Transport of pollution to a remote coastal site during gap flow from California's interior: impacts on aerosol composition, clouds, and radiative balance
During the CalWater 2015 field campaign, ground-level observations of aerosol size, concentration, chemical composition, and cloud activity were made at Bodega Bay, CA, on the remote California coast. A strong anthropogenic influence on air quality, aerosol physicochemical properties, and cloud acti...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2017-01-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/17/1491/2017/acp-17-1491-2017.pdf |
| Summary: | During the CalWater 2015 field campaign, ground-level observations of aerosol
size, concentration, chemical composition, and cloud activity were made at
Bodega Bay, CA, on the remote California coast. A strong anthropogenic
influence on air quality, aerosol physicochemical properties, and cloud
activity was observed at Bodega Bay during periods with special weather
conditions, known as Petaluma Gap flow, in which air from California's
interior is transported to the coast. This study applies a diverse set of
chemical, cloud microphysical, and meteorological measurements to the Petaluma
Gap flow phenomenon for the first time. It is demonstrated that the sudden
and often dramatic change in aerosol properties is strongly related to
regional meteorology and anthropogenically influenced chemical processes in
California's Central Valley. In addition, it is demonstrated that the change
in air mass properties from those typical of a remote marine environment to
properties of a continental regime has the potential to impact atmospheric
radiative balance and cloud formation in ways that must be accounted for in
regional climate simulations. |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |