Transport of pollution to a remote coastal site during gap flow from California's interior: impacts on aerosol composition, clouds, and radiative balance
Andrew C. Martin1,*,Gavin C. Cornwell2,*,Samuel A. Atwood3,Kathryn A. Moore2,a,Nicholas E. Rothfuss4,Hans Taylor4,Paul J. DeMott3,Sonia M. Kreidenweis3,Markus D. Petters4,and Kimberly A. Prather1,2Andrew C. Martin et al. Andrew C. Martin1,*,Gavin C. Cornwell2,*,Samuel A. Atwood3,Kathryn A. Moore2,a,Nicholas E. Rothfuss4,Hans Taylor4,Paul J. DeMott3,Sonia M. Kreidenweis3,Markus D. Petters4,and Kimberly A. Prather1,2
1Climate Atmospheric Science and Physical Oceanography, Scripps
Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, USA
2Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San
Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
3Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort
Collins, CO, USA
4Department of Marine Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina
State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
anow at: School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
*These authors contributed equally to this work.
1Climate Atmospheric Science and Physical Oceanography, Scripps
Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, USA
2Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San
Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
3Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort
Collins, CO, USA
4Department of Marine Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina
State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
anow at: School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
*These authors contributed equally to this work.
Correspondence: Kimberly A. Prather (kprather@ucsd.edu)
Received: 27 May 2016 – Discussion started: 01 Jun 2016 – Revised: 16 Sep 2016 – Accepted: 30 Sep 2016 – Published: 31 Jan 2017
Abstract. During the CalWater 2015 field campaign, ground-level observations of aerosol size, concentration, chemical composition, and cloud activity were made at Bodega Bay, CA, on the remote California coast. A strong anthropogenic influence on air quality, aerosol physicochemical properties, and cloud activity was observed at Bodega Bay during periods with special weather conditions, known as Petaluma Gap flow, in which air from California's interior is transported to the coast. This study applies a diverse set of chemical, cloud microphysical, and meteorological measurements to the Petaluma Gap flow phenomenon for the first time. It is demonstrated that the sudden and often dramatic change in aerosol properties is strongly related to regional meteorology and anthropogenically influenced chemical processes in California's Central Valley. In addition, it is demonstrated that the change in air mass properties from those typical of a remote marine environment to properties of a continental regime has the potential to impact atmospheric radiative balance and cloud formation in ways that must be accounted for in regional climate simulations.
Anthropogenic influence on air quality, aerosol properties, and cloud activity was observed at Bodega Bay, CA, during periods when air from California's interior was transported to the coast. The sudden change in aerosol properties can impact atmospheric radiative balance and cloud formation in ways that must be accounted for in regional climate simulations.
Anthropogenic influence on air quality, aerosol properties, and cloud activity was observed at...
