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Abstract

The spatio-temporal evolution of the Saharan dust and biomass-burning plume during the SAMUM-2 field campaign in January and February 2008 is simulated at 28 km horizontal resolution with the regional model-system COSMOMUSCAT. The model performance is thoroughly tested using routine ground-based and space-borne remote sensing and local field measurements. Good agreement with the observations is found in many cases regarding transport patterns, aerosol optical thicknesses and the ratio of dust to smoke aerosol. The model also captures major features of the complex aerosol layering. Nevertheless, discrepancies in the modelled aerosol distribution occur, which are analysed in detail. The dry synoptic dynamics controlling dust uplift and transport during the dry season are well described by the model, but surface wind peaks associated with the breakdown of nocturnal low-level jets are not always reproduced. Thus, a strong dust outbreak is underestimated. While dust emission modelling is a priori more challenging, since strength and placement of dust sources depend on on-line computed winds, considerable inaccuracies also arise in observation-based estimates of biomass-burning emissions. They are caused by cloud and spatial errors of satellite fire products and uncertainties in fire emission parameters, and can lead to unrealistic model results of smoke transport.

Language: English
Page range: 781 - 799
Submitted on: Nov 1, 2010
Accepted on: Jun 3, 2011
Published on: Jan 1, 2011
Published by: Stockholm University Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 2011 Bernd Heinold, Ina Tegen, Kerstin Schepanski, Matthias Tesche, Michael Esselborn, Volker Freudenthaler, Silke Gross, Konrad Kandler, Peter Knippertz, Detlef Müller, Alexander Schladitz, Carlos Toledano, Bernadett Weinzierl, Albert Ansmann, Dietrich Althausen, Thomas Müller, Andreas Petzold, Alfred Wiedensohler, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.