scholarly journals Direct radiative effects of intense Mediterranean desert dust outbreaks

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonis Gkikas ◽  
Vincenzo Obiso ◽  
Carlos Pérez García-Pando ◽  
Oriol Jorba ◽  
Nikos Hatzianastassiou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Radiative Effects ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
European Continent ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Desert Dust ◽  
Mineral Particles ◽  
Strong Surface

Abstract. The direct radiative effect (DRE) of 20 intense and widespread dust outbreaks that affected the broader Mediterranean basin during the period March 2000 – February 2013, has been calculated with the regional NMMB-MONARCH model. The DREs have been calculated based on short-term simulations (84 hours) for a domain covering the Sahara and most part of the European continent. At midday, desert dust outbreaks induce locally a NET (shortwave plus longwave) strong atmospheric warming (DREATM values up to 285 Wm−2), a strong surface cooling (DRENETSURF values down to −337 Wm−2) whereas they strongly reduce the downward radiation at the ground (DRESURF values down to −589 Wm−2). During nighttime, reverse effects of smaller magnitude are found. At the top of the atmosphere (TOA), positive (planetary warming) DREs up to 85 Wm−2 are found over highly reflective surfaces while negative (planetary cooling) DREs down to −184 Wm−2 are computed over dark surfaces at noon. Desert dust outbreaks significantly affect the regional radiation budget, with regional clear-sky NET DRE values ranging from −13.9 to 2.6 Wm−2, from −43.6 to 4 Wm−2, from −26.3 to 3.9 Wm−2 and from −3.7 to 28 Wm−2 for TOA, SURF, NETSURF and ATM, respectively. Although the shortwave (SW) DREs are larger than the longwave (LW) ones, the latter are comparable or even larger at TOA, particularly over the Sahara at midday. As a response to the strong surface cooling during daytime, dust outbreaks cause a reduction of the regional sensible and latent heat fluxes by up to 45 Wm−2 and 4 Wm−2, respectively, averaged over land areas of the simulation domain. Dust outbreaks reduce the temperature at 2 meters by up to 4 K during day, whereas a reverse tendency of similar magnitude is found during night. Depending on the vertical distribution of dust loads and time, mineral particles heat (cool) the atmosphere by up to 0.9 K (0.8 K) during daytime (nighttime) within atmospheric dust layers. Beneath and above the dust clouds, mineral particles cool (warm) the atmosphere by up to 1.3 K (1.2 K) at noon (night). When dust radiative effects are taken into account in numerical simulations, the total emitted dust and dust AOD, computed on a regional mean basis, are decreased (negative feedback) by 19.5 % and 6.9 %. The consideration of dust radiative effects in numerical simulations improves the model predictive skills. More specifically, it reduces the model positive and negative biases for the downward surface SW and LW radiation, respectively, with respect to Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) measurements. In addition, they also reduce the model near-surface (at 2 meters) nocturnal cold biases by up to 0.5 K (regional averages), as well as the model warm biases at 950 and 700 hPa, where the dust concentration is maximized, by up to 0.4 K.

scholarly journals Direct radiative effects during intense Mediterranean desert dust outbreaks

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 8757-8787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonis Gkikas ◽  
Vincenzo Obiso ◽  
Carlos Pérez García-Pando ◽  
Oriol Jorba ◽  
Nikos Hatzianastassiou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Radiative Effects ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
Night Time ◽  
European Continent ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Mineral Particles ◽  
Strong Surface

