HR: 14:25h
AN: A33C-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Using Surface Stress to Model the Sea Salt Source Function: A New Approach
AU: * Madry, W L
EM: william.madry@colorado.edu
AF: Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences - University of Colorado at Boulder, PAOS UCB 311 University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0311 United States
AU: Toon, O B
EM: toon@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences - University of Colorado at Boulder, PAOS UCB 311 University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0311 United States
AB: Currently, the sea salt source function ({$\mathrm{S}^{3}\mathrm{F}$}) most often relies on {$\mathrm{U}_{10}$}, the wind speed at 10 meters above the surface, to derive a relation between atmospheric conditions over the ocean and the number flux of sea salt particles into the marine boundary layer. However, {$\mathrm{U}_{10}$}\ lacks critical information about boundary layer stability, which should play a role in the {$\mathrm{S}^{3}\mathrm{F}$}. We present a new {$\mathrm{S}^{3}\mathrm{F}$}\ dependent on actual surface stresses to generate a size distributed number flux of sea salt particles in the range 0.1 to 100 $\mu$m. We use our new {$\mathrm{S}^{3}\mathrm{F}$}\ in a regional transport model and compare the results of our model to other source functions and available field data. We find that the mass fluxes of the functions tested vary over several orders of magnitude, but that this descrepancy stems from the generation of large particles unimportant to long-range transport. However, in our model runs, we find that column mass loading varies by roughly 10% between previous schemes and our new {$\mathrm{S}^{3}\mathrm{F}$}. As a result, model runs carried out with our new {$\mathrm{S}^{3}\mathrm{F}$}\ better agree with available field data on column optical thickness and surface mass loading.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801)
DE: 0312 Air/sea constituent fluxes (3339, 4504)
DE: 0320 Cloud physics and chemistry
DE: 0322 Constituent sources and sinks
DE: 0341 Middle atmosphere--constituent transport and chemistry (3334)
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting