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Simulated impacts of direct radiative effects of scattering and absorbing aerosols on surface layer aerosol concentrations in China during a heavily polluted event in February 2014
Author(s) -
Qiu Yulu,
Liao Hong,
Zhang Renjian,
Hu Jianlin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1002/2016jd026309
Subject(s) - aerosol , radiative transfer , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , radiative forcing , weather research and forecasting model , planetary boundary layer , boundary layer , meteorology , physics , thermodynamics , quantum mechanics
We quantified aerosol direct radiative effects on surface layer concentrations of aerosols during a heavily polluted event in the North China Plain (NCP, 35.4°N–41.2°N, 113.3°E–119.3°E) during 21–27 February 2014, using the chemistry version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF‐Chem) Model. Comparisons of model results with observations showed that the WRF‐Chem model reproduced the spatial and temporal variations of meteorological variables reasonably well, but overestimated average PM 2.5 concentration by 21.7% over the NCP during 21–27 February. The simulated direct radiative effects of total, absorbing, and scattering aerosols reduced the planetary boundary layer (PBL) heights by 111.4 m, 35.7 m, and 70.7 m, respectively, averaged over NCP and 21–27 February. The direct radiative effects of total aerosols induced increases in aerosol concentrations by 11.5% for SO 4 2 − , 29.5% for NO 3 − , 29.6% for NH 4 + , 28.7% for organic carbon (OC), 26.7% for black carbon (BC), and 20.4% for PM 2.5 , respectively, averaged over the NCP during 21–27 February 2014. The increase in PM 2.5 concentration averaged over the NCP and the haze event was 29.6 μg m −3 (16.8%) due to radiative effect of scattering aerosols, as a result of the decreases in PBL height and changes in secondary aerosol production rates. The corresponding increase in PM 2.5 concentration owing to absorbing aerosols was 2.1 μg m −3 (1.0%), resulting from the offsetting impacts of changes in PBL height, wind near the surface, and chemical processes.