
Aerosol distribution over Brazil with ECHAM-HAM and CAM5-MAM3 simulations and its comparison with ground-based and satellite data
2017; Elsevier BV; Volume: 8; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/j.apr.2017.01.008
ISSN1309-1042
AutoresDébora Souza Alvim, Jayant Pendharkar, Vinícius Capistrano, Ariane Frassoni, Diego Pereira Enoré, Otacílio Leandro de Menezes Neto, Enver Ramírez, Ayantika Dey Choudhury, Paulo Yoshio Kubota, Josiane da Silva, Sérgio Machado Corrêa, Paulo Nobre, Silvio Nilo Figueroa,
Tópico(s)Atmospheric Ozone and Climate
ResumoThe accurate representation of the impacts of natural and anthropogenic aerosols in the climate system presents a challenge in General Circulation Models. This paper analyzes the performance of the aerosol component of two Atmospheric General Circulation Models (AGCM): the Europe Centre Hamburg Model - Hamburg Aerosol Model (ECHAM-HAM), and the Community Atmosphere Model - Modal Aerosol Model (CAM5-MAM3) and their comparison with aerosol observations. We analyzed the spatial distribution of aerosols over Brazil represented in terms of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) simulated by these models. The model results are compared to measurements from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) ground station, and satellite observations provided by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). While both the models provide AODs at 550 nm, only HAM provides the Angström exponent that is compared with AERONET measurements. The comparison between the model simulations and the satellite observations of AOD show that the models can reproduce the spatial and temporal distributions, however models underestimate AOD for the four cities and for almost every South American continent during all seasons. During the dry season, characterized by intense biomass burning, CAM5-MAM3 shows inconsistent, but comparatively better results that ECHAM-HAM, with negative biases over Northern and Northeastern regions of Brazil. The Angström parameter is reasonably reproduced by ECHAM-HAM, except for Cuiabá, indicating that the particle size distribution is correctly represented in most cities.
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