scholarly journals Renewal of aerosol data for ALADIN-HIRLAM radiation parametrizations

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 129-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Rontu ◽  
Joni-Pekka Pietikäinen ◽  
Daniel Martin Perez

Abstract. Radiative transfer calculations in numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate models require reliable information about aerosol concentration in the atmosphere, combined with data on aerosol optical properties. Replacement of the default input data on vertically integrated climatological aerosol optical depth at 550 nm (AOD550, Tegen climatology) with newer data, based on those available from Copernicus atmosphere monitoring service (CAMS), led to minor differences in the simulated solar irradiance and screen-level temperature in the regional climate model HCLIM-ALARO simulations over Scandinavia and in a clear-sky case study using HARMONIE-AROME NWP model over the Iberian peninsula. In the case study, replacement of the climatological AOD550 with that based on three-dimensional near-real-time aerosol mass mixing ratio resulted in a maximum reduction of the order of 150 W m−2 in the simulated local solar irradiance at noon. Corresponding maximum reduction of the screen-level temperature by almost two degrees was found. The large differences were due to a dust intrusion from Sahara, which is obviously not represented in the average climatological distribution of dust aerosol. Further studies are needed in order to introdude updated aerosol optical properties of all available aerosol types at different wavelengths, make them available for the radiation schemes of ALADIN-HIRLAM and test the impact on the predicted radiation fluxes.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda C. Maycock ◽  
Katja Matthes ◽  
Susann Tegtmeier ◽  
Hauke Schmidt ◽  
Rémi Thiéblemont ◽  
...  

Abstract. The impact of changes in incoming solar irradiance on stratospheric ozone abundances should be included in climate model simulations to fully capture the atmospheric response to solar variability. This study presents the first systematic comparison of the solar-ozone response (SOR) during the 11 year solar cycle amongst different chemistry-climate models (CCMs) and ozone databases specified in climate models that do not include chemistry. We analyse the SOR in eight CCMs from the WCRP/SPARC Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative (CCMI-1) and compare these with three ozone databases: the Bodeker Scientific database, the SPARC/AC&C database for CMIP5, and the SPARC/CCMI database for CMIP6. The results reveal substantial differences in the representation of the SOR between the CMIP5 and CMIP6 ozone databases. The peak amplitude of theSOR in the upper stratosphere (1–5 hPa) decreases from 5 % to 2 % between the CMIP5 and CMIP6 databases. This difference is because the CMIP5 database was constructed from a regression model fit to satellite observations, whereas the CMIP6 database is constructed from CCM simulations, which use a spectral solar irradiance (SSI) dataset with relatively weak UV forcing. The SOR in the CMIP6 ozone database is therefore implicitly more similar to the SOR in the CCMI-1 models than to the CMIP5 ozone database, which shows a greater resemblance in amplitude and structure to the SOR in the Bodeker database. The latitudinal structure of the annual mean SOR in the CMIP6 ozone database and CCMI-1 models is considerably smoother than in the CMIP5 database, which shows strong gradients in the SOR across the midlatitudes owing to the paucity of observations at high latitudes. The SORs in the CMIP6 ozone database and in the CCMI-1 models show a strong seasonal dependence, including large meridional gradients at mid to high latitudes during winter; such seasonal variations in the SOR are not included in the CMIP5 ozone database. Sensitivity experiments with a global atmospheric model without chemistry (ECHAM6.3) are performed to assess the impact of changes in the representation of the SOR and SSI forcing between CMIP5 and CMIP6. The experiments show that the smaller amplitude of the SOR in the CMIP6 ozone database compared to CMIP5 causes a decrease in the modelled tropical stratospheric temperature response over the solar cycle of up to 0.6 K, or around 50 % of the total amplitude. The changes in the SOR explain most of the difference in the amplitude of the tropical stratospheric temperature response in the case with combined changes in SOR and SSI between CMIP5 and CMIP6. The results emphasise the importance of adequately representing the SOR in climate models to capture the impact of solar variability on the atmosphere. Since a number of limitations in the representation of the SOR in the CMIP5 ozone database have been identified, CMIP6 models without chemistry are encouraged to use the CMIP6 ozone database to capture the climate impacts of solar variability.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 1100-1120 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Rind ◽  
Judith L. Lean ◽  
Jeffrey Jonas