Abstract. The direct radiative effect (DRE) during 20 intense and widespread dust outbreaks, which affected the broader Mediterranean basin over the period March 2000–February 2013, has been calculated with the NMMB-MONARCH model at regional (Sahara and European continent) and short-term temporal (84 h) scales. According to model simulations, the maximum dust aerosol optical depths (AODs) range from ∼ 2.5 to ∼ 5.5 among the identified cases. At midday, dust outbreaks locally induce a NET (shortwave plus longwave) strong atmospheric warming (DREATM values up to 285 W m−2; Niger–Chad; dust AODs up to ∼ 5.5) and a strong surface cooling (DRENETSURF values down to −337 W m−2), whereas they strongly reduce the downward radiation at the ground level (DRESURF values down to −589 W m−2 over the Eastern Mediterranean, for extremely high dust AODs, 4.5–5). During night-time, reverse effects of smaller magnitude are found. At the top of the atmosphere (TOA), positive (planetary warming) DREs up to 85 W m−2 are found over highly reflective surfaces (Niger–Chad; dust AODs up to ∼ 5.5) while negative (planetary cooling) DREs down to −184 W m−2 (Eastern Mediterranean; dust AODs 4.5–5) are computed over dark surfaces at noon. Dust outbreaks significantly affect the mean regional radiation budget, with NET DREs ranging from −8.5 to 0.5 W m−2, from −31.6 to 2.1 W m−2, from −22.2 to 2.2 W m−2 and from −1.7 to 20.4 W m−2 for TOA, SURF, NETSURF and ATM, respectively. Although the shortwave DREs are larger than the longwave ones, the latter are comparable or even larger at TOA, particularly over the Sahara at midday. As a response to the strong surface day-time cooling, dust outbreaks cause a reduction in the regional sensible and latent heat fluxes by up to 45 and 4 W m−2, respectively, averaged over land areas of the simulation domain. Dust outbreaks reduce the temperature at 2 m by up to 4 K during day-time, whereas a reverse tendency of similar magnitude is found during night-time. Depending on the vertical distribution of dust loads and time, mineral particles heat (cool) the atmosphere by up to 0.9 K (0.8 K) during day-time (night-time) within atmospheric dust layers. Beneath and above the dust clouds, mineral particles cool (warm) the atmosphere by up to 1.3 K (1.2 K) at noon (night-time). On a regional mean basis, negative feedbacks on the total emitted dust (reduced by 19.5 %) and dust AOD (reduced by 6.9 %) are found when dust interacts with the radiation. Through the consideration of dust radiative effects in numerical simulations, the model positive and negative biases for the downward surface SW or LW radiation, respectively, with respect to Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) measurements, are reduced. In addition, they also reduce the model near-surface (at 2 m) nocturnal cold biases by up to 0.5 K (regional averages), as well as the model warm biases at 950 and 700 hPa, where the dust concentration is maximized, by up to 0.4 K. However, improvements are relatively small and do not happen in all episodes because other model first-order errors may dominate over the expected improvements, and the misrepresentation of the dust plumes' spatiotemporal features and optical properties may even produce a double penalty effect. The enhancement of dust forecasts via data assimilation techniques may significantly improve the results.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of Numerical Simulations of Near-Surface Atmospheric Conditions to Snow Depth and Surface Albedo during an Ice Fog Event over Heber Valley

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 797-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feimin Zhang ◽  
Zhaoxia Pu
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
Surface Albedo ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Atmospheric Modeling ◽  
Initial Surface ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Ice Fog

AbstractThis study examines the sensitivity of numerical simulations of near-surface atmospheric conditions to the initial surface albedo and snow depth during an observed ice fog event in the Heber Valley of northern Utah. Numerical simulation results from the mesoscale community Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model are compared with observations from the Mountain Terrain Atmospheric Modeling and Observations (MATERHORN) Program fog field program. It is found that near-surface cooling during the nighttime is significantly underestimated by the WRF Model, resulting in the failure of the model to reproduce the observed fog episode. Meanwhile, the model also overestimates the temperature during the daytime. Nevertheless, these errors could be reduced by increasing the initial surface albedo and snow depth, which act to cool the near-surface atmosphere by increasing the reflection of downward shortwave radiation and decreasing the heating effects from the soil layer. Overall results indicate the important effects of snow representation on the simulation of near-surface atmospheric conditions and highlight the need for snow measurements in the cold season for improved model physics parameterizations.

scholarly journals Quantifying Diurnal Cloud Radiative Effects by Cloud Type in the Tropical Western Pacific

2015 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 1297-1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casey D. Burleyson ◽  
Charles N. Long ◽  
Jennifer M. Comstock
Keyword(s):  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Cloud Type ◽  
Radiative Effects ◽  
Surface Radiation Budget ◽  
Tropical Western Pacific ◽  
Cloud Radiative Effects

AbstractCloud radiative effects are examined using long-term datasets collected at the U.S. Department of Energy’s three Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Climate Research Facilities in the tropical western Pacific Ocean. The surface radiation budget, cloud populations, and cloud radiative effects are quantified by partitioning the data by cloud type, time of day, and large-scale modes of variability such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phase and wet/dry seasons at Darwin, Australia. The novel aspect of this analysis is the breakdown of aggregate cloud radiative effects by cloud type across the diurnal cycle. The Nauru Island (Republic of Nauru) cloud populations and subsequently the surface radiation budget are strongly impacted by ENSO variability, whereas the cloud populations over Manus Island (Papua New Guinea) shift only slightly in response to changes in ENSO phase. The Darwin site exhibits large seasonal monsoon-related variations. When present, deeper convective clouds have a strong influence on the amount of radiation that reaches the surface. Their limited frequency reduces their aggregate radiative impact, however. The largest source of shortwave cloud radiative effects at all three sites comes from low clouds. The observations are used to demonstrate that potential model biases in the amplitude of the diurnal cycle and mean cloud frequency would lead to larger errors in the surface energy budget when compared with biases in the timing of the diurnal cycle of cloud frequency. These results provide solid benchmarks to evaluate model simulations of cloud radiative effects in the tropics.

scholarly journals Impact of poleward heat and moisture transports on Arctic clouds and climate simulation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Hyuk Baek ◽  
Joo-Hong Kim ◽  
Sungsu Park ◽  
Baek-Min Kim ◽  
Jee-Hoon Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Global Radiation ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Arctic Clouds ◽  
Model Version ◽  
Budget Analysis ◽  
Atmosphere Model ◽  
Heat And Moisture

Abstract. Clouds play an important role in regulating the Earth's global radiation budget. Many General Circulation Models (GCMs) have difficulty in simulating Arctic clouds and climate with a large inter-model spread. In an attempt to address this issue, we compare an Atmospheric Model Inter-comparison Project (AMIP) simulation from the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) with that from the Seoul National University (SNU) Atmosphere Model version 0 with a Unified Convection Scheme (SAM0). Over the Arctic, it was found that SAM0 simulates more cloud fraction and cloud liquid mass than CAM5, reducing the Arctic clouds biases in CAM5. The budget analysis indicates that this improvement is associated with an enhanced net condensation rate of water vapor into the liquid condensate of the Arctic low-level stratus, which in turn is driven by enhanced poleward transports of heat and moisture by mean meridional circulation and transient eddies. The reduced Arctic cloud biases lead to improved simulations of surface radiation fluxes and near-surface air temperature over the Arctic throughout the year. The association between the enhanced poleward transports of heat and moisture and more liquid stratus over the Arctic is also evident in the multi-models analysis. Our study indicates that the proper simulation of poleward heat and moisture transport is one of the key factors necessary for improving the simulations of Arctic clouds and climate.

scholarly journals Uncertainties of parameterized near-surface downward longwave and clear-sky direct radiation

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 3357-3407 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Gubler ◽  
S. Gruber ◽  
R. S. Purves
Keyword(s):  
Mean Squared Error ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Total Output ◽  
Parameter Uncertainties ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Environmental Models

Abstract. As many environmental models rely on simulating the energy balance at the Earth's surface based on parameterized radiative fluxes, knowledge of the inherent uncertainties is important. In this study we evaluate one parameterization of clear-sky incoming shortwave radiation (SDR) and diverse parameterizations of clear-sky and all-sky incoming longwave radiation (LDR). In a first step, the clear-sky global SDR is estimated based measured input variables and mean parameter values for hourly time steps during the year 1996 to 2008, and validated using the high quality measurements of seven Alpine Surface Radiation Budget (ASRB) stations in Switzerland covering different elevations. Then, twelve clear-sky LDR parameterizations are fitted to the ASRB measurements. One of the best performing LDR parameterizations is chosen to estimate the all-sky LDR based on cloud transmissivity. Cloud transmissivity is estimated using measured and modeled global SDR during daytime. For the night, the performance of several interpolation methods is evaluated. Input variable and parameter uncertainties are assigned to estimate the total output uncertainty of the mentioned models, resulting in a mean relative uncertainty of 10% for the clear-sky direct, 15% for diffuse and 2.5% for global SDR, and 2.5% for the fitted all-sky LDR. Further, a function representing the uncertainty in dependence of the radiation is assigned for each model. Validation of the model outputs shows that direct SDR is underestimated (the mean error (ME) is around −33 W m−2), while diffuse radiation is overestimated (ME around 19 W m−2). The root mean squared error (RMSE) scatters around 60 W m−2 for direct, and 40 W m−2 for diffuse SDR. The best behaviour is found, due to the compensating effects of direct and diffuse SDR, for global SDR with MEs around −13 W m−2 and RMSEs around 40 W m−2. The ME of the fitted all-sky LDR is around ±10 W m−2, and the RMSE goes up to 40 W m−2. This is obtained by linearly interpolating the average of the cloud transmissivity of the four hours of the preceeding afternoon and the following morning.

scholarly journals Numerical Simulations of Radiative Cooling beneath the Anvils of Supercell Thunderstorms

2010 ◽  
Vol 138 (8) ◽  
pp. 3024-3047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Frame ◽  
Paul Markowski
Keyword(s):  
Surface Layer ◽  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Radiative Heating ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Surface Winds ◽  
Model Surface ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Regional Prediction ◽  
Supercell Thunderstorms

Abstract Numerical simulations of supercell thunderstorms that include parameterized radiative transfer and surface fluxes are performed using the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) to investigate the effects of anvil shadows on the near-storm environment. If the simulated storm is nearly stationary, the maximum low-level air temperature deficits within the shadows are about 2 K, which is roughly half the cooling found in some previous observations. It is shown that the extinction of downwelling shortwave radiation by the anvil cloud creates a differential in the flux of downwelling shortwave radiation between the sun and the shade that is at least an order of magnitude greater than the differential of any other term in either the surface radiation or the surface energy budgets. The loss of strong solar heating of the model surface within the shaded regions leads to a reduction of surface temperatures and stabilization of the model surface layer beneath the anvil. The reduction in vertical mixing results in a shallow, strongly vertically sheared layer near the surface and calmer near-surface winds, which are limited to regions in the anvil shadow. This difference in radiative heating is shown not to affect the vertical thermodynamic or wind profiles above the near-surface layer (approximately the lowest 500 m). It is also found that these results are highly sensitive to the magnitude of the near-surface winds. If the initial hodograph is shifted such that the simulated storm acquires a substantial eastward propagation speed, the temperature deficit within the shadow is greatly diminished. This is due to both a weaker surface sensible heat flux and less time during which surface cooling and boundary layer stabilization can occur beneath the anvil.

scholarly journals Modeling the radiative effects of desert dust on weather and regional climate

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5489-5504 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Spyrou ◽  
G. Kallos ◽  
C. Mitsakou ◽  
P. Athanasiadis ◽  
C. Kalogeri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Limited Area ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Radiative Effects ◽  
Desert Dust

Abstract. Mineral dust aerosols exert a significant effect on both solar and terrestrial radiation. By absorbing and scattering, the solar radiation aerosols reduce the amount of energy reaching the surface. In addition, aerosols enhance the greenhouse effect by absorbing and emitting outgoing longwave radiation. Desert dust forcing exhibits large regional and temporal variability due to its short lifetime and diverse optical properties, further complicating the quantification of the direct radiative effect (DRE). The complexity of the links and feedbacks of dust on radiative transfer indicate the need for an integrated approach in order to examine these impacts. In order to examine these feedbacks, the SKIRON limited area model has been upgraded to include the RRTMG (Rapid Radiative Transfer Model – GCM) radiative transfer model that takes into consideration the aerosol radiative effects. It was run for a 6 year period. Two sets of simulations were performed, one without the effects of dust and the other including the radiative feedback. The results were first evaluated using aerosol optical depth data to examine the capabilities of the system in describing the desert dust cycle. Then the aerosol feedback on radiative transfer was quantified and the links between dust and radiation were studied. The study has revealed a strong interaction between dust particles and solar and terrestrial radiation, with several implications on the energy budget of the atmosphere. A profound effect is the increased absorption (in the shortwave and longwave) in the lower troposphere and the induced modification of the atmospheric temperature profile. These feedbacks depend strongly on the spatial distribution of dust and have more profound effects where the number of particles is greater, such as near their source.

