Modeling Impacts of Different Types of Aerosols on Convective Clouds and Circulations

Contemporary satellites keep increasing their capability in characterizing physical properties, chemical compositions, and spatial distributions of atmosphere aerosols. Our recent satellite study shows smoke aerosol tends to suppress convection and results in lower ice cloud mass center than clean clouds. Polluted continental aerosol tends to invigorate convection and promote higher cloud mass. The dust aerosol effects are regionally dependent and their signs differ from place to place. We employ the latest versions of two global climate models, NCAR CESM and GISS ModelE, to assess the influence of smoke, dust, and continental pollution on the convection and regional large-circulation over South America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. The newly developed global climate models enhance their awareness and sophistication of aerosol effects on cloud, convection, and circulation. We first evaluate aerosol properties using satellite products and available satellite simulator. A series of model sensitivity experiments are conducted to assess the dependency of aerosol effects on aerosol type, and validate the results against satellite observations. Intercomparison of two global aerosol-climate model with different aerosol parameterization schemes will provide us insight on key processes in model to reproduce more realistic aerosol field and aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions.