Aerosols and Clouds

A global aerosol model forecast for the ACE-Asia field experiment

  1. Mian Chin1,7,
  2. Paul Ginoux1,2,
  3. Robert Lucchesi3,8,
  4. Barry Huebert4,
  5. Rodney Weber1,
  6. Tad Anderson5,
  7. Sarah Masonis5,
  8. Byron Blomquist4,
  9. Alan Bandy6,
  10. Donald Thornton6

Article first published online: 28 AUG 2003

DOI: 10.1029/2003JD003642

Issue

Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984–2012)

Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984–2012)

Volume 108, Issue D23, 16 December 2003

Additional Information

How to Cite

Chin, M., P. Ginoux, R. Lucchesi, B. Huebert, R. Weber, T. Anderson, S. Masonis, B. Blomquist, A. Bandy, and D. Thornton (2003), A global aerosol model forecast for the ACE-Asia field experiment, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 8654, doi:10.1029/2003JD003642, D23.

Author Information

  1. 1

    School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

  2. 2

    NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

  3. 3

    Science Applications International Corporation, Beltsville, Maryland, USA

  4. 4

    Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

  5. 5

    Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

  6. 6

    Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

  7. 7

    Now at Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.

  8. 8

    Also at Data Assimilation Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 28 AUG 2003
  2. Article first published online: 28 AUG 2003
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 27 JUN 2003
  4. Manuscript Received: 27 MAR 2003
  5. Manuscript Revised: 27 MAR 2003

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article with Supporting Information (HTML) Get PDF (2990K)

Keywords:

  • ACE-Asia;
  • forecast;
  • global model

[1] We present the results of aerosol forecast during the ACE-Asia field experiment in spring 2001, using the Georgia Tech/Goddard Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model and the meteorological forecast fields from the Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation System (GEOS DAS). The model provides direct information on aerosol optical thickness and concentrations for effective flight planning, while feedbacks from measurements constantly evaluate the model for successful model improvements. We verify the model forecast skill by comparing model-predicted aerosol quantities and meteorological variables with those measured by the C-130 aircraft. The GEOS DAS meteorological forecast system shows excellent skills in predicting winds, relative humidity, and temperature, with skill scores usually in the range of 0.7–0.99. The model is also skillful in forecasting pollution aerosols, with most scores above 0.5. The model correctly predicted the dust outbreak events and their trans-Pacific transport, but it constantly missed the high dust concentrations observed in the boundary layer. We attribute this “missing” dust source to desertification regions in the Inner Mongolia Province in China, which have developed in recent years but were not included in the model during forecasting. After incorporating the desertification sources, the model is able to reproduce the observed boundary layer high dust concentrations over the Yellow Sea. We demonstrate that our global model can not only account for the large-scale intercontinental transport but also produce the small-scale spatial and temporal variations that are adequate for aircraft measurements planning.

View Full Article with Supporting Information (HTML) Get PDF (2990K)