ◽  
Charlotte M. Beall ◽  
Forest Cannon ◽  
Sean Reilly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Long Range ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Particle Dispersion ◽  
Mixed Phase ◽  
Dispersion Modeling ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Atmospheric River ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) have been found to influence the amount, phase and efficiency of precipitation from winter storms, including atmospheric rivers. Warm INPs, those that initiate freezing at temperatures warmer than −10 ∘C, are thought to be particularly impactful because they can create primary ice in mixed-phase clouds, enhancing precipitation efficiency. The dominant sources of warm INPs during atmospheric rivers, the role of meteorology in modulating transport and injection of warm INPs into atmospheric river clouds, and the impact of warm INPs on mixed-phase cloud properties are not well-understood. In this case study, time-resolved precipitation samples were collected during an atmospheric river in northern California, USA, during winter 2016. Precipitation samples were collected at two sites, one coastal and one inland, which are separated by about 35 km. The sites are sufficiently close that air mass sources during this storm were almost identical, but the inland site was exposed to terrestrial sources of warm INPs while the coastal site was not. Warm INPs were more numerous in precipitation at the inland site by an order of magnitude. Using FLEXPART (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model) dispersion modeling and radar-derived cloud vertical structure, we detected influence from terrestrial INP sources at the inland site but did not find clear evidence of marine warm INPs at either site. We episodically detected warm INPs from long-range-transported sources at both sites. By extending the FLEXPART modeling using a meteorological reanalysis, we demonstrate that long-range-transported warm INPs were observed only when the upper tropospheric jet provided transport to cloud tops. Using radar-derived hydrometeor classifications, we demonstrate that hydrometeors over the terrestrially influenced inland site were more likely to be in the ice phase for cloud temperatures between 0 and −10 ∘C. We thus conclude that terrestrial and long-range-transported aerosol were important sources of warm INPs during this atmospheric river. Meteorological details such as transport mechanism and cloud structure were important in determining (i) warm INP source and injection temperature and (ii) ultimately the impact of warm INPs on mixed-phase cloud properties.

scholarly journals Contrasting Local and Long-Range Transported Warm Ice-Nucleating Particles During an Atmospheric River in Coastal California, USA

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C. Martin ◽  
Gavin Cornwell ◽  
Charlotte Marie Beall ◽  
Forest Cannon ◽  
Sean Reilly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Long Range ◽  
Mixed Phase ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Atmospheric River ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Cloud Tops ◽  
Mixed Phase Clouds ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Ice nucleating particles (INP) have been found to influence the amount, phase, and efficiency of precipitation from winter storms, including atmospheric rivers. Warm INP, those that initiate freezing at temperatures warmer than −10 °C, are thought to be particularly impactful because they can create primary ice in mixed-phase clouds, enhancing precipitation efficiency. The dominant sources of warm INP during atmospheric rivers, the role of meteorology in modulating transport and injection of warm INP into atmospheric river clouds and the impact of warm INP on mixed-phase cloud properties are not well-understood. Time-resolved precipitation samples were collected during an atmospheric river in Northern California, USA during winter 2016. Precipitation was collected at two sites, one coastal and one inland, that are separated by less than 35 km. The sites are sufficiently close that airmass sources during this storm were almost identical, but the inland site was exposed to terrestrial sources of warm INP while the coastal site was not. Warm INP were more numerous in precipitation at the inland site by an order of magnitude. Using FLEXPART dispersion modelling and radar-derived cloud vertical structure, we detected influence from terrestrial INP sources at the inland site, but did not find clear evidence of marine warm INP at either site. We episodically detected warm INP from long-range transported sources at both sites. By extending the FLEXPART modelling using a meteorological reanalysis, we demonstrate that long-range transported warm INP are observed only when the upper tropospheric jet provided transport to cloud tops. Using radar-derived hydrometeor classifications, we demonstrate that hydrometeors over the terrestrially-influenced inland site were more likely to be in the ice phase for cloud temperatures between 0 °C and −10 °C. We thus conclude that terrestrial and long-range transported aerosol were important sources of warm INP during this atmospheric river. Meteorological details such as transport mechanism and cloud structure were important in determining warm INP source strength and injection temperature, and ultimately the impact of warm INP on mixed phase cloud properties.

scholarly journals Influence of Atmospheric Rivers on Mountain Snowpack in the Western United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (24) ◽  
pp. 9921-9940 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Goldenson ◽  
L. R. Leung ◽  
C. M. Bitz ◽  
E. Blanchard-Wrigglesworth
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Atmospheric River ◽  
The Impact

In the coastal mountains of western North America, most extreme precipitation is associated with atmospheric rivers (ARs), narrow bands of moisture originating in the tropics. Here we quantify how interannual variability in atmospheric rivers influences snowpack in the western United States in observations and a model. We simulate the historical climate with the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) with physics from the Community Atmosphere Model, version 5 [CAM5 (MPAS-CAM5)], using prescribed sea surface temperatures. In the global variable-resolution domain, regional refinement (at ~30 km) is applied to our region of interest and upwind over the northeast Pacific. To better characterize internal variability, we conduct simulations with three ensemble members over 30 years of the historical period. In the Cascade Range, with some exceptions, winters with more atmospheric river days are associated with less snowpack. In California’s Sierra Nevada, winters with more ARs are associated with greater snowpack. The slope of the linear regression of observed snow water equivalent (SWE) on reanalysis-based AR count has the same sign as that arrived at using the model, but is statistically significant in observations only for California. In spring, internal variance plays an important role in determining whether atmospheric river days appear to be associated with greater or less snowpack. The cumulative (winter through spring) number of atmospheric river days, on the other hand, has a relationship with spring snowpack, which is consistent across ensemble members. Thus, the impact of atmospheric rivers on winter snowpack has a greater influence on spring snowpack than spring atmospheric rivers in the model for both regions and in California consistently in observations.

scholarly journals Impact of optimized mixing heights on simulated regional atmospheric transport of CO<sub>2</sub>

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 7149-7172 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Kretschmer ◽  
C. Gerbig ◽  
U. Karstens ◽  
G. Biavati ◽  
A. Vermeulen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Particle Dispersion ◽  
Random Errors ◽  
Tracer Transport ◽  
European Continent ◽  
Co2 Transport ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The mixing height (MH) is a crucial parameter in commonly used transport models that proportionally affects air concentrations of trace gases with sources/sinks near the ground and on diurnal scales. Past synthetic data experiments indicated the possibility to improve tracer transport by minimizing errors of simulated MHs. In this paper we evaluate a method to constrain the Lagrangian particle dispersion model STILT (Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport) with MH diagnosed from radiosonde profiles using a bulk Richardson method. The same method was used to obtain hourly MHs for the period September/October 2009 from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, which covers the European continent at 10 km horizontal resolution. Kriging with external drift (KED) was applied to estimate optimized MHs from observed and modelled MHs, which were used as input for STILT to assess the impact on CO2 transport. Special care has been taken to account for uncertainty in MH retrieval in this estimation process. MHs and CO2 concentrations were compared to vertical profiles from aircraft in situ data. We put an emphasis on testing the consistency of estimated MHs to observed vertical mixing of CO2. Modelled CO2 was also compared with continuous measurements made at Cabauw and Heidelberg stations. WRF MHs were significantly biased by ~10–20% during day and ~40–60% during night. Optimized MHs reduced this bias to ~5% with additional slight improvements in random errors. The KED MHs were generally more consistent with observed CO2 mixing. The use of optimized MHs had in general a favourable impact on CO2 transport, with bias reductions of 5–45% (day) and 60–90% (night). This indicates that a large part of the found CO2 model–data mismatch was indeed due to MH errors. Other causes for CO2 mismatch are discussed. Applicability of our method is discussed in the context of CO2 inversions at regional scales.

scholarly journals Ice nucleation by combustion ash particles at conditions relevant to mixed-phase clouds

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 28845-28883
Author(s):  
N. S. Umo ◽  
B. J. Murray ◽  
M. T. Baeza-Romero ◽  
J. M. Jones ◽  
A. R. Lea-Langton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Coal Fly Ash ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Bottom Ash ◽  
Ice Nucleation ◽  
Mixed Phase ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Mixed Phase Clouds ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Ice nucleating particles can modify cloud properties with implications for climate and the hydrological cycle; hence, it is important to understand which aerosol particle types nucleate ice and how efficiently they do so. It has been shown that aerosol particles such as natural dusts, volcanic ash, bacteria and pollen can act as ice nucleating particles, but the ice nucleating ability of combustion ashes has not been studied. Combustion ashes are major by-products released during the combustion of solid fuels and a significant amount of these ashes are emitted into the atmosphere either during combustion or via aerosolization of bottom ashes. Here, we show that combustion ashes (coal fly ash, wood bottom ash, domestic bottom ash, and coal bottom ash) nucleate ice in the immersion mode at conditions relevant to mixed-phase clouds. Hence, combustion ashes could play an important role in primary ice formation in mixed-phase clouds, especially in clouds that are formed near the emission source of these aerosol particles. In order to quantitatively assess the impact of combustion ashes on mixed-phase clouds, we propose that the atmospheric abundance of combustion ashes should be quantified since up to now they have mostly been classified together with mineral dust particles. Also, in reporting ice residue compositions, a distinction should be made between natural mineral dusts and combustion ashes in order to quantify the contribution of combustion ashes to atmospheric ice nucleation.

