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Surface dimming by the 2013 Rim Fire simulated by a sectional aerosol model
Author(s) -
Yu Pengfei,
Toon Owen B.,
Bardeen Charles G.,
Bucholtz Anthony,
Rosenlof Karen H.,
Saide Pablo E.,
Da Silva Arlindo,
Ziemba Luke D.,
Thornhill Kenneth L.,
Jimenez JoseLuis,
CampuzanoJost Pedro,
Schwarz Joshua P.,
Perring Anne E.,
Froyd Karl D.,
Wagner N. L.,
Mills Michael J.,
Reid Jeffrey S.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1002/2015jd024702
Subject(s) - aerosol , environmental science , single scattering albedo , atmospheric sciences , albedo (alchemy) , smoke , meteorology , climate model , climatology , absorption (acoustics) , geology , climate change , optics , physics , art , oceanography , performance art , art history
The Rim Fire of 2013, the third largest area burned by fire recorded in California history, is simulated by a climate model coupled with a size‐resolved aerosol model. Modeled aerosol mass, number, and particle size distribution are within variability of data obtained from multiple‐airborne in situ measurements. Simulations suggest that Rim Fire smoke may block 4–6% of sunlight energy reaching the surface, with a dimming efficiency around 120–150 W m −2 per unit aerosol optical depth in the midvisible at 13:00–15:00 local time. Underestimation of simulated smoke single scattering albedo at midvisible by 0.04 suggests that the model overestimates either the particle size or the absorption due to black carbon. This study shows that exceptional events like the 2013 Rim Fire can be simulated by a climate model with 1° resolution with overall good skill, although that resolution is still not sufficient to resolve the smoke peak near the source region.