Investigating the Complex Interactions between Aerosols and Meteorology and Their Impacts on the Aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing in Coastal Texas
TAMANNA SUBBA, Michael Jensen, Ashish Singh, Rebecca Trojanowski, Dié Wang, Maria Zawadowicz, Chongai Kuang, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Abstract Number: 478
Working Group: Coast to Coast Campaigns on Aerosols, Clouds, Chemistry, and Air Quality
Abstract
Recent changes in the global aerosol burden have significantly altered aerosol direct radiative forcing (DRF) which indicates aerosol influence on climate via perturbation of the radiation budget. The DRFs estimated using the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) data indicate notable spatial and temporal variations of DRF across the South and Southeast United States over recent decades. The TRacking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER) provides a unique opportunity to study aerosol processes that affect climate in the coastal environment of the Southern Texas region. During summertime, this region experiences interactions of mesoscale meteorological and aerosol microphysical phenomena. For example, inland-penetrating sea breeze fronts modify atmospheric conditions and aerosol properties, potentially affecting their spatiotemporal distribution and radiative impact. The changes in DRF are considered to be primarily driven by changes in anthropogenic activities associated with population growth and urbanization. However, the effect of interactions between the aerosol environment and the mesoscale meteorological phenomena on DRF is less studied. A comprehensive suite of measurement data is used to understand these processes, including aerosol size distribution, chemical composition, aerosol optical depth, asymmetry parameters, and single scattering albedo, complemented by detailed meteorological observations during the summer over the TRACER environment. DRF is estimated using the measurement-informed Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds (OPAC) software package and the Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) radiative transfer model. The WRF-Chem model simulations further elucidate the impact of meteorological phenomena and aerosol environment on the DRF from local to regional scales.