Isotopic anomalies in water vapor during an atmospheric river event at Dome C, East Antarctic plateau, controlled by large-scale advection and boundary layer processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cécile Agosta ◽  
Cécile Davrinche ◽  
Christophe Leroy-Dos Santos ◽  
Antoine Berchet ◽  
Amaëlle Landais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Water Vapor ◽  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
Mixed Phase ◽  
Moisture Uptake ◽  
Atmospheric River ◽  
Drifting Snow ◽  
Mixed Phase Clouds

&lt;p&gt;On December 19-21, 2018, an atmospheric river hit the French-Italian Concordia station, located at Dome C, East Antarctic Plateau, 3 269 m above sea level. It induced an extreme surface warming (+ 15&amp;#176;C in 3 days), combined with high specific humidity (multiplied by 3 in 3 days) and a strong isotopic anomaly in water vapor (+ 15 &amp;#8240; for &amp;#948;18O). The isotopic composition of water vapor monitored during the event may be explained by (1) the isotopic signature of long-range water transport, and by (2) local moisture uptake during the event. In this study we quantify the influence of each of these processes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To estimate the isotopic composition of water vapor advected by long-range transport, we perform back-trajectories with the FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model FLEXPART. We retrieve meteorological conditions along different trajectories between the moisture uptake area and Concordia, and use them to compute isotopic fractionation during transport with the mixed cloud isotope model MCIM. While intermediate conditions along the trajectory do not seem to have a major impact on the final isotopic composition (less than 0.1 &amp;#8240;), the latter appears sensitive to surface conditions (temperature, pressure and relative humidity) in the moisture uptake area (&amp;#177;5.1 &amp;#8240;). As the event is characterized by the presence of liquid water clouds above Concordia, we show additional sensitivity tests exploring the impact of mixed phase clouds on the water vapor isotopic composition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, we perform a water vapor mass budget in the boundary layer using observations and simulations from the regional atmospheric model MAR, ran with and without drifting snow. The presence of mixed-phase clouds during the event induced a significant increase in downward longwave radiative fluxes, which led to high turbulent mixing in the boundary layer and to heavy drifting snow (white-out conditions). Using MAR simulations, we show that a significant part of the atmospheric water vapor originates from sublimation of drifting snow particles removed from the snowpack. Consequently, the isotopic signal monitored in water vapor during this atmospheric river event reflects both long-range moisture advection and interactions between the boundary layer and the snowpack. Only specific meteorological conditions driven by the atmospheric river, and their associated intense poleward moisture transport, can explain these strong interactions.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals North Atlantic Ocean–Atmosphere Driven Variations in Aerosol Evolution along Lagrangian Cold-Air Outbreak Trajectories

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Sanchez ◽  
Bo Zhang ◽  
Hongyu Liu ◽  
Matthew D. Brown ◽  
Ewan C. Crosbie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Particle Dispersion ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Accumulation Mode ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Cold Air Outbreak

