Biomass-burning smoke's properties and its interactions with marine stratocumulus clouds in WRF-CAM5 and southeastern Atlantic field campaigns

Howes, Calvin; Saide, Pablo E.; Coe, Hugh; Dobracki, Amie; Freitag, Steffen; Haywood, Jim M.; Howell, Steven G.; Gupta, Siddhant; Uin, Janek; Kacarab, Mary; Kuang, Chongai; Leung, L. Ruby; Nenes, Athanasios; McFarquhar, Greg M.; Podolske, James; Redemann, Jens; Sedlacek, Arthur J.; Thornhill, Kenneth L.; Wong, Jenny P. S.; Wood, Robert; Wu, Huihui; Zhang, Yang; Zhang, Jianhao; Zuidema, Paquita

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13911-2023

Articles | Volume 23, issue 21

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13911-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

New observations and related modelling studies of the aerosol–cloud–climate...

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13911-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 23, issue 21

Research article

|

08 Nov 2023

Research article |

| 08 Nov 2023

Biomass-burning smoke's properties and its interactions with marine stratocumulus clouds in WRF-CAM5 and southeastern Atlantic field campaigns

Calvin Howes, Pablo E. Saide, Hugh Coe, Amie Dobracki, Steffen Freitag, Jim M. Haywood, Steven G. Howell, Siddhant Gupta, Janek Uin, Mary Kacarab, Chongai Kuang, L. Ruby Leung, Athanasios Nenes, Greg M. McFarquhar, James Podolske, Jens Redemann, Arthur J. Sedlacek, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Jenny P. S. Wong, Robert Wood, Huihui Wu, Yang Zhang, Jianhao Zhang, and Paquita Zuidema

Data sets

Suite of Aerosol, Cloud, and Related Data Acquired Aboard P3 During ORACLES 2017, Version 3 ORACLES Science Team https://doi.org/10.5067/Suborbital/ORACLES/P3/2017_V3

Weighing Bucket Precipitation Gauge (WBPLUVIO2), 1 June 2017 to 1 November 2017 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility https://doi.org/10.5439/1338194

Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (AOSUHSAS), 23 April 2016 to 1 November 2017 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility https://doi.org/10.5439/1333828

Scanning mobility particle sizer (AOSSMPS), 20 May 2016 to 20 October 2017 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility https://doi.org/10.5439/1225453

Cloud Condensation Nuclei Particle Counter (AOSCCN2COLA), 24 April 2016 to 31 October 2017 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility https://doi.org/10.5439/1323892

Cloud Condensation Nuclei Particle Counter (AOSCCN2COLB), 24 April 2016 to 31 October 2017 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility https://doi.org/10.5439/1323893

Condensation Particle Counter (AOSCPCF), 20 May 2016 to 31 October 2017 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility https://doi.org/10.5439/1336393

Planetary Boundary Layer Height (PBLHTSONDE1MCFARL), 29 April 2016 to 31 October 2017 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility https://doi.org/10.5439/1991783

VNP14IMGTDL\_NRT NASA https://doi.org/10.5067/FIRMS/VIIRS/VNP14IMGT_NRT.002

Short summary

To better understand smoke properties and its interactions with clouds, we compare the WRF-CAM5 model with observations from ORACLES, CLARIFY, and LASIC field campaigns in the southeastern Atlantic in August 2017. The model transports and mixes smoke well but does not fully capture some important processes. These include smoke chemical and physical aging over 4–12 days, smoke removal by rain, sulfate particle formation, aerosol activation into cloud droplets, and boundary layer turbulence.