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Evaluated kinetic and photochemical data for atmospheric chemistry: Volume I - gas phase reactions of Ox, HOx, NOx and SOx species
(Katlenburg-Lindau : EGU, 2004) Atkinson, R.; Baulch, D. L.; Cox, R. A.; Crowley, J. N.; Hampson, R. F.; Hynes, R. G.; Jenkin, M. E.; Rossi, M. J.; Troe, J.
This article, the first in the series, presents kinetic and photochemical data evaluated by the IUPAC Subcommittee on GasKinetic Data Evaluation for Atmospheric Chemistry. It covers the gas phase and photochemical reactions of Ox, HOx, NOx and SOx species, which were last published in 1997, and were updated on the IUPAC website in late 2001. The article consists of a summary sheet, containing the recommended kinetic parameters for the evaluated reactions, and five appendices containing the data sheets, which provide information upon which the recommendations are made.
Evaluated kinetic and photochemical data for atmospheric chemistry: Volume II - Gas phase reactions of organic species
(Katlenburg-Lindau : EGU, 2006) Atkinson, R.; Baulch, D. L.; Cox, R. A.; Crowley, J. N.; Hampson, R. F.; Hynes, R. G.; Jenkin, M. E.; Rossi, M. J.; Troe, J.
This article, the second in the series, presents kinetic and photochemical data evaluated by the IUPAC Sub-committee on Gas Kinetic Data Evaluation for Atmospheric Chemistry. It covers the gas phase and photochemical reactions of Organic species, which were last published in 1999, and were updated on the IUPAC website in late 2002, and subsequently during the preparation of this article. The article consists of a summary table of the recommended rate coefficients, containing the recommended kinetic parameters for the evaluated reactions, and eight appendices containing the data sheets, which provide information upon which the recommendations are made.
Compilation and evaluation of gas phase diffusion coefficients of reactive trace gases in the atmosphere: Volume 1. Inorganic compounds
(Katlenburg-Lindau : EGU, 2014) Tang, M. J.; Cox, R. A.; Kalberer, M.
Diffusion of gas molecules to the surface is the first step for all gas-surface reactions. Gas phase diffusion can influence and sometimes even limit the overall rates of these reactions; however, there is no database of the gas phase diffusion coefficients of atmospheric reactive trace gases. Here we compile and evaluate, for the first time, the diffusivities (pressure-independent diffusion coefficients) of atmospheric inorganic reactive trace gases reported in the literature. The measured diffusivities are then compared with estimated values using a semi-empirical method developed by Fuller et al. (1966). The diffusivities estimated using Fuller's method are typically found to be in good agreement with the measured values within ±30%, and therefore Fuller's method can be used to estimate the diffusivities of trace gases for which experimental data are not available. The two experimental methods used in the atmospheric chemistry community to measure the gas phase diffusion coefficients are also discussed. A different version of this compilation/evaluation, which will be updated when new data become available, is uploaded online (https://sites.google.com/site/mingjintang/home/diffusion).
Accurate molecular van der Waals interactions from ground-state electron density and free-atom reference data
(College Park, Md. : APS, 2009) Tkatchenko, Alexandre; Scheffler, Matthias
We present a parameter-free method for an accurate determination of long-range van der Waals interactions from mean-field electronic structure calculations. Our method relies on the summation of interatomic C6 coefficients, derived from the electron density of a molecule or solid and accurate reference data for the free atoms. The mean absolute error in the C6 coefficients is 5.5% when compared to accurate experimental values for 1225 intermolecular pairs, irrespective of the employed exchange-correlation functional. We show that the effective atomic C6 coefficients depend strongly on the bonding environment of an atom in a molecule. Finally, we analyze the van der Waals radii and the damping function in the C6R-6 correction method for density-functional theory calculations. © 2009 The American Physical Society.
Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Radiation From Streamer Collisions
(Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2017) Luque, Alejandro
We present a full electromagnetic model of streamer propagation where the Maxwell equations are solved self-consistently together with electron transport and reactions including photoionization. We apply this model to the collision of counter-propagating streamers in gaps tens of centimeters wide and with large potential differences of hundreds of kilovolts. Our results show that streamer collisions emit electromagnetic pulses that, at atmospheric pressure, dominate the radio frequency spectrum of an extended corona in the range from about 100 MHz to a few gigahertz. We also investigate the fast penetration, after a collision, of electromagnetic fields into the streamer heads and show that these fields are capable of accelerating electrons up to about 100 keV. By substantiating the link between X-rays and high-frequency radio emissions and by describing a mechanism for the early acceleration of runaway electrons, our results support the hypothesis that streamer collisions are essential precursors of high-energy processes in electric discharges.
