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Anthropogenic Aerosol Radiative Forcing in Asia Derived From Regional Models With Atmospheric and Aerosol Data Assimilation
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Anthropogenic Aerosol Radiative Forcing in Asia Derived From Regional Models With Atmospheric and Aerosol Data Assimilation

Chul Eddy Chung, V Ramanathan, Gregory Carmichael, S Kulkarni, Youhua Tang, Bhupesh Adhikary, Lai-Yung R Leung and Yun Qian
Atmospheric chemistry and physics, Vol.10(13), pp.6007-6024
07/05/2010
DOI: 10.5194/acp-10-6007-2010
url
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-6007-2010View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

A high-resolution estimate of monthly 3D aerosol solar heating rates and surface solar fluxes in Asia from 2001 to 2004 is described here. This product stems from an Asian aerosol assimilation project, in which a) the PNNL regional model bounded by the NCEP reanalyses was used to provide meteorology, b) MODIS and AERONET data were integrated for aerosol observations, c) the Iowa aerosol/chemistry model STEM-2K1 used the PNNL meteorology and assimilated aerosol observations, and d) 3D (X-Y-Z) aerosol simulations from the STEM-2K1 were used in the Scripps Monte-Carlo Aerosol Cloud Radiation (MACR) model to produce total and anthropogenic aerosol direct solar forcing for average cloudy skies. The MACR model and STEM both used the PNNL model resolution of 0.45º×0.4º in the horizontal and of 23 layers in the troposphere. The 2001–2004 averaged anthropogenic all-sky aerosol forcing is -1.3 Wm-2 (TOA), +7.3 Wm-2 (atmosphere) and -8.6 Wm-2 (surface) averaged in Asia (60-138°E & Eq. -45°N). In the absence of AERONET SSA assimilation, absorbing aerosol concentration (especially BC aerosol) is much smaller, giving -2.3 Wm-2 (TOA), +4.5 Wm-2 (atmosphere) and -6.8 Wm-2 (surface), averaged in Asia. In the vertical, monthly forcing is mainly concentrated below 600hPa with maxima around 800hPa. Seasonally, low-level forcing is far larger in dry season than in wet season in South Asia, whereas the wet season forcing exceeds the dry season forcing in East Asia. The anthropogenic forcing in the present study is similar to that in Chung et al.’s [2005] in overall magnitude but the former offers fine-scale features and simulated vertical profiles. The interannual variability of the computed anthropogenic forcing is significant and extremely large over major emission outflow areas. In view of this, the present study’s estimate is within the implicated range of the 1999 INDOEX result. However, NCAR/CCSM3’s anthropogenic aerosol forcing is much smaller than the present study’s estimate at the surface, and is outside of what the INDOEX findings can support.
 Solar Heating Asia Clouds Meteorology Solar Energy IOWA AEROSOLS RESOLUTION RADIATIONS TROPOSPHERE SEASONS

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