Global volcanic aerosol properties derived from emissions, 1990-2014, using CESM1(WACCM): VOLCANIC AEROSOLS DERIVED FROM EMISSIONS

Journal Article · Sun Mar 06 04:00:00 EST 2016 · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024290· OSTI ID:1337250

Mills, Michael J. ^[1]; Schmidt, Anja ^[2]; Easter, Richard ^[3]; Solomon, Susan ^[4]; Kinnison, Douglas E. ^[1]; Ghan, Steven J. ^[3]; Neely, Ryan R. ^[5]; Marsh, Daniel R. ^[1]; Conley, Andrew ^[1]; Bardeen, Charles G. ^[1]; Gettelman, Andrew ^[1]

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1. Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder Colorado USA
2. School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds UK
3. Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland Washington USA
4. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge Massachusetts USA
5. School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds UK; National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Leeds, Leeds UK

Accurate representation of global stratospheric aerosol properties from volcanic and non-volcanic sulfur emissions is key to understanding the cooling effects and ozone-loss enhancements of recent volcanic activity. Attribution of climate and ozone variability to volcanic activity is of particular interest in relation to the post-2000 slowing in the apparent rate of global average temperature increases, and variable recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole. We have developed a climatology of global aerosol properties from 1990 to 2014 calculated based on volcanic and non-volcanic emissions of sulfur sources. We have complied a database of volcanic SO2 emissions and plume altitudes for eruptions between 1990 and 2014, and a new prognostic capability for simulating stratospheric sulfate aerosols in version 5 of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, a component of the Community Earth System Model. Our climatology shows remarkable agreement with ground-based lidar observations of stratospheric aerosol optical depth (SAOD), and with in situ measurements of aerosol surface area density (SAD). These properties are key parameters in calculating the radiative and chemical effects of stratospheric aerosols. Our SAOD climatology represents a significant improvement over satellite-based analyses, which ignore aerosol extinction below 15 km, a region that can contain the vast majority of stratospheric aerosol extinction at mid- and high-latitudes. Our SAD climatology significantly improves on that provided for the Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative, which misses 60% of the SAD measured in situ. Our climatology of aerosol properties is publicly available on the Earth System Grid.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1337250
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-113419; KP1703020
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 121; ISSN 2169-897X
• Publisher: American Geophysical Union
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English