Regional climate feedbacks in Central Chile and their effect on air quality episodes and meteorology

Marcelo Mena-Carrasco; Pablo Saide; Rodrigo Delgado; Pablo Hernandez; Scott Spak; Luisa Molina; Gregory Carmichael; Xiaoyan Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2014.06.006

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Regional climate feedbacks in Central Chile and their effect on air quality episodes and meteorology

Marcelo Mena-Carrasco, Pablo Saide, Rodrigo Delgado, Pablo Hernandez, Scott Spak, Luisa Molina, Gregory Carmichael and Xiaoyan Jiang

Urban climate, Vol.10(P5), pp.771-781

12/2014

DOI: 10.1016/j.uclim.2014.06.006

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Abstract

•Recent trends in air quality and emissions in Santiago, Chile are described.•Current and future air quality episodes are compared using a forecasting model.•WRF-Chem is used to estimate regional warming due to black carbon aerosol feedbacks.•Black carbon is shown to warm the Andes mountain range up to 0.4°C in temperature.•Regional emissions of SO2 are shown to generate coastal cooling of up to 1°C. Santiago, an emerging megacity of 7 million plus inhabitants has shown great improvement in its air quality reducing PM2.5 concentrations from 69μg/m3 in 1989 to 24μg/m3 in 2013 with a comprehensive air quality management strategy. An operational air quality forecasting model that has shown great potential in predicting air quality episodes is used to establish how the climate A1B scenario can impact the frequency of bad air days. In comparison to 2011, in 2050 extreme air quality episodes will be reduced in 20%. WRF-Chem is used to evaluate the effect of anthropogenic emissions on the regional climate including aerosol radiative feedbacks for October–November 2008. Anthropogenic emissions of sulfur and black carbon show different geographical patterns which result in local cooling (0.2–1°C) in coastal Chile, due to large sources of SO2. Central Chile, where most of the population of the country lives, shows transportation of black carbon emissions into the Andes mountain range, resulting in local warming of 0.4°C. While global forcings may cause regional heating for 2050, reducing current black carbon emissions in Central Chile can reduce anthropogenic warming with immediate benefits to the regional climate, and simultaneously reducing local air pollution.

Andes

Regional climate

Santiago

Black carbon

Aerosol

Details

Title: Subtitle: Regional climate feedbacks in Central Chile and their effect on air quality episodes and meteorology
Creators: Marcelo Mena-Carrasco - Ministerio del Medio Ambiente, Santiago, Chile
Pablo Saide - Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
Rodrigo Delgado - Dirección Meteorologica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Pablo Hernandez - Center for Sustainability Research, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
Scott Spak - Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
Luisa Molina - Molina Center for Energy and the Environment, La Jolla, CA, United States
Gregory Carmichael - Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
Xiaoyan Jiang - Washington State University, United States
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Urban climate, Vol.10(P5), pp.771-781
DOI: 10.1016/j.uclim.2014.06.006
ISSN: 2212-0955
eISSN: 2212-0955
Publisher: Elsevier B.V
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/501100002848, name: CONICYT, award: 15110017; name: EPA STAR, award: R835037
Language: English
Date published: 12/2014
Academic Unit: Civil and Environmental Engineering; Center for Global & Regional Environmental Research; Nursing; Public Policy Center (Archive); Chemical and Biochemical Engineering; School of Planning and Public Affairs
Record Identifier: 9983993026402771

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