Surface dimming by the 2013 Rim Fire simulated by a sectional aerosol model

Yu, Pengfei; Toon, O. B.; Bardeen, Charles G.; Bucholtz, Anthony; Rosenlof, Karen H.; Saide, Pablo E.; Silva, Arlindo da; Ziemba, L. D.; Thornhill, K. L.; Jimenez, José L.; Campuzano‐Jost, P.; Schwarz, J. P.; Perring, A. E.; Froyd, K. D.; Wagner, Nick; Mills, Michael J.; Reid, Jeffrey S.

doi:10.1002/2015jd024702

Cited by 18 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Also, observational datasets looking at the vertical distribution of BrC in the atmosphere would help to determine whether the model is simulating similar processes to observations. This includes more information regarding the transport of BrC to upper levels by deep convection, and the in-cloud aqueous production of BrC (Zhang et al, 2017). GFED emission inventory accuracy is also important because the reported fuel type and location play a role in the model vertical injection heights of carbonaceous aerosols.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiative effect and climate impacts of brown carbon with the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5)

et al. 2018

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Abstract. A recent development in the representation of aerosols in climate models is the realization that some components of organic aerosol (OA), emitted from biomass and biofuel burning, can have a significant contribution to shortwave radiation absorption in the atmosphere. The absorbing fraction of OA is referred to as brown carbon (BrC). This study introduces one of the first implementations of BrC into the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5), using a parameterization for BrC absorptivity described in Saleh et al. (2014). Nine-year experiments are run (2003–2011) with prescribed emissions and sea surface temperatures to analyze the effect of BrC in the atmosphere. Model validation is conducted via model comparison to single-scatter albedo and aerosol optical depth from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). This comparison reveals a model underestimation of single scattering albedo (SSA) in biomass burning regions for both default and BrC model runs, while a comparison between AERONET and the model absorption Ångström exponent shows a marked improvement with BrC implementation. Global annual average radiative effects are calculated due to aerosol–radiation interaction (REari; 0.13±0.01 W m−2) and aerosol–cloud interaction (REaci; 0.01±0.04 W m−2). REari is similar to other studies' estimations of BrC direct radiative effect, while REaci indicates a global reduction in low clouds due to the BrC semi-direct effect. The mechanisms for these physical changes are investigated and found to correspond with changes in global circulation patterns. Comparisons of BrC implementation approaches find that this implementation predicts a lower BrC REari in the Arctic regions than previous studies with CAM5. Implementation of BrC bleaching effect shows a significant reduction in REari (0.06±0.008 W m−2). Also, variations in OA density can lead to differences in REari and REaci, indicating the importance of specifying this property when estimating the BrC radiative effects and when comparing similar studies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiative effect and climate impacts of brown carbon with the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5)

et al. 2018

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“…Theory and previous analyses have also demonstrated that wildfire smoke can reduce the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface through a combination of absorption and scattering of radiation by the aerosols that comprise wildfire smoke (Robock, 1988(Robock, , 1991Stone et al, 2011;Yu et al, 2016;Zhang et al, 2016). Precise comparisons of the magnitude of smoke's effect on solar radiation among studies are hampered by methodological differences such as solar zenith angle (i.e., season and time of day) and AOT measurement; nonetheless, our estimate of a 121-W m À2 reduction in solar radiation per 1.0 AOT is similar Note.…”

Section: Smoke Effects On Solar Radiation and Air Temperaturementioning

confidence: 97%

“…However, indirect evidence suggests that wildfire smoke has the potential to cool river water temperatures. Wildfire smoke particles scatter and absorb incoming solar radiation (Robock, 1988(Robock, , 1991Stone et al, 2011), reducing the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface (Yu et al, 2016;Zhang et al, 2016), and can consequently reduce air temperatures (Robock, 1988(Robock, , 1991Stone et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2016). Solar radiation and air temperature are important drivers of stream and river water temperatures (Beschta et al, 1987;Caissie, 2006;Johnson, 2004); therefore, wildfire smoke may have the capacity to cool lotic water temperatures.…”

Section: 1029/2018wr022964mentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildfire Smoke Cools Summer River and Stream Water Temperatures