Abstract. Atmospheric marine particle concentrations impact cloud properties, which strongly impact the amount of solar radiation reflected back into space or absorbed by the ocean surface. While satellites can provide a snapshot of current conditions at the overpass time, models are necessary to simulate temporal variations in both particle and cloud properties. However, poor model accuracy limits the reliability with which these tools can be used to predict future climate. Here, we leverage the comprehensive ocean ecosystem and atmospheric aerosol-cloud data set obtained during the third deployment of the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES3). Airborne and ship-based measurements were collected in and around a cold-air outbreak during a three-day intensive operations period from September 17–19, 2017. Cold-air outbreaks are of keen interest for model validation because they are challenging to accurately simulate, which is due, in part, to the numerous feedbacks and sub-grid scale processes that influence aerosol and cloud evolution. The NAAMES observations are particularly valuable because the flight plans were tailored to lie along Lagrangian trajectories, making it possible to spatiotemporally connect upwind and downwind measurements with the state-of-the-art FLEXible PARTicle (FLEXPART) Lagrangian particle dispersion model and then calculate a rate of change in particle properties. Initial aerosol conditions spanning an east-west, closed-cell cloudy to clear air transition region of the cold-air outbreak indicate similar particle concentrations and properties. However, despite the similarities in the aerosol fields, the cloud properties downwind of each region evolved quite differently. One trajectory carried particles through a cold-air outbreak, resulting in a decrease in accumulation mode particle concentration (−42 %) and cloud droplet concentrations, while the other remained outside of the cold-air outbreak and experienced an increase in accumulation mode particle concentrations (+62 %). The variable meteorological conditions between these two adjacent trajectories result from differences in the local sea surface temperature altering stability of the marine atmospheric boundary layer because of the location of the Labrador Current. Further comparisons of historical satellite observations indicate that the observed pattern occurs annually in the region, making it an ideal location for future airborne Lagrangian studies tracking the evolution of aerosols and clouds over time under cold air outbreak conditions.

scholarly journals A multi-model analysis of vertical ozone profiles

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 26095-26142 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Jonson ◽  
A. Stohl ◽  
A. M. Fiore ◽  
P. Hess ◽  
S. Szopa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Particle Dispersion ◽  
Anthropogenic Source ◽  
Free Troposphere ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
Intercontinental Transport ◽  
Ozone Levels

Abstract. A multi-model study of the long-range transport of ozone and its precursors from major anthropogenic source regions was coordinated by the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (TF HTAP) under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). Vertical profiles of ozone at 12-h intervals in year 2001 are available from twelve of the models contributing to this study and are compared here with observed profiles from ozonesondes. The contributions from each major source region are analysed for selected sondes, and this analysis is supplemented by retroplume calculations using the FLEXPART Lagrangian particle dispersion model to provide insight into the origin of ozone transport events and the cause of differences between the models and observations. In the boundary layer ozone levels are in general strongly affected by regional sources and sinks. With a considerably longer lifetime in the free troposphere, ozone here is to a much larger extent affected by processes on a larger scale such as intercontinental transport and exchange with the stratosphere. Such individual events are difficult to trace over several days or weeks of transport. As a result statistical relationships between models and ozone sonde measurements are far less satisfactory than for surface measurements at all seasons. The lowest bias between model calculated ozone profiles and the ozone sonde measurements is seen in the winter and autumn months. Following the increase in photochemical activity in the spring and summer months the spread in model results increases and the agreement between ozone sonde measurements and the individual models deteriorates further. At selected sites calculated contributions to ozone levels in the free troposphere from intercontinental transport are presented. Intercontinental transport is identified based on differences in model calculations with unperturbed emissions and emissions reduced by 20% by region. With emissions perturbed by 20% per region calculated intercontinental contributions to ozone in the free troposphere range from less than 1 ppb to 3 ppb, with small contributions in winter. The results are corroborated by the retroplume calculations. At several locations the seasonal contributions to ozone in the free troposphere from intercontinental transport differ from what has been shown earlier at the surface using the same dataset. The large spread in model results points to a need of further evaluation of the chemical and physical processes in order to improve the credibility of global model results.

scholarly journals The ability to use FLEXPART in simulation of the long-range radioactive materials dispersed from nuclear power plants near Vietnam border

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 40-48
Author(s):  
Kim Long Pham ◽  
Hao Quang Nguyen ◽  
Duy Hien Pham ◽  
Xuan Anh Do ◽  
Duc Thang Duong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Long Range ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Radioactive Material ◽  
Radioactive Materials ◽  
The Impact

FLEXPART is a Lagrangian transport and dispersion model suitable for the simulation of a large range of atmospheric transport processes. FLEXPART has been researched and applied   in simulation of the long-range dispersion of radioactive materials. It can be applicable to the problem of radioactive materials released from the nuclear power plants impact on Vietnam. This report presents simulation of radioactive dispersion from the accident assumed Fangchenggang and Changjiang nuclear power plants in China with the FLEXPART, using meteorological data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The results of simulations and analyzing showed good applicability of FLEXPART for a long-range radioactive materials dispersion. The preliminary simulation results show that the impact of the radioactive material dispersion in Vietnam varies by the well-known characteristics of the monsoon of our country. Winter is the time when the dominant northeast winds up radioactive dispersion most towards our country, its sphere of influence extends from the Northeast (Quang Ninh) to North Central (Da Nang).

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