Aerosol Production and Transport in Southwest Asia
Abstract
Aerosol production from the Southwest Asia region is investigated using numerical forecast models for weather and aerosol particles. The Navy's Coupled Ocean/Atmospheric Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPSTM) and the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) dynamical models and the Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS) aerosol model are utilized to estimate the interannual and seasonal budgets of aerosol production and transport into and out of the region. We compare dust production from this region with that from the other major dust source regions. The resolution-dependence of dust production is investigated with the dynamical and aerosol models at 9-km, 27-km, 81-km and 1-degree resolution. The resolution-dependence of the accuracy of modeled wind speed is calculated using surface reports for the spring season of 2003 (during Operation Iraqi Freedom), the summer of 2004 [during the United Arab Emirates Unified Aerosol Experiment (UAE2)] and other periods over the past eight years. Both dynamical models show better skill at 12Z (about 1600 local time) than at 00Z (about 0400 local time; probably due to difficulties in modeling the stable nocturnal boundary layer) with the 00Z wind speeds having a positive bias. The resulting friction velocity and associated dust production are also compared between the models, though no direct observations are available for validation. Generally speaking, the models perform better in spring, when strong synoptic forcing is present, than in summer. The simulations are compared with the available sun photometer data and satellite retrievals. The results will be summarized and conclusions drawn for both the climate and operational modeling communities.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2005
- Bibcode:
- 2005AGUFM.A33A0864W
- Keywords:
-
- 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345;
- 4801;
- 4906);
- 0345 Pollution: urban and regional (0305;
- 0478;
- 4251);
- 0368 Troposphere: constituent transport and chemistry