Compilation and evaluation of gas phase diffusion coefficients of reactive trace gases in the atmosphere: Volume 2. Diffusivities of organic compounds, pressure-normalised mean free paths, and average Knudsen numbers for gas uptake calculations
(Katlenburg-Lindau : EGU, 2015) Tang, M. J.; Shiraiwa, M.; Pöschl, U.; Cox, R. A.; Kalberer, M.
Diffusion of organic vapours to the surface of aerosol or cloud particles is an important step for the formation and transformation of atmospheric particles. So far, however, a database of gas phase diffusion coefficients for organic compounds of atmospheric interest has not been available. In this work we have compiled and evaluated gas phase diffusivities (pressure-independent diffusion coefficients) of organic compounds reported by previous experimental studies, and we compare the measurement data to estimates obtained with Fuller's semi-empirical method. The difference between measured and estimated diffusivities are mostly < 10%. With regard to gas-particle interactions, different gas molecules, including both organic and inorganic compounds, exhibit similar Knudsen numbers (Kn) although their gas phase diffusivities may vary over a wide range. This is because different trace gas molecules have similar mean free paths in air at a given pressure. Thus, we introduce the pressure-normalised mean free path, λP ≈ 100 nm atm, as a near-constant generic parameter that can be used for approximate calculation of Knudsen numbers as a simple function of gas pressure and particle diameter to characterise the influence of gas phase diffusion on the uptake of gases by aerosol or cloud particles. We use a kinetic multilayer model of gas-particle interaction to illustrate the effects of gas phase diffusion on the condensation of organic compounds with different volatilities. The results show that gas phase diffusion can play a major role in determining the growth of secondary organic aerosol particles by condensation of low-volatility organic vapours.
Evaluation of monte carlo tools for high energy atmospheric physics
(Katlenburg-Lindau : Copernicus, 2016) Rutjes, Casper; Sarria, David; Skeltved, Alexander Broberg; Luque, Alejandro; Diniz, Gabriel; Østgaard, Nikolai; Ebert, Ute
The emerging field of high energy atmospheric physics (HEAP) includes terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, electron-positron beams and gamma-ray glows from thunderstorms. Similar emissions of high energy particles occur in pulsed high voltage discharges. Understanding these phenomena requires appropriate models for the interaction of electrons, positrons and photons of up to 40MeV energy with atmospheric air. In this paper, we benchmark the performance of the Monte Carlo codes Geant4, EGS5 and FLUKA developed in other fields of physics and of the custom-made codes GRRR and MC-PEPTITA against each other within the parameter regime relevant for high energy atmospheric physics. We focus on basic tests, namely on the evolution of monoenergetic and directed beams of electrons, positrons and photons with kinetic energies between 100keV and 40MeV through homogeneous air in the absence of electric and magnetic fields, using a low energy cutoff of 50keV. We discuss important differences between the results of the different codes and provide plausible explanations. We also test the computational performance of the codes. The Supplement contains all results, providing a first benchmark for present and future custom-made codes that are more flexible in including electrodynamic interactions.
X-ray Emissions in a Multiscale Fluid Model of a Streamer Discharge
(Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2018) Lehtinen, Nikolai G.; Østgaard, Nikolai
We use a three-specie fluid model of electric discharge in air to simulate streamer evolution from the avalanche-to-streamer transition to the collision of opposite-polarity streamers. We estimate the upper limit on the production of thermal runaway electrons, which is dominant during the second of these processes. More thermal runaways are produced if the ionization due to natural background and photoionization is reduced, due to possibility of creation of higher electric fields at streamer tips. The test-particle simulation shows, however, that these thermal runaway electrons have insufficient energies to become relativistic runaways. The simulations are done in constant uniform background fields of E0=4 and 6 MV/m. A simulation was also performed in E0=2 MV/m after formation of streamers in 4-MV/m field, in order to approximate the average background field created by ∼1-MV voltage over a ∼1-m electrode gap used in laboratory spark experiments. We conclude that the used fluid model is insufficient to explain X-ray observations during such experiments. We discuss the possible role of mechanisms which were not included in this or previous modeling but may play the deciding role in the electron acceleration and X-ray production during a streamer collision.