David

Asarian

Lake

2018

Water Resources Research

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To test the hypothesis that wildfire smoke can cool summer river and stream water temperatures by attenuating solar radiation and air temperature, we analyzed data on summer wildfire smoke, solar radiation, air temperatures, precipitation, river discharge, and water temperatures in the lower Klamath River Basin in Northern California. Previous studies have focused on the effect of combustion heat on water temperatures during fires and the effect of riparian vegetation losses on postfire water temperatures, but we know of no studies of the effects of wildfire smoke on river or stream water temperatures. Wildfire smoke is difficult to quantify, but we successfully used a newly available daily high‐resolution (1 km) data set of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) derived from satellite imagery to represent smoke density during 6 years with extensive wildfire activity (2006, 2008, and 2012–2015). Smoke reduced solar radiation by 121 W m−2 per 1.0 AOT relative to clear‐sky conditions. Linear mixed‐effects models showed that on average, smoke cooled daily maximum and mean air temperatures by 0.98 °C and 0.47 °C per 1.0 AOT, respectively, across 19 remote automated weather stations. Smoke had a cooling effect on water temperatures at all 12 river and stream locations analyzed. On average, smoke cooled daily maximum and mean water temperatures by 1.32 °C and 0.74 °C per 1.0 AOT, respectively. This smoke‐induced cooling has the potential to benefit cold‐water adapted species, particularly because wildfires are more likely to occur during the warmest and driest years and seasons.

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“…Wildfires are responsible for emitting large quantities of smoke, which can have significant impacts on air quality (Ignotti et al, 2010), radiative fluxes (Robock, 1988;Stone et al, 2011;Yu et al, 2016), visibility (Achtemeier, 2009), and cloud microphysics (Kaufman & Nakajima, 1993). Smoke from wildfires can also promote daytime surface cooling by blocking sunlight (Robock, 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Wildfire Smoke Feedback Mechanisms Using a Coupled Fire‐Atmosphere Model With a Radiatively Active Aerosol Scheme

et al. 2019

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During the summer of 2015, a number of large wildfires burned across Northern California in areas of localized topographic relief. Persistent valley smoke hindered fire‐fighting efforts, delayed helicopter operations, and exposed communities to extreme concentrations of particulate matter. It was hypothesized that smoke from the wildfires reduced the amount of incoming solar radiation reaching the ground, which resulted in near‐surface cooling, while smoke aerosols resulted in warming aloft. As a result of increased inversion‐like conditions, smoke from wildfires was trapped within mountain valleys adjacent to active wildfires. In this study, wildfire smoke‐induced inversion episodes across Northern California were examined using a modeling framework that couples an atmospheric, chemical, and fire spread model. Modeling results examined in this study indicate that wildfire smoke reduced incoming solar radiation during the afternoon, which lead to local surface cooling by up to 3 °C, which agrees with cooling observed at nearby surface stations. Direct heating from the fire itself did not significantly enhance atmospheric stability. However, midlevel warming (+0.5 °C) and pronounced surface cooling was observed in the smoke layer, indicating that smoke aerosols significantly enhanced atmospheric stability. A positive feedback associated with the presence of smoke was observed, where local smoke‐enhanced inversions inhibited the growth of the planetary boundary layer, and reduced surface winds, which resulted in smoke accumulation that further reduced near‐surface temperatures. This work suggests that the inclusion of fire‐smoke‐atmosphere feedback in a coupled modeling framework such as WRF‐SFIRE‐CHEM can forecast the dispersion of wildfire smoke and its radiative feedback, and potentially provide decision‐support for wildfire operations.

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Surface dimming by the 2013 Rim Fire simulated by a sectional aerosol model

Cited by 18 publications

References 26 publications

Radiative effect and climate impacts of brown carbon with the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5)

Radiative effect and climate impacts of brown carbon with the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5)

Wildfire Smoke Cools Summer River and Stream Water Temperatures

Modeling Wildfire Smoke Feedback Mechanisms Using a Coupled Fire‐Atmosphere Model With a Radiatively Active Aerosol Scheme

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