Case studies of high aerosol optical thickness events and transport of biomass burning aerosol over South America from AERONET measurements
Carlos
Alberto
Pires Jr, Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Brazil, capjr@if.usp.br
(Presenting)
Paulo
Artaxo, Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Brazil, artaxo@if.usp.br
Brent
Holben, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, brent@aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov
Joel
Schafer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, joel.schafer@gsfc.nasa.gov
Several works have been conducted over the last years in order to study the optical properties of biomass burning aerosols in the Amazon Basin, and important results were obtained about its effects on local and regional climate. In other hand, more and more transport simulations have led researchers to ask about the conditions and effects of biomass burning aerosol after mid and long range transport over South America. This study analyzed data from 3 AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) sites: Cordoba (31°S,64°W), Buenos Aires (34°S,58°W) and São Paulo (23°S,46°W), from 2001 to 2003. Significant seasonality was observed, with important increases in the values of Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT), which express the total aerosol loading in the atmosphere, from August to November. This period represents the dry season for most part of the continent, historically related to high levels of biomass burning, mainly over Amazon and central-western regions. From this period, high AOT events were selected and analyzed with satellite images of cloud covering, local and regional meteorological parameters and air mass trajectories calculation using two different models: HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory), developed by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), USA, and CATT-BRAMS (Coupled Atmospheric Tracer Transport – Brazilian Regional Atmospheric Modeling System), developed by INPE (National Institute of Space Research) and University of São Paulo, Brazil. Case studies indicated several events of aerosol transport from regions highly affected by biomass burning to the studied sites, covering more than 1000 km and increasing significantly the aerosol loading for the 3 sites.
Submetido por Carlos Alberto Pires Jr em 19-MAR-2004