Abstract Simulations of the preindustrial and doubled CO2 climates are made with the GISS Global Climate Middle Atmosphere Model 3 using two different estimates of the absolute solar irradiance value: a higher value measured by solar radiometers in the 1990s and a lower value measured recently by the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment. Each of the model simulations is adjusted to achieve global energy balance; without this adjustment the difference in irradiance produces a global temperature change of 0.4°C, comparable to the cooling estimated for the Maunder Minimum. The results indicate that by altering cloud cover the model properly compensates for the different absolute solar irradiance values on a global level when simulating both preindustrial and doubled CO2 climates. On a regional level, the preindustrial climate simulations and the patterns of change with doubled CO2 concentrations are again remarkably similar, but there are some differences. Using a higher absolute solar irradiance value and the requisite cloud cover affects the model’s depictions of high-latitude surface air temperature, sea level pressure, and stratospheric ozone, as well as tropical precipitation. In the climate change experiments it leads to an underestimation of North Atlantic warming, reduced precipitation in the tropical western Pacific, and smaller total ozone growth at high northern latitudes. Although significant, these differences are typically modest compared with the magnitude of the regional changes expected for doubled greenhouse gas concentrations. Nevertheless, the model simulations demonstrate that achieving the highest possible fidelity when simulating regional climate change requires that climate models use as input the most accurate (lower) solar irradiance value.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efterpi Nikitidou ◽  
Veerle De Bock ◽  
Hugo De Backer ◽  
Andreas Kazantzidis

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (22) ◽  
pp. 6052-6059 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Timbal ◽  
P. Hope ◽  
S. Charles

Abstract The consistency between rainfall projections obtained from direct climate model output and statistical downscaling is evaluated. Results are averaged across an area large enough to overcome the difference in spatial scale between these two types of projections and thus make the comparison meaningful. Undertaking the comparison using a suite of state-of-the-art coupled climate models for two forcing scenarios presents a unique opportunity to test whether statistical linkages established between large-scale predictors and local rainfall under current climate remain valid in future climatic conditions. The study focuses on the southwest corner of Western Australia, a region that has experienced recent winter rainfall declines and for which climate models project, with great consistency, further winter rainfall reductions due to global warming. Results show that as a first approximation the magnitude of the modeled rainfall decline in this region is linearly related to the model global warming (a reduction of about 9% per degree), thus linking future rainfall declines to future emission paths. Two statistical downscaling techniques are used to investigate the influence of the choice of technique on projection consistency. In addition, one of the techniques was assessed using different large-scale forcings, to investigate the impact of large-scale predictor selection. Downscaled and direct model projections are consistent across the large number of models and two scenarios considered; that is, there is no tendency for either to be biased; and only a small hint that large rainfall declines are reduced in downscaled projections. Among the two techniques, a nonhomogeneous hidden Markov model provides greater consistency with climate models than an analog approach. Differences were due to the choice of the optimal combination of predictors. Thus statistically downscaled projections require careful choice of large-scale predictors in order to be consistent with physically based rainfall projections. In particular it was noted that a relative humidity moisture predictor, rather than specific humidity, was needed for downscaled projections to be consistent with direct model output projections.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 7031-7043 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Titos ◽  
A. Jefferson ◽  
P. J. Sheridan ◽  
E. Andrews ◽  
H. Lyamani ◽  
...  

Abstract. Aerosol optical properties were measured by the DOE/ARM (US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurements) Program Mobile Facility during the Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP) campaign deployed at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for a 1-year period (from summer 2012 to summer 2013). Measured optical properties included aerosol light-absorption coefficient (σap) at low relative humidity (RH) and aerosol light-scattering coefficient (σsp) at low and at RH values varying from 30 to 85%, approximately. Calculated variables included the single scattering albedo (SSA), the scattering Ångström exponent (SAE) and the scattering enhancement factor (f(RH)). Over the period of measurement, f(RH = 80%) had a mean value of 1.9 ± 0.3 and 1.8 ± 0.4 in the PM10 and PM1 fractions, respectively. Higher f(RH = 80%) values were observed for wind directions from 0 to 180° (marine sector) together with high SSA and low SAE values. The wind sector from 225 to 315° was identified as an anthropogenically influenced sector, and it was characterized by smaller, darker and less hygroscopic aerosols. For the marine sector, f(RH = 80%) was 2.2 compared with a value of 1.8 obtained for the anthropogenically influenced sector. The air-mass backward trajectory analysis agreed well with the wind sector analysis. It shows low cluster to cluster variability except for air masses coming from the Atlantic Ocean that showed higher hygroscopicity. Knowledge of the effect of RH on aerosol optical properties is of great importance for climate forcing calculations and for comparison of in situ measurements with satellite and remote sensing retrievals. In this sense, predictive capability of f(RH) for use in climate models would be enhanced if other aerosol parameters could be used as proxies to estimate hygroscopic growth. Toward this goal, we propose an exponential equation that successfully estimates aerosol hygroscopicity as a function of SSA at Cape Cod. Further work is needed to determine if the equation obtained is valid in other environments.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 2503-2516 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Klingmüller ◽  
B. Steil ◽  
C. Brühl ◽  
H. Tost ◽  
J. Lelieveld

