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Titel |
The anthropogenic contribution to atmospheric black carbon concentrations in southern Africa: a WRF-Chem modeling study |
VerfasserIn |
F. Kuik, A. Lauer, J. P. Beukes, P. G. Van Zyl, M. Josipovic, V. Vakkari, L. Laakso, G. T. Feig |
Medientyp |
Artikel
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Sprache |
Englisch
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ISSN |
1680-7316
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Digitales Dokument |
URL |
Erschienen |
In: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ; 15, no. 15 ; Nr. 15, no. 15 (2015-08-12), S.8809-8830 |
Datensatznummer |
250119957
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Publikation (Nr.) |
copernicus.org/acp-15-8809-2015.pdf |
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Zusammenfassung |
South Africa has one of the largest industrialized economies in Africa.
Emissions of air pollutants are particularly high in the
Johannesburg-Pretoria metropolitan area, the Mpumalanga Highveld and the
Vaal Triangle, resulting in local air pollution. This study presents and
evaluates a setup for conducting modeling experiments over southern Africa
with the Weather Research and Forecasting model including chemistry and
aerosols (WRF-Chem), and analyzes the contribution of anthropogenic
emissions to the total black carbon (BC) concentrations from September to
December 2010.
The modeled BC concentrations are compared with measurements obtained at the
Welgegund station situated ca. 100 km southwest of Johannesburg. An
evaluation of WRF-Chem with observational data from ground-based measurement
stations, radiosondes, and satellites shows that the meteorology is modeled
mostly reasonably well, but precipitation amounts are widely overestimated
and the onset of the wet season is modeled approximately 1 month too early
in 2010. Modeled daily mean BC concentrations show a temporal correlation of
0.66 with measurements, but the total BC concentration is underestimated in
the model by up to 50 %.
Sensitivity studies with anthropogenic emissions of BC and co-emitted
species turned off show that anthropogenic sources can contribute up to
100 % to BC concentrations in the industrialized and urban areas, and
anthropogenic BC and co-emitted species together can contribute up to 60 %
to PM1 levels. Particularly the co-emitted species contribute
significantly to the aerosol optical depth (AOD). Furthermore, in areas of
large-scale biomass-burning atmospheric heating rates are increased through
absorption by BC up to an altitude of about 600hPa. |
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