Mian Chin (PI)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
mian.chin@nasa.gov

Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Effects on Tropospheric Chemistry: Modeling and Uncertainty Analysis in the GMI Framework

We propose a 3-year modeling project to study the effects of aerosols on radiative forcing and tropospheric chemistry and analyze the uncertainties of these effects within the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) framework.  Our goal is to incorporate different meteorological fields into the global aerosol and chemistry model for the purpose of (1) estimating the variability in model simulated aerosol distributions and radiative forcing, (2) examining the effects of aerosols and clouds on tropospheric composition via radiative and heterogeneous chemistry processes, and (3) evaluating the model assessment credibility with remote sensing and atmospheric measurement data.  We will first incorporate the aerosol processes in the current Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model into the highly flexible and modular GMI framework such that various meteorological data sets and parameters can be utilized for aerosol simulations.  We will then calculate the aerosol concentrations, optical thickness, and direct radiative forcing using the same model but different meteorological fields to quantify the variability of the aerosol fields.  To assess the aerosol and cloud effects on atmospheric composition, we will conduct coupled aerosol and chemistry simulations with the GMI tropospheric chemistry model using various meteorological inputs.  In such simulations, the heterogeneous chemical reactions on aerosol surface and aerosol attenuation of actinic flux will be incorporated.  The results from the model simulations will be evaluated with observations from satellite, ground-based networks, and in-situ measurements.  This investigation will contribute to reducing the uncertainties in estimating aerosol effects on climate and atmospheric composition, enhance the GMI assessment capability, and establish a solid foundation for the next phase of the GMI model development.

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