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Constraining global aerosol emissions using POLDER/PARASOL satellite remote...

Chen, C., O. Dubovik, D. Henze, M. Chin, T. Lapyonok, G. Schuster, F. Ducos, D. Fuertes, P. Lytvynov, L. Li, A. Lopatin, Q. Hu, and B. Torres (2019), Constraining global aerosol emissions using POLDER/PARASOL satellite remote sensing observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 14585-14606, doi:10.5194/acp-19-14585-2019.
Abstract: 

We invert global black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and desert dust (DD) aerosol emissions from POLDER/PARASOL spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) and aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) using the GEOS-Chem inverse modeling framework. Our inverse modeling framework uses standard a priori emissions to provide a posteriori emissions that are constrained by POLDER/PARASOL AODs and AAODs. The following global emission values were retrieved for the three aerosol components: 18.4 Tg yr−1 for BC, 109.9 Tg yr−1 for OC and 731.6 Tg yr−1 for DD for the year 2010. These values show a difference of +166.7 %, +184.0 % and −42.4 %, respectively, with respect to the a priori values of emission inventories used in “standard” GEOS-Chem runs. The model simulations using a posteriori emissions (i.e., retrieved emissions) provide values of 0.119 for global mean AOD and 0.0071 for AAOD at 550 nm, which are +13.3 % and +82.1 %, respectively, higher than the AOD and AAOD obtained using the a priori values of emissions. Additionally, the a posteriori model simulation of AOD, AAOD, single scattering albedo, Ångström exponent and absorption Ångström exponent show better agreement with independent AERONET, MODIS and OMI measurements than the a priori simulation. Thus, this study suggests that using satellite-constrained global aerosol emissions in aerosol transport models can improve the accuracy of simulated global aerosol properties.

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Research Program: 
Atmospheric Composition
Atmospheric Composition Modeling and Analysis Program (ACMAP)
Radiation Science Program (RSP)