HR: 0800h
AN: A31C-0068    [Abstracts]
TI: Evolution of the Optical Properties of Smoke Plumes From Biomass Burning in a Three-Dimensional Transport Model and Comparisons to In Situ and Remote Sensing Observations From SAFARI 2000
AU: * Matichuk, R I
EM: matichuk@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics/Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado 392 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309 United States
AU: Colarco, P R
EM: colarco@essic.umd.edu
AF: Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 916, University of Maryland 2207 CSS Building (#224), College Park, MD 20472 United States
AU: Toon, O B
EM: btoon@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics/Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado 392 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309 United States
AU: Korontzi, S
EM: stef@hermes.geog.umd.edu
AF: Department of Geology, University of Maryland 4321 Hartwick Rd. Suite 310, College Park, MD 20740 United States
AB: We model the evolution of biomass burning aerosols and investigate their optical properties. Our model is an offline three-dimensional aerosol and microphysical transport model driven by assimilated meteorology from the NCEP/NCAR reanalyses and constrained with measurements collected during the Southern African Regional Science Initiative campaign (SAFARI 2000). The aerosol source emissions for the model account for differences in emission profiles in woodlands and grasslands and are based on MODIS burned area information. Detailed simulations were conducted to examine the model's sensitivity to aerosol emissions and microphysical processes, and to see how well our model aerosol optical properties compare to measurements near the sources. Here we investigate the model sensitivity to the diurnal cycle and injection altitude of aerosol emissions. In addition, we test the sensitivity of the model aerosol optical properties to our choice of initial aerosol particle size distribution and the effects of particle coagulation. Modeled smoke aerosol optical thickness, aerosol extinction, angstrom exponent and single scattering albedo are compared to satellite, aircraft and ground-based observations made over central and southern Africa. Air mass back-trajectories at various locations are shown and compared to our model results to identify sources. The results from this study will be useful in future applications relating to the evolution of smoke aerosols from biomass burning fires by testing source functions and illuminating microphysical processes that need to be treated in models.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801)
DE: 0320 Cloud physics and chemistry
DE: 0345 Pollution--urban and regional (0305)
DE: 0368 Troposphere--constituent transport and chemistry
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting