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Large-Scale Covariability Between Aerosol and Precipitation Over the 7-SEAS Region: Observations and SimulationsOne of the seven scientific areas of interests of the 7-SEAS field campaign is to evaluate the impact of aerosol on cloud and precipitation (http://7-seas.gsfc.nasa.gov). However, large-scale covariability between aerosol, cloud and precipitation is complicated not only by ambient environment and a variety of aerosol effects, but also by effects from rain washout and climate factors. This study characterizes large-scale aerosol-cloud-precipitation covariability through synergy of long-term multi ]sensor satellite observations with model simulations over the 7-SEAS region [10S-30N, 95E-130E]. Results show that climate factors such as ENSO significantly modulate aerosol and precipitation over the region simultaneously. After removal of climate factor effects, aerosol and precipitation are significantly anti-correlated over the southern part of the region, where high aerosols loading is associated with overall reduced total precipitation with intensified rain rates and decreased rain frequency, decreased tropospheric latent heating, suppressed cloud top height and increased outgoing longwave radiation, enhanced clear-sky shortwave TOA flux but reduced all-sky shortwave TOA flux in deep convective regimes; but such covariability becomes less notable over the northern counterpart of the region where low ]level stratus are found. Using CO as a proxy of biomass burning aerosols to minimize the washout effect, large-scale covariability between CO and precipitation was also investigated and similar large-scale covariability observed. Model simulations with NCAR CAM5 were found to show similar effects to observations in the spatio-temporal patterns. Results from both observations and simulations are valuable for improving our understanding of this region's meteorological system and the roles of aerosol within it. Key words: aerosol; precipitation; large-scale covariability; aerosol effects; washout; climate factors; 7- SEAS; CO; CAM5
Document ID
20120013404
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Huang, Jingfeng (Morgan State Univ. Baltimore, MD, United States)
Hsu, N. Christina (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Tsay, Si-Chee (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Zhang, Chidong (Miami Univ. Miami, FL, United States)
Jeong, Myeong Jae (Gangneung-Wonju National Univ. Gangneung, Korea, Republic of)
Gautam, Ritesh (Universities Space Research Association Lanham, MD, United States)
Bettenhausen, Corey (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Lanham, MD, United States)
Sayer, Andrew M. (Universities Space Research Association Lanham, MD, United States)
Hansell, Richard A. (Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Liu, Xiaohong (Pacific Northwest National Lab. Richland, WA, United States)
Jiang, Jonathan H. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 26, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2012
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.JA.6374.2012
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: DE-AC06-76RLO 1830
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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