Examining the Impact of Biomass Burning Aerosol on Clouds and Precipitation in high Latitudes using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model and Remote Sensing Data

A progressive warming occurring in high latitudes is likely to cause more frequent boreal wild fires. It has been suggested that biomass burning aerosols released into the atmosphere during fires could have a significant impact on the hydrological cycle and radiative energy budget at high latitudes. One potentially important mechanism involves aerosol-related changes in cloud properties and precipitation. In this study, we examine the impact of smoke aerosols using the modified version of the WRF-Chem model. The model was configured to simulate wild fires occurred in the summer of 2007. The remote sensing product WF_ABBA was used to determine the total area burned and initiate the biomass burning emissions. To evaluate and constrain the model results, simulated aerosol and cloud properties were compared against remote sensing data from the A-Train Constellation. Simulated 3D smoke aerosol fields were incorporated into the two-moment bulk microphysics scheme developed by Morrison et al.(2005). We examined the changes in cloud properties and precipitation caused by smoke aerosol as well as performed a sensitivity study to address the role of the aerosol composition.