Stabilized equal low-order finite elements in ice sheet modeling – accuracy and robustness
(New York, NY [u.a.] : Springer Science + Business Media B.V., 2018) Helanow, Christian; Ahlkrona, Josefin
We investigate the accuracy and robustness of one of the most common methods used in glaciology for finite element discretization of the 𝔭-Stokes equations: linear equal order finite elements with Galerkin least-squares (GLS) stabilization on anisotropic meshes. Furthermore, we compare the results to other stabilized methods. We find that the vertical velocity component is more sensitive to the choice of GLS stabilization parameter than horizontal velocity. Additionally, the accuracy of the vertical velocity component is especially important since errors in this component can cause ice surface instabilities and propagate into future ice volume predictions. If the element cell size is set to the minimum edge length and the stabilization parameter is allowed to vary non-linearly with viscosity, the GLS stabilization parameter found in literature is a good choice on simple domains. However, near ice margins the standard parameter choice may result in significant oscillations in the vertical component of the surface velocity. For these reasons, other stabilization techniques, in particular the interior penalty method, result in better accuracy and are less sensitive to the choice of stabilization parameter. During this work, we also discovered that the manufactured solutions often used to evaluate errors in glaciology are not reliable due to high artificial surface forces at singularities. We perform our numerical experiments in both FEniCS and Elmer/Ice.
Reinigen neue Luftfiltersysteme von urbanem Stickstoffdioxid? - Teilprojekt 1 TLK01-L-76330 „Teilprojekt Luft“, Abschlussbericht
(Hannover : Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB), 2024) Thomas, Christoph; Nölscher, Anke
Das Vorhaben „Reinigen neue Luftfiltersysteme von urbanem Stickstoffdioxid?“ untersuchte, ob und wie effizient aktive Luftreinigungssysteme (LRS) zur Reduktion von Stickstoffdioxidkonzentrationen innerhalb und im Umfeld verkehrsreicher Straßen eingesetzt werden können. Dafür richtete Teilprojekt 1 „Luft“ einen Feldversuch mit neun Luftreinigungssystemen (LRS) für ein Reinigungsvolumen von bis zu 135.000 m³/h auf der Westseite der Landshuter Allee in München in der Nähe zu der bestehenden Luftqualitätsmesstelle Landshuter Allee des LfU ein. Der Feldversuch wurde im Straßenzug experimentell durch eine kontinuierliche Beobachtung von Luftqualität und –transport, und theoretisch durch Modellsimulationen zu charakteristischen Großwetterlagen bzw. Strömungsregimen begleitet. Über die komplette Projektlaufzeit koordiniert das Teilprojekt „Luft“ zwischen den insgesamt vier Teilprojekten, der Landeshauptstadt München und dem Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz. Dieser Bericht gibt eine Übersicht über den Projektverlauf und fasst die Ergebnisse zusammen. Dabei stand sowohl der Erkenntnisgewinn zur Situation an der Landshuter Allee als auch die Auswertung zur Reinigungsleistung der LRS im Straßenzug unter realen Bedingungen im Fokus. Die Strömungsverhältnisse an der Landshuter Allee lassen sich anhand 5 effektiver Windrichtungssektoren beschreiben. Am häufigsten lag eine Nordströmung vor (44%). Mit Hilfe der LES-Modellierung für den Querschnitt des Straßenzugs konnten wir eine Wirbelbildung zeigen, welche für typische Ost – und Westanströmungen im Stadtgebiet eine Umkehr der bodennahen Windrichtungen im Straßenzug der Landshuter Allee bedeutet. Die NO2-Konzentrationen hatten im Straßenzug aufgrund der Nähe zum Verkehr als primäre Quelle eine hohe Variabilität. Über den Untersuchungszeitraum wurden im Mittel an der LÜB- Station 47±23 µgm-3 NO2 gemessen, an drei Standorten auf dem Seitenstreifen und mit Messhöhe auf 1,9 m über Grund betrugen die mittleren NO2-Konzentrationen 42±23, 42±21, und 34±15 µgm-3. Der Tagesgang von NO2 war typisch urban und vom Straßenverkehr geprägt. Typischerweise wurden tagsüber bei Nordströmung die höchsten NO2 Konzentrationen gemessen. Bei Nordströmung wurde zusätzlich der geringste Durchmischungsgrad beobachtet, was in Kombination mit einer Anströmung aus Richtung des Tunnelausgangs zu deutlich höheren NO2-Konzentrationen an der LÜB-Station und den Standorten auf dem Seitenstreifen führte. Gleiches gilt für die bodennahe Ostanströmung, bei der die durch den Straßenverkehr NO2-belastete Luft direkt vom Straßenzug auf die LÜB-Station und die anderen Messstandorte transportiert wird. Die vorläufige Auswertung der räumlichen Verteilung von NO2 im Straßenzug und den Nebenstraßen der Landshuter Allee zeigte die höchsten Konzentrationen tagsüber im Abschnitt des Tunnels und auf der Landshuter Allee südlich davon. In den Nebenstraßen und nachts wurden deutlich niedrigere NO2 Konzentrationen beobachtet. Für den Nachweis der Reinigungsleistung unter realen Bedingungen im Straßenzug wurden hier drei Ansätze verfolgt. Zuerst wurde das Nahfeld der LRS auf die Strömungsverteilung und die NO2 Variation untersucht. Durch die Nähe zur Straße war aber insbesondere die NO2- TLK01-L-76330 “Luft” / Abschlussbericht / 14.06.2024 Konzentration so stark zeitlich variabel, dass auch auf dem Gehweg in bis zu 4,5 m Entfernung keine statistisch signifikanten Unterschiede detektierbar waren. Als zweites wurden regelmäßige An-und-Abschaltversuche unternommen. Für eine Messung in 2,0 m Entfernung zu LRS3 konnten wir eine relative Abnahme von etwa 18% zeigen, wenn das NO2- Mischungsverhältnis größer als 20 ppb war. Aber auch dieser Unterschied war wegen der hohen Variabilität kaum signifikant nachweisbar. Als drittes wurde der potentiell gereinigte Volumenstrom im Straßenzug durch die strömungsauflösende Modellierung bestimmt. Unabhängig von der Anströmrichtung werden tagsüber etwa 2% und nachts etwas 10% des Gesamtvolumenstroms durch die neun LRS gereinigt, was die statistisch nicht nachweisbare Reinigungsleistung trotz erheblich eingeschränkter Durchmischung erklärt. Obwohl sich die Wirksamkeit der Aktivkohlefilter zur effektiven Entfernung von NO2 im Labor und im Nahfeld der LRS im Feldversuch nachweisen ließ, war die Reinigungsleistung der neun LRS im Straßenzug der Landshuter Allee nicht nachweisbar. Für den Standort empfehlen wir daher andere Maßnahmen, wie eine Reduktion der NO2-Emissionen aus dem Verkehr entweder durch die Anzahl der Fahrzeuge oder die Emissionsraten, eine Vermeidung von Stau und stockendem Verkehr zur Reduktion der Verweildauer von Fahrzeugen im Straßenabschnitt, und eine Erhöhung der turbulenten Durchmischung im Straßenzug.
LandInG 1.0: a toolbox to derive input datasets for terrestrial ecosystem modelling at variable resolutions from heterogeneous sources
(Katlenburg-Lindau : Copernicus, 2023) Ostberg, Sebastian; Müller, Christoph; Heinke, Jens; Schaphoff, Sibyll
We present the Land Input Generator (LandInG) version 1.0, a new toolbox for generating input datasets for terrestrial ecosystem models (TEMs) from diverse and partially conflicting data sources. While LandInG 1.0 is applicable to process data for any TEM, it is developed specifically for the open-source dynamic global vegetation, hydrology, and crop growth model LPJmL (Lund-Potsdam-Jena with managed Land). The toolbox documents the sources and processing of data to model inputs and allows for easy changes to the spatial resolution. It is designed to make inconsistencies between different sources of data transparent so that users can make their own decisions on how to resolve these should they not be content with the default assumptions made here. As an example, we use the toolbox to create input datasets at 5 and 30 arcmin spatial resolution covering land, country, and region masks, soil, river networks, freshwater reservoirs, irrigation water distribution networks, crop-specific annual land use, fertilizer, and manure application. We focus on the toolbox describing the data processing rather than only publishing the datasets as users may want to make different choices for reconciling inconsistencies, aggregation, spatial extent, or similar. Also, new data sources or new versions of existing data become available continuously, and the toolbox approach allows for incorporating new data to stay up to date.
Air pollution trapping in the Dresden Basin from gray-zone scale urban modeling
(Katlenburg-Lindau : EGU, 2023) Weger, Michael; Heinold, Bernd
The microscale variability of urban air pollution is essentially driven by the interaction between meteorology and urban topography, which remains challenging to represent spatially accurately and computationally efficiently in urban dispersion models. Natural topography can additionally exert a considerable amplifying effect on urban background pollution, depending on atmospheric stability. This requires an equally important representation in models, as even subtle terrain-height variations can enforce characteristic local flow regimes. In this model study, the effects of urban and natural topography on the local winds and air pollution dispersion in the Dresden Basin in the Eastern German Elbe valley are investigated. A new, efficient urban microscale model is used within a multiscale air quality modeling framework. The simulations that consider real meteorological and emission conditions focus on two periods in late winter and early summer, respectively, as well as on black carbon (BC), a key air pollutant mainly emitted from motorized traffic. As a complement to the commonly used mass concentrations, the particle age content (age concentration) is simulated. This concept, which was originally developed to study hydrological reservoir flows in a Eulerian framework, is adapted here for the first time for atmospheric boundary-layer modeling. The approach is used to identify stagnant or recirculating orographic air flows and resulting air pollution trapping. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is applied to the simulation results to attribute the air pollution modes to specific weather patterns and quantify their significance. Air quality monitoring data for the region are used for model evaluation. The model results show a strong sensitivity to atmospheric conditions, but generally confirm increased BC levels in Dresden due to the valley location. The horizontal variability of mass concentrations is dominated by the patterns of traffic emissions, which overlay potential orography-driven pollutant accumulations. Therefore, an assessment of the orographic impact on air pollution is usually inconclusive. However, using the age-concentration metric, which filters out direct emission effects, previously undetected spatial patterns are discovered that are largely modulated by the surface orography. The comparison with a dispersion simulation assuming spatially homogeneous emissions also proves the robustness of the orographic flow information contained in the age-concentration distribution and shows it to be a suitable metric for assessing orographic air pollution trapping. The simulation analysis indicates several air quality hotspots on the southwestern slopes of the Dresden Basin and in the southern side valley, the Döhlen Basin, depending on the prevailing wind direction.
Next-generation ice-nucleating particle sampling on board aircraft: characterization of the High-volume flow aERosol particle filter sAmpler (HERA)
(Katlenburg-Lindau : Copernicus, 2023) Grawe, Sarah; Jentzsch, Conrad; Schaefer, Jonas; Wex, Heike; Mertes, Stephan; Stratmann, Frank
Atmospheric ice-nucleating particle (INP) concentration data from the free troposphere are sparse but urgently needed to understand vertical transport processes of INPs and their influence on cloud formation and properties. Here, we introduce the new High-volume flow aERosol particle filter sAmpler (HERA) which was specially developed for installation on research aircraft and subsequent offline INP analysis. HERA is a modular system consisting of a sampling unit and a powerful pump unit, and it has several features which were integrated specifically for INP sampling. Firstly, the pump unit enables sampling at flow rates exceeding 100 L min-1, which is well above typical flow rates of aircraft INP sampling systems described in the literature (∼ 10 L min-1). Consequently, required sampling times to capture rare, high-temperature INPs (≥ -15 C) are reduced in comparison to other systems, and potential source regions of INPs can be confined more precisely. Secondly, the sampling unit is designed as a seven-way valve, enabling switching between six filter holders and a bypass with one filter being sampled at a time. In contrast to other aircraft INP sampling systems, the valve position is remote-controlled via software so that manual filter changes during flight are eliminated and the potential for sample contamination is decreased. This design is compatible with a high degree of automation, i.e., triggering filter changes depending on parameters like flight altitude, geographical location, temperature, or time. In addition to presenting the design and principle of operation of HERA, this paper describes laboratory characterization experiments with size-selected test substances, i.e., SNOMAX® and Arizona Test Dust. The particles were sampled on filters with HERA, varying either particle diameter (300 to 800 nm) or flow rate (10 to 100 L min-1) between experiments. The subsequent offline INP analysis showed good agreement with literature data and comparable sampling efficiencies for all investigated particle sizes and flow rates. Furthermore, the collection efficiency of atmospheric INPs in HERA was compared to a straightforward filter sampler and good agreement was found. Finally, results from the first campaign of HERA on the High Altitude and LOng range research aircraft (HALO) demonstrate the functionality of the new system in the context of aircraft application.
The Earth system model CLIMBER-X v1.0 - Part 2: The global carbon cycle
(Katlenburg-Lindau : Copernicus, 2023) Willeit, Matteo; Ilyina, Tatiana; Liu, Bo; Heinze, Christoph; Perrette, Mahé; Heinemann, Malte; Dalmonech, Daniela; Brovkin, Victor; Munhoven, Guy; Börker, Janine; Hartmann, Jens; Romero-Mujalli, Gibran; Ganopolski, Andrey
The carbon cycle component of the newly developed Earth system model of intermediate complexity CLIMBER-X is presented. The model represents the cycling of carbon through the atmosphere, vegetation, soils, seawater and marine sediments. Exchanges of carbon with geological reservoirs occur through sediment burial, rock weathering and volcanic degassing. The state-of-the-art HAMOCC6 model is employed to simulate ocean biogeochemistry and marine sediment processes. The land model PALADYN simulates the processes related to vegetation and soil carbon dynamics, including permafrost and peatlands. The dust cycle in the model allows for an interactive determination of the input of the micro-nutrient iron into the ocean. A rock weathering scheme is implemented in the model, with the weathering rate depending on lithology, runoff and soil temperature. CLIMBER-X includes a simple representation of the methane cycle, with explicitly modelled natural emissions from land and the assumption of a constant residence time of CH4 in the atmosphere. Carbon isotopes 13C and 14C are tracked through all model compartments and provide a useful diagnostic for model-data comparison. A comprehensive evaluation of the model performance for the present day and the historical period shows that CLIMBER-X is capable of realistically reproducing the historical evolution of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 but also the spatial distribution of carbon on land and the 3D structure of biogeochemical ocean tracers. The analysis of model performance is complemented by an assessment of carbon cycle feedbacks and model sensitivities compared to state-of-the-art Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models. Enabling an interactive carbon cycle in CLIMBER-X results in a relatively minor slow-down of model computational performance by ∼ 20 % compared to a throughput of ∼ 10 000 simulation years per day on a single node with 16 CPUs on a high-performance computer in a climate-only model set-up. CLIMBER-X is therefore well suited to investigating the feedbacks between climate and the carbon cycle on temporal scales ranging from decades to >100000 years.
Modelling the role of livestock grazing in C and N cycling in grasslands with LPJmL5.0-grazing
(Katlenburg-Lindau : Copernicus, 2023) Heinke, Jens; Rolinski, Susanne; Müller, Christoph
To represent the impact of grazing livestock on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics in grasslands, we implement a livestock module into LPJmL5.0-tillage, a global vegetation and crop model with explicit representation of managed grasslands and pastures, forming LPJmL5.0-grazing. The livestock module uses lactating dairy cows as a generic representation of grazing livestock. The new module explicitly accounts for forage quality in terms of dry-matter intake and digestibility using relationships derived from compositional analyses for different forages. Partitioning of N into milk, feces, and urine as simulated by the new livestock module shows very good agreement with observation-based relationships reported in the literature. Modelled C and N dynamics depend on forage quality (C:N ratios in grazed biomass), forage quantity, livestock densities, manure or fertilizer inputs, soil, atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and climate conditions. Due to the many interacting relationships, C sequestration, GHG emissions, N losses, and livestock productivity show substantial variation in space and across livestock densities. The improved LPJmL5.0-grazing model can now assess the effects of livestock grazing on C and N stocks and fluxes in grasslands. It can also provide insights about the spatio-temporal variability of grassland productivity and about the trade-offs between livestock production and environmental impacts.