Abstract. The modelling of aerosol radiative forcing is a major cause of uncertainty in the assessment of global and regional atmospheric energy budgets and climate change. One reason is the strong dependence of the aerosol optical properties on the mixing state of aerosol components, such as absorbing black carbon and, predominantly scattering sulfates. Using a new column version of the aerosol optical properties and radiative-transfer code of the ECHAM/MESSy atmospheric-chemistry–climate model (EMAC), we study the radiative transfer applying various mixing states. The aerosol optics code builds on the AEROPT (AERosol OPTical properties) submodel, which assumes homogeneous internal mixing utilising the volume average refractive index mixing rule. We have extended the submodel to additionally account for external mixing, partial external mixing and multilayered particles. Furthermore, we have implemented the volume average dielectric constant and Maxwell Garnett mixing rule. We performed regional case studies considering columns over China, India and Africa, corroborating much stronger absorption by internal than external mixtures. Well-mixed aerosol is a good approximation for particles with a black-carbon core, whereas particles with black carbon at the surface absorb significantly less. Based on a model simulation for the year 2005, we calculate that the global aerosol direct radiative forcing for homogeneous internal mixing differs from that for external mixing by about 0.5 W m−2.


Solar Energy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
pp. 439-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Sartelet ◽  
Carole Legorgeu ◽  
Lya Lugon ◽  
Yassine Maanane ◽  
Luc Musson-Genon

Időjárás ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-607
Author(s):  
André Simon ◽  
Martin Belluš ◽  
Katarína Čatlošová ◽  
Mária Derková ◽  
Martin Dian ◽  
...  

The paper presented is dedicated to the evaluation of the influence of various improvements to the numerical weather prediction (NWP) systems exploited at the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ). The impact was illustrated in a case study with multicell thunderstorms and the results were confronted with the reference analyses from the INCA nowcasting system, regional radar reflectivity data, and METEOSAT satellite imagery. The convective cells evolution was diagnosed in non-hydrostatic dynamics experiments to study weak mesoscale vortices and updrafts. The growth of simulated clouds and evolution of the temperature at their top were compared with the brightness temperature analyzed from satellite imagery. The results obtained indicated the potential for modeling and diagnostics of small-scale structures within the convective cloudiness, which could be related to severe weather. Furthermore, the non-hydrostatic dynamics experiments related to the stability and performance improvement of the time scheme led to the formulation of a new approach to linear operator definition for semi-implicit scheme (in text referred as NHHY). We demonstrate that the execution efficiency has improved by more than 20%. The exploitation of several high resolution measurement types in data assimilation contributed to more precise position of predicted patterns and precipitation representation in the case study. The non-hydrostatic dynamics provided more detailed structures. On the other hand, the potential of a single deterministic forecast of prefrontal heavy precipitation was not as high as provided by the ensemble system. The prediction of a regional ensemble system A-LAEF (ALARO Limited Area Ensemble Forecast) enhanced the localization of precipitation patterns. Though, this was rather due to the simulation of uncertainty in the initial conditions and also because of the stochastic perturbation of physics tendencies. The various physical parameterization setups of A-LAEF members did not exhibit a systematic effect on precipitation forecast in the evaluated case. Moreover, the ensemble system allowed an estimation of uncertainty in a rapidly developing severe weather case, which was high even at very short range.


2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 7403-7431
Author(s):  
W. H. Swartz ◽  
J.-H. Yee ◽  
R. E. Shetter ◽  
S. R. Hall ◽  
B. L. Lefer ◽  
...  

Abstract. Direct observation of the Sun at large solar zenith angles during the second SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE II)/Validation of International Satellites and study of Ozone Loss (VINTERSOL) campaign by several instruments provided a rich dataset for the retrieval and analysis of line-of-sight column composition, intercomparison, and measurement validation. A flexible, multi-species spectral fitting technique is presented and applied to spectral solar irradiance measurements made by the NCAR Direct beam Irradiance Atmospheric Spectrometer (DIAS) on-board the NASA DC-8. The approach allows for the independent retrieval of O3, O2·O2, and aerosol optical properties, by constraining Rayleigh extinction. We examine the 19 January 2003 and 6 February 2003 flights and find very good agreement of O3 and O2·O2 retrievals with forward-modeling calculations, even at large solar zenith angles, where refraction is important. Intercomparisons of retrieved ozone and aerosol optical thickness with results from the Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) are summarized.


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