A Numerical Simulation of “5.5” Super-Duststorm in Northern China

Combining the Penn State/NCAR mesoscale (MM4) model, the dust transport model and an atmospheric radiative transfer model, a super duststorm process occurred in the Gansu province on 5 May 1993 has been simu-lated. Based on the observations of duststorms occurred in the northern China and the field measurements of dust particles’ physical and optical properties, model simulating dust plume transport processes and dust particle radiative forcing have been developed. The models are described and verified with real cases of duststorms.     

沙尘辐射效应对天气和沙尘输送影响的数值模拟

现有的沙尘气溶胶数值预报模式大多是单向模式, 即只考虑气象场对沙尘气溶胶的输送作用, 而忽略沙尘气溶胶的辐射效应对气象场的反馈作用。本文利用一个考虑了沙尘气溶胶短波辐射效应的天气－沙尘双向模式, 对南疆盆地一次冷空气东侵而引起的沙尘天气进行数值模拟。通过比较考虑与不考虑辐射效应的两组试验, 分析了在沙尘暴－强浮尘过程中沙尘辐射效应对气象要素和沙尘输送的影响, 结果表明: 沙尘辐射效应的考虑明显改进后期强浮尘天气过程中海平面气压变化、地面气温日变化和气温垂直变化的预报; 前期沙尘暴过程沙尘辐射效应引起中低层主导风增大, 但同时使起沙量降低及沉降量减少; 沙尘辐射效应与地形的共同作用使沙尘的沉降量比起沙量减少的更显著, 从而使盆地内浮尘天气维持。     

Direct shortwave radiative forcing of the Asian dust aerosol on dust emission

The physical processes of the feedback mechanism of direct shortwave radiative forcing of the Asian dust aerosol on dust emission has been examined using simulated results with the coupled (with dust shortwave radiative forcing) and the non-coupled model (without dust shortwave radiative forcing) based on the MM5 model and the Asian Dust Aerosol Model on 19 March 2002. The results indicate that a significant dust emission reduction occurs in the high dust concentration (HDC) region of the dust source region whereas an enhanced dust emission appears in the downstream of the dust source region. It is found that Asian dust aerosols raised during the daytime by the strong surface wind cause negative shortwave radiative flux near the surface, which in turn reduces the sensible heat flux causing the cooling of the air, thereby enhancing stable stratification. The dynamic adjustment of the negative radiative flux of the dust induces a positive pressure anomaly over the HDC region and a negative pressure anomaly toward the synoptic low pressure center, resulting in a dipole shape of pressure anomaly field near the surface. The associated secondary circulation of this pressure anomaly together with the reduction of turbulent intensity due to the reduced sensible heat flux reduces the low-level wind speed thereby reducing dust emission in the upstream of the HDC region of the dust source region (Region I), while enhancing the low-level wind speed in the downstream region (Region II), which in turn enhances dust emission. This enhanced dust emission is smaller than the emission reduction in the upstream, resulting in overall dust emission reduction during the daytime.     

The SAMUM-1 experiment over Southern Morocco: overview and introduction

In May/June 2006, the largest mineral dust experiment to date (Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment, SAMUM-1) was conducted in Southern Morocco. The aim was to characterize dust particles near the world's largest mineral dust source, and to quantify dust-related radiative effects. At one of the two ground-based measurement sites dust particle size distribution, optical, hygroscopic, chemical and structural particle characteristics were measured. One research aircraft mainly measured solar spectral irradiances and surface albedo. The other aircraft provided in situ physical aerosol measurements and samples and lidar profiles through the dust layers. Three ground-based lidars were operated at the second ground-based measurement site. They determined optical dust properties, particle shape and temporal development of dust layers. Columnar, ground-based sun photometer measurements complemented the lidar data. Additionally a station in Évora, Portugal monitored dust outbreaks from the North African source region to the Iberian Peninsula during SAMUM-1.
Volumetric and columnar closure exercises utilized these detailed measurements of dust characteristics together with optical and radiative transfer models. Concurrent developments of a mesoscale dust transport model were validated with the experimental data. The paper gives an overview over rationale and design of SAMUM-1, introduces and highlights the subsequent reports on experimental and modelling results.     

中国沙漠沙尘气溶胶对沙漠源区及北太平洋地区大气辐射加热的影响

针对2001年春季中国沙漠和北太平洋上空沙尘气溶胶的空间分布情况,利用辐射传输模式,分别计算了沙尘气溶胶对沙漠和海洋大气的辐射加热（冷却）率,并讨论了低云、中云、高云对辐射加热率的影响。结果表明:春季,位于中国沙漠和太平洋上空的沙尘层对大气具有明显的加热作用。当沙漠上空光学厚度为1.0,海洋上空光学厚度为0.3时,取春季平均太阳高度角,沙尘层对应的净辐射加热率分别为2.8 K/d和0.4 K/d。由于WMO推荐的沙尘模型比东亚沙尘模型对太阳辐射吸收强,采用该模型计算得到的中国沙漠和海洋上空的加热率比采用东亚沙尘模型分别高1.5 K/d和0.2 K/d。沙尘对大气的加热率很大程度上依赖于沙尘的大气载荷。这种依赖性首先受太阳高度角的影响, 其次也受地表反照率的影响。云对沙尘层辐射加热（冷却）率的影响与云的高度和厚度有关。低云能够加热沙漠和海洋上空的沙尘大气,冷却地面和洋面。中、高云冷却沙漠上空的沙尘层。在海洋上空,中云对云层以上的沙尘层有加热作用,对云层以下的沙尘层有冷却作用。高云对海洋上空沙尘层的辐射加热（冷却）率的影响比较小,加热还是冷却,取决于云的厚度,当云层较薄时,加热沙尘层,而当云层较厚的时候,有可能冷却沙尘层。     

