Evaluation of black carbon estimations in global aerosol models

• Published in: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
• Main Authors: Koch, D., Schulz, M, Kinne, S., Mcnaughton, C., Spackman, J. R., Balkanski, Yves, Bauer, S., Berntsen, T., Bond, T., C, Boucher, O., Chin, M., Clarke, A., de Luca, N, Dentener, F., Diehl, T., Dubovik, O., Easter, R., Fahey, D., Feichter, J., Fillmore, D., Freitag, S., Ghan, S., Ginoux, P., Gong, S., Horowitz, L., Iversen, T., Kirkevåg, A., Klimont, Z., Kondo, Y., Krol, M., Liu, X., Miller, R., Montanaro, V., Moteki, N., Myhre, G., Penner, J., Perlwitz, J., Pitari, G., Reddy, S., Sahu, L., Sakamoto, H., Schuster, G., Schwarz, J., P, Seland, Ø, Stier, P., Takegawa, N., Takemura, T., Textor, C., van Aardenne, J., A, Zhao, Y.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie (MPI-M), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Modelling the Earth Response to Multiple Anthropogenic Interactions and Dynamics (MERMAID), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), United Kingdom Met Office Exeter, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M), National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder (NCAR), NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Laxenburg (IIASA), Nagoya University, Wageningen University and Research Wageningen (WUR), Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (CINaM), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of L'Aquila Italy (UNIVAQ), Center for International Climate and Environmental Research Oslo (CICERO), University of Oslo (UiO), Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences Ann Arbor (AOSS), University of Michigan Ann Arbor, University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, Laboratoire d’Optique Atmosphérique - UMR 8518 (LOA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics Oxford (AOPP), University of Oxford, Climate Change Unit Ispra, JRC Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES), European Commission - Joint Research Centre Ispra (JRC)-European Commission - Joint Research Centre Ispra (JRC), University of California Davis (UC Davis), University of California (UC)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2009
• Subjects: [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-AO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics [physics.ao-ph]; [SDU.STU.CL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Climatology; Arctic; black carbon
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02870410; https://hal.science/hal-02870410/document; https://hal.science/hal-02870410/file/acp-9-9001-2009.pdf; https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-9001-2009

International audience We evaluate black carbon (BC) model predictions from the AeroCom model intercomparison project by considering the diversity among year 2000 model simulations and comparing model predictions with available measurements. These model-measurement intercomparisons include BC surface and aircraft concentrations, aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) retrievals from AERONET and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and BC column estimations based on AERONET. In regions other than Asia, most models are biased high compared to surface concentration measurements. However compared with (column) AAOD or BC burden retreivals, the models are generally biased low. The average ratio of model to retrieved AAOD is less than 0.7 in South American and 0.6 in African biomass burning regions both of these regions lack surface concentration measurements. In Asia the average model to observed ratio is 0.7 for AAOD and 0.5 for BC surface concentrations. Compared with aircraft measurements over the Americas at latitudes between 0 and 50N, the average model is a factor of 8 larger than observed, and most models exceed the measured BC standard deviation in the mid to upper troposphere. At higher latitudes the average model to aircraft BC ratio is 0.4 and models underestimate the observed BC loading in the lower and middle troposphere associated with springtime Arctic haze. Low model bias for AAOD but overestimation of surface and upper atmospheric BC concentrations at lower latitudes suggests that most models are underestimating BC absorption and should improve estimates for refractive index , particle size, and optical effects of BC coating. Retrieval uncertainties and/or differences with model diagnostic treatment may also contribute to the model-measurement disparity. Largest AeroCom model diversity occurred in northern Eurasia and the remote Arctic, regions influenced by anthro-pogenic sources. Changing emissions, aging, removal, or optical properties within a single model generated a smaller change in model ...