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The Influence of Tropical Cyclones on the Spatial Variability of Atmospheric Aerosols

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are powerful atmospheric phenomena that dramatically reshape the distribution of the atmosphere’s heat, moisture, and chemical constituents, including aerosols. This study examines their impact on atmospheric aerosols using NASA's GEOS-5 Nature Run, a high-resolution global mesoscale simulation. By employing simulation data, we analyzed the vertical and horizontal distributions of nine aerosol types, including sulfate, hydrophilic and hydrophobic black carbon, hydrophilic and hydrophobic organic carbon, the smallest and largest dust aerosol size ranges, the smallest and largest sea salt particles, and one gas species, sulfur dioxide. Our findings indicate that TCs significantly influence aerosol distributions by creating large regions of reduced aerosol concentration around their centers, particularly for hydrophilic aerosols, and regions of high concentration in the upper atmosphere due to upward aerosol transport. Observations of vertical transport and outflow patterns underscore the role of TCs in altering atmospheric chemistry and potentially affecting climate dynamics.

Host: Eylon Vakrat
Event series  Brewer-Wilson Seminar Series