中国地区沙尘气溶胶输送过程的数值模拟

本文建立了一个包含沙尘起沙、输送、干沉积和湿沉积过程的气溶胶输送扩散模式．并和中尺度气候模式RIEMS相连接研究了1998年1月、4月、7月和1997年10月的沙尘起沙、输送、干沉积和湿沉积的过程。计算1998年1月、4月、7月和1997年10月气溶胶浓度及其分布．并和这四个月份的平均起沙分布以及北京、郑州和南京的实例沙尘分布作了比较．结果表明我国起沙多发生在春季．同时春季也是我国沙尘强度最大的季节。沙尘在我国西北的沙地和沙漠地区起沙后．向我国的东南方向输送．在输送过程中沙尘浓度逐渐降低。     

沙尘气溶胶辐射强迫全球分布的模拟研究

为了定景了解沙尘气溶胶对气候的影响,文中利用一个改进的辐射传输模式,结合伞球气溶胶数据集(G-ADS),计算了晴空条件下,冬夏两季沙尘气溶胶的直接辐射强迫在对流层顶和地面的全球分布,并讨论了云对沙尘气溶胶辐射强迫的影响.计算结果表明,对北半球冬季和夏季而言,在对流层顶沙尘气溶胶的全球短波辐射强迫的平均值分别为-0.477和-0.501 W/m2;长波辐射强迫分别为0.11和0.085 W/m2;全球平均短波地面辐射强迫冬夏两季分别为-1.362和-1.559 W/m2;长波辐射强迫分别为0.274和0.23 W/m2.沙尘气溶胶在对流层顶和地面的负辐射强迫的绝对值郁随太阳天顶角的余弦和地表反照率的增加而增大;地表反照率对沙尘气溶胶辐射强迫的强度和分布都有重要影响.研究指出:云对沙尘气溶胶的直接辐射强迫的影响不仅取决于云量,而且取决于云的高度和云水路径,以及地面反照率和太阳高度角等综合因素.中云和低云对沙尘气溶胶在对流层顶的短波辐射强迫的影响比高云明显.云的存在都使对流层顶长波辐射强迫减少,其中低云的影响最为明显.因此,在估算沙尘气溶胶总的直接辐射强迫时,云的贡献不可忽视.     

The impacts of optical properties on radiative forcing due to dust aerosol

There are large uncertainties in the quantitative assessment of radiative effects due to atmospheric dust aerosol. The optical properties contribute much to those uncertainties. The authors perform several sensitivity experiments to estimate the impacts of optical characteristics on regional radiative forcing in this paper. The experiments involve in refractive indices, single scattering aibedo, asymmetry factor and optical depth. An updated dataset of refractive indices representing East Asian dust and the one recommended by the World Meteorology Organization （WMO） are contrastively analyzed and used. A radiative transfer code for solar and thermal infrared radiation with detailed aerosol parameterization is employed. The strongest emphasis is on the refractive indices since other optical parameters strongly depend on it, and the authors found a strong sensitivity of radiative forcing on refractive indices. Studies show stronger scattering, weaker absorption and forward scattering of the East Asian dust particles at solar wavelengths, which leads to higher negative forcing, lower positive forcing and bigger net forcing at the top of the atmosphere （TOA） than that of the WMO dust model. It is also found that the TOA forcings resulting from these two dust models have opposite signs in certain regions, which implies the importance of accurate measurements of optical properties in the quantitative estimation of radiative forcing.     

A global satellite view of the seasonal distribution of mineral dust and its correlation with atmospheric circulation

Aerosols make a considerable contribution to the climate system through their radiative and cloud condensation nuclei effects, which underlines the need for understanding the origin of aerosols and their transport pathways. Seasonal distribution of mineral dust around the globe and its correlation with atmospheric circulation is investigated using satellite data, and meteorological data from ECMWF. The most important sources of dust are located in North Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia with an observed summer maximum, and East Asia with a spring peak. Maximum dust activity over North Africa and the Middle East in summer is attributed to dry convection associated with the summertime low-pressure system, while unstable weather and dry conditions are responsible for the spring peak in dust emission in East Asia. Intercontinental transport of mineral dust by atmospheric circulation has been observed, including trans-Atlantic transport of North African dust, trans-Pacific transport of Asian dust, and transport of dust from the Middle East across the Indian Ocean. The extent of African dust over the Atlantic Ocean and its latitudinal variation with season is related to the large-scale atmospheric circulation, including seasonal changes in the position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and variation of wind patterns. North African aerosols extend over longer distances across the North Atlantic in summer because of greater dust emission, an intensified easterly low level jet (LLJ) and strengthening of the Azores-Bermuda anticyclonic circulation. Transport of East Asian aerosol is facilitated by the existence of a LLJ that extends from East Asia to the west coast of North America.