The impacts of shipping emissions on lightning: roles of aerosol-radiation-interactions and aerosol-cloud-interactions
Long-term (2005–2021) observations from the World Wide Lightning Location Network reveal significantly larger flash counts over heavily trafficked shipping lanes in the northeastern Indian Ocean compared to nearby regions. Here, we use the online coupled meteorology-chemistry model WRF-Chem to exami...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad2aba |
| _version_ | 1797293835826495488 |
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| author | Ruize Sun Xiao Lu Meng Gao Yu Du Haipeng Lin Chris Wright Cheng He Ke Yin |
| author_facet | Ruize Sun Xiao Lu Meng Gao Yu Du Haipeng Lin Chris Wright Cheng He Ke Yin |
| author_sort | Ruize Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Long-term (2005–2021) observations from the World Wide Lightning Location Network reveal significantly larger flash counts over heavily trafficked shipping lanes in the northeastern Indian Ocean compared to nearby regions. Here, we use the online coupled meteorology-chemistry model WRF-Chem to examine the impact of aerosols from shipping emissions on lightning activity over one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes (5–7° N, 82–92° E). We conduct three case simulations in January 2013, 2015, and 2018 when frequent lightning activities were recorded. The WRF-Chem model with lightning parameterized based on convective cloud-top height captures the temporal evolution of lightning activities but overestimates the magnitude of lightning counts. We find that all three cases consistently show enhanced lightning flash counts due to shipping-induced aerosols by 6.2%–22.3%, accompanied by increased cloud droplet number, cloud water concentration, radar reflectivity, and cloud-top height. Sensitivity simulations show that aerosol-cloud-interactions from shipping aerosols consistently enhance the strength of convection and lightning frequency in all three cases, by increasing cloud condensation nuclei and cloud droplet numbers, delaying precipitation of cloud water, allowing the lift and accumulation of water vapor, increasing release of latent heat, and finally invigorating convections. In comparison, aerosol-radiation-interactions show inconsistent contributions to convection and lightning, which enhance lightning frequency in the 2013 and 2015 cases but decrease lightning frequency in the 2018 case. This inconsistency may be attributed to differences in the number and vertical structure of shipping aerosols and cloud droplet in the three cases. Our study thus approves the certain but complicated anthropogenic impacts on lightning activities through shipping-induced aerosols, which has important implications for understanding future trends in lightning and its impact on atmospheric chemistry and climate. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T21:21:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0df18f8fe31e4bcb861b49d323749522 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T21:21:36Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-0df18f8fe31e4bcb861b49d3237495222024-02-27T09:20:29ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262024-01-0119303403810.1088/1748-9326/ad2abaThe impacts of shipping emissions on lightning: roles of aerosol-radiation-interactions and aerosol-cloud-interactionsRuize Sun0https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9614-1627Xiao Lu1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5989-0912Meng Gao2Yu Du3Haipeng Lin4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2777-2724Chris Wright5Cheng He6Ke Yin7School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean System, Ministry of Education , Zhuhai, People’s Republic of China; Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Climate Environment and Air Quality Change in the Pearl River Estuary, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) , Zhuhai, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean System, Ministry of Education , Zhuhai, People’s Republic of China; Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Climate Environment and Air Quality Change in the Pearl River Estuary, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) , Zhuhai, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University , Hong Kong, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean System, Ministry of Education , Zhuhai, People’s Republic of China; Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Climate Environment and Air Quality Change in the Pearl River Estuary, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) , Zhuhai, People’s Republic of ChinaJohn A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University , Cambridge, MA, United States of AmericaDepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington , Seattle, WA, United States of AmericaSchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean System, Ministry of Education , Zhuhai, People’s Republic of China; Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Climate Environment and Air Quality Change in the Pearl River Estuary, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) , Zhuhai, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean System, Ministry of Education , Zhuhai, People’s Republic of China; Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Climate Environment and Air Quality Change in the Pearl River Estuary, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) , Zhuhai, People’s Republic of ChinaLong-term (2005–2021) observations from the World Wide Lightning Location Network reveal significantly larger flash counts over heavily trafficked shipping lanes in the northeastern Indian Ocean compared to nearby regions. Here, we use the online coupled meteorology-chemistry model WRF-Chem to examine the impact of aerosols from shipping emissions on lightning activity over one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes (5–7° N, 82–92° E). We conduct three case simulations in January 2013, 2015, and 2018 when frequent lightning activities were recorded. The WRF-Chem model with lightning parameterized based on convective cloud-top height captures the temporal evolution of lightning activities but overestimates the magnitude of lightning counts. We find that all three cases consistently show enhanced lightning flash counts due to shipping-induced aerosols by 6.2%–22.3%, accompanied by increased cloud droplet number, cloud water concentration, radar reflectivity, and cloud-top height. Sensitivity simulations show that aerosol-cloud-interactions from shipping aerosols consistently enhance the strength of convection and lightning frequency in all three cases, by increasing cloud condensation nuclei and cloud droplet numbers, delaying precipitation of cloud water, allowing the lift and accumulation of water vapor, increasing release of latent heat, and finally invigorating convections. In comparison, aerosol-radiation-interactions show inconsistent contributions to convection and lightning, which enhance lightning frequency in the 2013 and 2015 cases but decrease lightning frequency in the 2018 case. This inconsistency may be attributed to differences in the number and vertical structure of shipping aerosols and cloud droplet in the three cases. Our study thus approves the certain but complicated anthropogenic impacts on lightning activities through shipping-induced aerosols, which has important implications for understanding future trends in lightning and its impact on atmospheric chemistry and climate.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad2abalightningconvectionsaerosol-cloud-interactionsaerosol-radiation-interactionsWRF-Chem |
| spellingShingle | Ruize Sun Xiao Lu Meng Gao Yu Du Haipeng Lin Chris Wright Cheng He Ke Yin The impacts of shipping emissions on lightning: roles of aerosol-radiation-interactions and aerosol-cloud-interactions Environmental Research Letters lightning convections aerosol-cloud-interactions aerosol-radiation-interactions WRF-Chem |
| title | The impacts of shipping emissions on lightning: roles of aerosol-radiation-interactions and aerosol-cloud-interactions |
| title_full | The impacts of shipping emissions on lightning: roles of aerosol-radiation-interactions and aerosol-cloud-interactions |
| title_fullStr | The impacts of shipping emissions on lightning: roles of aerosol-radiation-interactions and aerosol-cloud-interactions |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impacts of shipping emissions on lightning: roles of aerosol-radiation-interactions and aerosol-cloud-interactions |
| title_short | The impacts of shipping emissions on lightning: roles of aerosol-radiation-interactions and aerosol-cloud-interactions |
| title_sort | impacts of shipping emissions on lightning roles of aerosol radiation interactions and aerosol cloud interactions |
| topic | lightning convections aerosol-cloud-interactions aerosol-radiation-interactions WRF-Chem |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad2aba |
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