Overview: The Baltic Earth Assessment Reports (BEAR)
(Göttingen : Copernicus Publ., 2023) Meier, H. E. Markus; Reckermann, Marcus; Langner, Joakim; Smith, Ben; Didenkulova, Ira
Baltic Earth is an independent research network of scientists from all Baltic Sea countries that promotes regional Earth system research. Within the framework of this network, the Baltic Earth Assessment Reports (BEARs) were produced in the period 2019-2022. These are a collection of 10 review articles summarising current knowledge on the environmental and climatic state of the Earth system in the Baltic Sea region and its changes in the past (palaeoclimate), present (historical period with instrumental observations) and prospective future (until 2100) caused by natural variability, climate change and other human activities. The division of topics among articles follows the grand challenges and selected themes of the Baltic Earth Science Plan, such as the regional water, biogeochemical and carbon cycles; extremes and natural hazards; sea-level dynamics and coastal erosion; marine ecosystems; coupled Earth system models; scenario simulations for the regional atmosphere and the Baltic Sea; and climate change and impacts of human use. Each review article contains an introduction, the current state of knowledge, knowledge gaps, conclusions and key messages; the latter are the bases on which recommendations for future research are made. Based on the BEARs, Baltic Earth has published an information leaflet on climate change in the Baltic Sea as part of its outreach work, which has been published in two languages so far, and organised conferences and workshops for stakeholders, in collaboration with the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (Helsinki Commission, HELCOM).
Wildfire smoke triggers cirrus formation: Lidar observations over the eastern Mediterranean
(Katlenburg-Lindau : EGU, 2023) Mamouri, Rodanthi-Elisavet; Ansmann, Albert; Ohneiser, Kevin; Knopf, Daniel A.; Nisantzi, Argyro; Bühl, Johannes; Engelmann, Ronny; Skupin, Annett; Seifert, Patric; Baars, Holger; Ene, Dragos; Wandinger, Ulla; Hadjimitsis, Diofantos
The number of intense wildfires may increase further in upcoming years as a consequence of climate change. It is therefore necessary to improve our knowledge about the role of smoke in the climate system, with emphasis on the impact of smoke particles on the evolution of clouds, precipitation, and cloud radiative properties. Presently, one key aspect of research is whether or not wildfire smoke particles can initiate cirrus formation. In this study, we present lidar observations over Limassol, Cyprus, from 27 October to 3 November 2020, when extended wildfire smoke fields crossed the Mediterranean Basin from Portugal to Cyprus. We found strong evidence that aged smoke (organic aerosol particles) originating from wildfires in North America triggered significant ice nucleation at temperatures from -47 to -53° C and caused the formation of extended cirrus layers. The observations suggest that the ice crystals were nucleated just below the tropopause in the presence of smoke particles serving as ice-nucleating particles (INPs). The main part of the 2-3km thick smoke layer was, however, in the lower stratosphere just above the tropopause. With actual radiosonde observations of temperature and relative humidity and lidar-derived smoke particle surface area concentrations used as starting values, gravity wave simulations show that the lofting of air by 100-200m is sufficient to initiate significant ice nucleation on the smoke particles, leading to ice crystal number concentrations of 1-100L-1.
Cloud top heights and aerosol layer properties from EarthCARE lidar observations: The A-CTH and A-ALD products
(Katlenburg-Lindau : Copernicus, 2023) Wandinger, Ulla; Haarig, Moritz; Baars, Holger; Donovan, David; van Zadelhoff, Gerd-Jan
The high-spectral-resolution Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID) on the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) provides vertically resolved information on aerosols and clouds with unprecedented accuracy. Together with the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR), the Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI), and the Broad-Band Radiometer (BBR) on the same platform, it allows for a new synergistic view on atmospheric processes related to the interaction of aerosols, clouds, precipitation, and radiation at the global scale. This paper describes the algorithms for the determination of cloud top height and aerosol layer information from ATLID Level 1b (L1b) and Level 2a (L2a) input data. The ATLID L2a Cloud Top Height (A-CTH) and Aerosol Layer Descriptor (A-ALD) products are developed to ensure the provision of atmospheric layer products in continuation of the heritage from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO). Moreover, the products serve as input for synergistic algorithms that make use of data from ATLID and MSI. Therefore, the products are provided on the EarthCARE joint standard grid (JSG). A wavelet covariance transform (WCT) method with flexible thresholds is applied to determine layer boundaries from the ATLID Mie co-polar signal. Strong features detected with a horizontal resolution of 1 JSG pixel (approximately 1ĝ€¯km) or 11 JSG pixels are classified as thick or thin clouds, respectively. The top height of the uppermost cloud layer together with information on cloud layering are stored in the A-CTH product for further use in the generation of the ATLID-MSI Cloud Top Height (AM-CTH) synergy product. Aerosol layers are detected as weaker features at a resolution of 11 JSG pixels. Layer-mean optical properties are calculated from the ATLID L2a Extinction, Backscatter and Depolarization (A-EBD) product and stored in the A-ALD product, which also contains the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) of each layer, the stratospheric AOT, and the AOT of the entire atmospheric column. The latter parameter is used to produce the synergistic ATLID-MSI Aerosol Column Descriptor (AM-ACD) later in the processing chain. Several quality criteria are applied in the generation of A-CTH and A-ALD, and respective information is stored in the products. The functionality and performance of the algorithms are demonstrated by applying them to common EarthCARE test scenes. Conclusions are drawn for the application to real-world data and the validation of the products after the launch of EarthCARE.