scholarly journals An Evaluation of Surface Atmospheric Changes over the Arctic Ocean for 2000–09 Using Recent Reanalyses

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayan H. Chaudhuri ◽  
Rui M. Ponte
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Ice Retreat

Abstract The authors examine five recent reanalysis products [NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR), Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), Japanese 25-year Reanalysis Project (JRA-25), Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim), and Arctic System Reanalysis (ASR)] for 1) trends in near-surface radiation fluxes, air temperature, and humidity, which are important indicators of changes within the Arctic Ocean and also influence sea ice and ocean conditions, and 2) fidelity of these atmospheric fields and effects for an extreme event: namely, the 2007 ice retreat. An analysis of trends over the Arctic for the past decade (2000–09) shows that reanalysis solutions have large spreads, particularly for downwelling shortwave radiation. In many cases, the differences in significant trends between the five reanalysis products are comparable to the estimated trend within a particular product. These discrepancies make it difficult to establish a consensus on likely changes occurring in the Arctic solely based on results from reanalyses fields. Regarding the 2007 ice retreat event, comparisons with remotely sensed estimates of downwelling radiation observations against these reanalysis products present an ambiguity. Remotely sensed observations from a study cited herewith suggest a large increase in downwelling summertime shortwave radiation and decrease in downwelling summertime longwave radiation from 2006 and 2007. On the contrary, the reanalysis products show only small gains in summertime shortwave radiation, if any; however, all the products show increases in downwelling longwave radiation. Thus, agreement within reanalysis fields needs to be further checked against observations to assess possible biases common to all products.

Idealized large-eddy simulations of stratocumulus advecting over cold water. Part 1: Boundary layer decoupling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youtong Zheng ◽  
Haipeng Zhang ◽  
Daniel Rosenfeld ◽  
Seoung-Soo Lee ◽  
Tianning Su ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Temperature Inversion ◽  
Atmospheric Modeling ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Entrainment Rate ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Large Eddy

AbstractWe explore the decoupling physics of a stratocumulus-topped boundary layer (STBL) moving over cooler water, a situation mimicking the warm air advection (WADV). We simulate an initially well-mixed STBL over a doubly periodic domain with the sea surface temperature decreasing linearly over time using the System for Atmospheric Modeling large-eddy model. Due to the surface cooling, the STBL becomes increasingly stably stratified, manifested as a near-surface temperature inversion topped by a well-mixed cloud-containing layer. Unlike the stably stratified STBL in cold air advection (CADV) that is characterized by cumulus coupling, the stratocumulus deck in the WADV is unambiguously decoupled from the sea surface, manifested as weakly negative buoyancy flux throughout the sub-cloud layer. Without the influxes of buoyancy from the surface, the convective circulation in the well-mixed cloud-containing layer is driven by cloud-top radiative cooling. In such a regime, the downdrafts propel the circulation, in contrast to that in CADV regime for which the cumulus updrafts play a more determinant role. Such a contrast in convection regime explains the difference in many aspects of the STBLs including the entrainment rate, cloud homogeneity, vertical exchanges of heat and moisture, and lifetime of the stratocumulus deck, with the last being subject to a more thorough investigation in part 2. Finally, we investigate under what conditions a secondary stratus near the surface (or fog) can form in the WADV. We found that weaker subsidence favors the formation of fog whereas a more rapid surface cooling rate doesn’t.

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