Sensitivity of parameterized dust emissions to model resolution

Wind-blown dust from the Sahara desert has the potential to propagate over the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Sahara Air Layer (SAL). The dry, warm, and dusty SAL can interact with tropical storms, and thus may be an important factor in tropical cyclone genesis. Dust emission parameterizations are important to model simulation/forecast results and are dependent on model-predicted wind speeds, which are influenced by model resolution. Therefore, the primary objective of the study is to improve emission schemes in a WRF tracer model. The performance of several different dust-emission schemes will be tested under various model resolutions and meteorological conditions.