Earth System Model Aerosol–Cloud Diagnostics (ESMAC Diags) package, version 1: assessing E3SM aerosol predictions using aircraft, ship, and surface measurements

<p>An Earth system model (ESM) aerosol–cloud diagnostics package is developed to facilitate the routine evaluation of aerosols, clouds, and aerosol–cloud interactions simulated by the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) from the US Department of Energy (DOE). The first version focuses on...

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Main Authors: S. Tang, J. D. Fast, K. Zhang, J. C. Hardin, A. C. Varble, J. E. Shilling, F. Mei, M. A. Zawadowicz, P.-L. Ma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2022-05-01
Series:Geoscientific Model Development
Online Access:https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/15/4055/2022/gmd-15-4055-2022.pdf
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author S. Tang
J. D. Fast
K. Zhang
J. C. Hardin
A. C. Varble
J. E. Shilling
F. Mei
M. A. Zawadowicz
P.-L. Ma
author_facet S. Tang
J. D. Fast
K. Zhang
J. C. Hardin
A. C. Varble
J. E. Shilling
F. Mei
M. A. Zawadowicz
P.-L. Ma
author_sort S. Tang
collection DOAJ
description <p>An Earth system model (ESM) aerosol–cloud diagnostics package is developed to facilitate the routine evaluation of aerosols, clouds, and aerosol–cloud interactions simulated by the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) from the US Department of Energy (DOE). The first version focuses on comparing simulated aerosol properties with aircraft, ship, and surface measurements, which are mostly measured in situ. The diagnostics currently cover six field campaigns in four geographical regions: eastern North Atlantic (ENA), central US (CUS), northeastern Pacific (NEP), and Southern Ocean (SO). These regions produce frequent liquid- or mixed-phase clouds, with extensive measurements available from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program and other agencies. Various types of diagnostics and metrics are performed for aerosol number, size distribution, chemical composition, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration, and various meteorological quantities to assess how well E3SM represents observed aerosol properties across spatial scales. Overall, E3SM qualitatively reproduces the observed aerosol number concentration, size distribution, and chemical composition reasonably well, but it overestimates Aitken-mode aerosols and underestimates accumulation-mode aerosols over the CUS and ENA regions, suggesting that processes related to particle growth or coagulation might be too weak in the model. The current version of E3SM struggles to reproduce the new particle formation events frequently observed over both the CUS and ENA regions, indicating missing processes in current parameterizations. The diagnostics package is coded and organized in a way that can be extended to other field campaign datasets and adapted to higher-resolution model simulations.</p>
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spelling doaj.art-31aaba8116154749bd312aafe1fdb5ae2022-12-22T03:27:50ZengCopernicus PublicationsGeoscientific Model Development1991-959X1991-96032022-05-01154055407610.5194/gmd-15-4055-2022Earth System Model Aerosol–Cloud Diagnostics (ESMAC Diags) package, version 1: assessing E3SM aerosol predictions using aircraft, ship, and surface measurementsS. Tang0J. D. Fast1K. Zhang2J. C. Hardin3A. C. Varble4J. E. Shilling5F. Mei6M. A. Zawadowicz7P.-L. Ma8Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USAAtmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USAAtmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USAClimateAI Inc, San Francisco, CA, USAAtmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USAAtmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USAAtmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USAEnvironmental and Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USAAtmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA<p>An Earth system model (ESM) aerosol–cloud diagnostics package is developed to facilitate the routine evaluation of aerosols, clouds, and aerosol–cloud interactions simulated by the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) from the US Department of Energy (DOE). The first version focuses on comparing simulated aerosol properties with aircraft, ship, and surface measurements, which are mostly measured in situ. The diagnostics currently cover six field campaigns in four geographical regions: eastern North Atlantic (ENA), central US (CUS), northeastern Pacific (NEP), and Southern Ocean (SO). These regions produce frequent liquid- or mixed-phase clouds, with extensive measurements available from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program and other agencies. Various types of diagnostics and metrics are performed for aerosol number, size distribution, chemical composition, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration, and various meteorological quantities to assess how well E3SM represents observed aerosol properties across spatial scales. Overall, E3SM qualitatively reproduces the observed aerosol number concentration, size distribution, and chemical composition reasonably well, but it overestimates Aitken-mode aerosols and underestimates accumulation-mode aerosols over the CUS and ENA regions, suggesting that processes related to particle growth or coagulation might be too weak in the model. The current version of E3SM struggles to reproduce the new particle formation events frequently observed over both the CUS and ENA regions, indicating missing processes in current parameterizations. The diagnostics package is coded and organized in a way that can be extended to other field campaign datasets and adapted to higher-resolution model simulations.</p>https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/15/4055/2022/gmd-15-4055-2022.pdf
spellingShingle S. Tang
J. D. Fast
K. Zhang
J. C. Hardin
A. C. Varble
J. E. Shilling
F. Mei
M. A. Zawadowicz
P.-L. Ma
Earth System Model Aerosol–Cloud Diagnostics (ESMAC Diags) package, version 1: assessing E3SM aerosol predictions using aircraft, ship, and surface measurements
Geoscientific Model Development
title Earth System Model Aerosol–Cloud Diagnostics (ESMAC Diags) package, version 1: assessing E3SM aerosol predictions using aircraft, ship, and surface measurements
title_full Earth System Model Aerosol–Cloud Diagnostics (ESMAC Diags) package, version 1: assessing E3SM aerosol predictions using aircraft, ship, and surface measurements
title_fullStr Earth System Model Aerosol–Cloud Diagnostics (ESMAC Diags) package, version 1: assessing E3SM aerosol predictions using aircraft, ship, and surface measurements
title_full_unstemmed Earth System Model Aerosol–Cloud Diagnostics (ESMAC Diags) package, version 1: assessing E3SM aerosol predictions using aircraft, ship, and surface measurements
title_short Earth System Model Aerosol–Cloud Diagnostics (ESMAC Diags) package, version 1: assessing E3SM aerosol predictions using aircraft, ship, and surface measurements
title_sort earth system model aerosol cloud diagnostics esmac diags package version 1 assessing e3sm aerosol predictions using aircraft ship and surface measurements
url https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/15/4055/2022/gmd-15-4055-2022.pdf
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