HR: 0800h
AN: A11A-0022    [Abstracts]
TI: The Effect of Central American Smoke Aerosols on the Air Quality and Climate over the Southeastern United States: First Results from RAMS-AROMA
AU: * Wang, J
EM: wangjun@nsstc.uah.edu
AF: Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 320 Sparkman Drive , Huntsville, AL 35805-1902 United States
AU: Christopher, S A
EM: sundar@nsstc.uah.edu
AF: Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 320 Sparkman Drive , Huntsville, AL 35805-1902 United States
AU: Nair, U S
EM: nair@nsstc.uah.edu
AF: Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 320 Sparkman Drive , Huntsville, AL 35805-1902 United States
AU: Reid, J
EM: reidj@nrlmry.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, 7 Grace Hopper Street, Stop 2, Monterey, CA 93943-5502 United States
AU: Prins, E M
EM: elaine.prins@ssec.wisc.edu
AF: NOAA/NESDIS/ORA/ASPB, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 17207 Alexandra Way, Grass Valley, CA 95949 United States
AU: Szykman, J
EM: James.J.Szykman@nasa.gov
AF: US EPA/ORD/NERL/Environmental Sciences Division, 109 TW Alexander, RTP, NC 27709 United States
AB: Observation shows that smoke aerosols from biomass burning activities in Central America can be transported to the Southeastern United States (SEUS). In this study, the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System - Assimilation and Radiation Online Modeling of Aerosols (RAMS-AROMA) is used to investigate the effect of transported smoke aerosols on climate and air quality over the SEUS. AROMA is an aerosol transport model with capabilities of online integration of aerosol radiation effects and online assimilation of satellite-derived aerosol and emission products. It is assembled within the RAMS, so two-way interactions between aerosol fields and other meteorology fields are achieved simultaneously during each model time step. RAMS-AROMA is a unique tool that can be used to examine the aerosol radiative impacts on the surface energy budget and atmospheric heating rate and to investigate how atmospheric thermal and dynamical processes respond to such impacts and consequently affect the aerosol distribution (so called feedbacks). First results regarding air quality effects and radiative forcing of transported smoke aerosols will be presented from RAMS-AROMA based on assimilation of smoke emission products from the Fire Locating and Modeling of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE) project and aerosol optical thickness data derived from the MODIS instrument on the Terra and Aqua satellites. Comparisons with PM$_{2.5}$ data collected from the EPA observation network and the aerosol optical thickness data from the DOE Atmosphere Radiation Measurements in the Southern Great Plains (ARM SGP) showed that RAMS-AROMA can predict the timing and spatial distribution of smoke events very well, with an accuracy useful for air quality forecasts. The smoke radiative effects on the surface temperature and atmospheric heating rate as well as their feedbacks will also be discussed.
DE: 3337 Numerical modeling and data assimilation
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801)
DE: 0345 Pollution--urban and regional (0305)
DE: 0360 Transmission and scattering of radiation
DE: 0368 Troposphere--constituent transport and chemistry
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting