Exploring the Constraints on Simulated Aerosol Sources and Transport Across the North Atlantic With Island‐Based Sun Photometers
Abstract Atmospheric aerosol over the North Atlantic Ocean impacts regional clouds and climate. In this work, we use a set of sun photometer observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) located on the Graciosa and Cape Verde islands, along with the GEOS‐Chem chemical transport model to investigate th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Earth and Space Science |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001392 |
| _version_ | 1818880169249603584 |
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| author | Sam J. Silva David A. Ridley Colette L. Heald |
| author_facet | Sam J. Silva David A. Ridley Colette L. Heald |
| author_sort | Sam J. Silva |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Atmospheric aerosol over the North Atlantic Ocean impacts regional clouds and climate. In this work, we use a set of sun photometer observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) located on the Graciosa and Cape Verde islands, along with the GEOS‐Chem chemical transport model to investigate the sources of these aerosol and their transport over the North Atlantic Ocean. At both locations, the largest simulated contributor to aerosol extinction is the local source of sea‐salt aerosol. In addition to this large source, we find that signatures consistent with long‐range transport of anthropogenic, biomass burning, and dust emissions are apparent throughout the year at both locations. Model simulations suggest that this signal of long‐range transport in AOD is more apparent at higher elevation locations; the influence of anthropogenic and biomass burning aerosol extinction is particularly pronounced at the height of Pico Mountain, near the Graciosa Island site. Using a machine learning approach, we further show that simulated observations at these three sites (near Graciosa, Pico Mountain, and Cape Verde) can be used to predict the simulated background aerosol imported into cities on the European mainland, particularly during the local winter months, highlighting the utility of background AOD monitoring for understanding downwind air quality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T14:41:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ffea7ef77e814d81bd8b833857be77f9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2333-5084 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T14:41:42Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth and Space Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-ffea7ef77e814d81bd8b833857be77f92022-12-21T20:17:04ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Earth and Space Science2333-50842020-11-01711n/an/a10.1029/2020EA001392Exploring the Constraints on Simulated Aerosol Sources and Transport Across the North Atlantic With Island‐Based Sun PhotometersSam J. Silva0David A. Ridley1Colette L. Heald2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge MA USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge MA USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge MA USAAbstract Atmospheric aerosol over the North Atlantic Ocean impacts regional clouds and climate. In this work, we use a set of sun photometer observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) located on the Graciosa and Cape Verde islands, along with the GEOS‐Chem chemical transport model to investigate the sources of these aerosol and their transport over the North Atlantic Ocean. At both locations, the largest simulated contributor to aerosol extinction is the local source of sea‐salt aerosol. In addition to this large source, we find that signatures consistent with long‐range transport of anthropogenic, biomass burning, and dust emissions are apparent throughout the year at both locations. Model simulations suggest that this signal of long‐range transport in AOD is more apparent at higher elevation locations; the influence of anthropogenic and biomass burning aerosol extinction is particularly pronounced at the height of Pico Mountain, near the Graciosa Island site. Using a machine learning approach, we further show that simulated observations at these three sites (near Graciosa, Pico Mountain, and Cape Verde) can be used to predict the simulated background aerosol imported into cities on the European mainland, particularly during the local winter months, highlighting the utility of background AOD monitoring for understanding downwind air quality.https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001392 |
| spellingShingle | Sam J. Silva David A. Ridley Colette L. Heald Exploring the Constraints on Simulated Aerosol Sources and Transport Across the North Atlantic With Island‐Based Sun Photometers Earth and Space Science |
| title | Exploring the Constraints on Simulated Aerosol Sources and Transport Across the North Atlantic With Island‐Based Sun Photometers |
| title_full | Exploring the Constraints on Simulated Aerosol Sources and Transport Across the North Atlantic With Island‐Based Sun Photometers |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Constraints on Simulated Aerosol Sources and Transport Across the North Atlantic With Island‐Based Sun Photometers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Constraints on Simulated Aerosol Sources and Transport Across the North Atlantic With Island‐Based Sun Photometers |
| title_short | Exploring the Constraints on Simulated Aerosol Sources and Transport Across the North Atlantic With Island‐Based Sun Photometers |
| title_sort | exploring the constraints on simulated aerosol sources and transport across the north atlantic with island based sun photometers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001392 |
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