Parameter sensitivity study of Arctic aerosol vertical distribution in CAM5

Abstract:

Arctic surface temperature response to light-absorbing aerosols (black carbon, brown carbon and dust) depends strongly on their vertical distributions. Improving model simulations of three dimensional aerosol fields in the remote Arctic region will therefore lead to improved projections of the climate change caused by aerosol emissions. In this study, we investigate how different physical parameterizations in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) influence the simulated vertical distribution of Arctic aerosols. We design experiments to test the sensitivity of the simulated aerosol fields to perturbations of selected aerosol process-related parameters in the Modal Aerosol Module with seven lognormal modes (MAM7), such as those govern aerosol aging, in-cloud and below-cloud scavenging, aerosol hygroscopicity and so on. The simulations are compared with observed aerosol vertical distributions and total optical depth to assess model performance and quantify uncertainties associated with these model parameterizations. Observations applied here include Arctic aircraft measurements of black carbon and sulfate vertical profiles, along with Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) optical depth measurements. We also assess the utility of using High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) measurements from the ARM Barrow site to infer vertical profiles of aerosol extinction. The sensitivity study explored here will provide guidance for optimizing global aerosol simulations.