Effects of extreme melt events on ice flow and sea level rise of the Greenland Ice Sheet
(Katlenburg-Lindau : Copernicus, 2023) Beckmann, Johanna; Winkelmann, Ricarda
Over the past decade, Greenland has experienced several extreme melt events, the most pronounced ones in the years 2010, 2012 and 2019. With progressing climate change, such extreme melt events can be expected to occur more frequently and potentially become more severe and persistent. So far, however, projections of ice loss and sea level change from Greenland typically rely on scenarios which only take gradual changes in the climate into account. Using the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM), we investigate the effect of extreme melt events on the overall mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet and the changes in ice flow, invoked by the altered surface topography. As a first constraint, this study estimates the overall effect of extreme melt events on the cumulative mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet. We find that the sea level contribution from Greenland might increase by 2 to 45 cm (0.2 % to 14 %) by the year 2300 if extreme events occur more frequently in the future under a Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenario, and the ice sheet area might be reduced by an additional 6000 to 26 000 km2 by 2300 in comparison to future warming scenarios without extremes. In conclusion, projecting the future sea level contribution from the Greenland Ice Sheet requires consideration of the changes in both the frequency and intensity of extreme events. It is crucial to individually address these extremes at a monthly resolution as temperature forcing with the same excess temperature but evenly distributed over longer timescales (e.g., seasonal) leads to less sea level rise than for the simulations of the resolved extremes. Extremes lead to additional mass loss and thinning. This, in turn, reduces the driving stress and surface velocities, ultimately dampening the ice loss attributed to ice flow and discharge. Overall, we find that the surface elevation feedback largely amplifies melting for scenarios with and without extremes, with additional mass loss attributed to this feedback having the greatest impact on projected sea level.
Cloud mask algorithm from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-CM products
(Katlenburg-Lindau : Copernicus, 2023) Hünerbein, Anja; Bley, Sebastian; Horn, Stefan; Deneke, Hartwig; Walther, Andi
The EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) satellite mission will provide new insights into aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions by means of synergistic observations of the Earth's atmosphere from a collection of active and passive remote sensing instruments, flying on a single satellite platform. The Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) will provide visible and infrared images in the cross-track direction with a 150km swath and a pixel sampling at 500m. The suite of MSI cloud algorithms will deliver cloud macro- and microphysical properties complementary to the vertical profiles measured from the Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID) and the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) instruments. This paper provides an overview of the MSI cloud mask algorithm (M-CM) being developed to derive the cloud flag, cloud phase and cloud type products, which are essential inputs to downstream EarthCARE algorithms providing cloud optical and physical properties (M-COP) and aerosol optical properties (M-AOT). The MSI cloud mask algorithm has been applied to simulated test data from the EarthCARE end-to-end simulator and satellite data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) as well as from the Spinning Enhanced Visible InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI). Verification of the MSI cloud mask algorithm to the simulated test data and the official cloud products from SEVIRI and MODIS demonstrates a good performance of the algorithm. Some discrepancies are found, however, for the detection of thin cirrus clouds over bright surfaces like desert or snow. This will be improved by tuning of the thresholds once real observations are available.

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