Dust events in Arizona: Long-term satellite and surface observations, and the National Air Quality Forecasting Capability CMAQ simulations

Abstract:

Dust events in Arizona: An analysis integrating satellite and surface weather and aerosol measurements, and National Air Quality Forecasting Capability CMAQ simulations

Dust records in Arizona during 2005-2013 are developed using multiple observation datasets, including level 2 deep blue aerosol product by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the in-situ measurements at the surface Air Quality System (AQS) and Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) sites in Phoenix. The satellite and surface aerosol observations were anti-correlated with three drought indicators (i.e., MODIS vegetation index, a European satellite soil moisture dataset, and Palmer Drought Severity Index). During the dusty year of 2007, we show that the dust events were stronger and more frequent in the afternoon hours than in the morning due to faster winds and drier soil, and the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts were important dust source regions during identified dust events in Phoenix as indicated by NOAA’s Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) Model calculations. Based on these findings, we suggested a potential for use of satellite soil moisture and vegetation index products to interpret and predict dust activity. We also emphasized the importance of using hourly observations for better capturing dust events, and expect the hourly geostationary satellite observations in the future to well complement the current surface PM and meteorological observations considering their broader spatial coverage. Additionally, the performance of the National Air Quality Forecasting Capability (NAQFC) 12 km CMAQ model simulation is evaluated during a recent strong dust event in the western US accompanied by stratospheric ozone intrusion. The current modeling system well captured the temporal variability and the magnitude of aerosol concentrations during this event. Directions of integrating satellite weather and vegetation observations into the dust emission modeling to further improve dust emission modeling in CMAQ are also suggested.