• Issue
    Volume 118, Issue 19
    10,653-11,480
    16 October 2013

Regular Articles

Climate and Dynamics

Free Access

Infrasound pulses from lightning and electrostatic field changes: Observation and discussion

  • Pages: 10,653-10,664
  • First Published: 04 September 2013
Key Points

  • Simultaneous electrostatic and infrasound measurements were performed
  • Electrostatic mechanism of infrasound production is discussed
  • Distinct infrasound pulses are observed for IC discharges

Free Access

ENSO-related rainfall changes over the New Guinea region

  • Pages: 10,665-10,675
  • First Published: 12 September 2013
Key Points

  • Patterns of ENSO-related rainfall impacts over New Guinea are complex.
  • Satellite-based rainfall estimates (TRMM)provide details about these impacts.
  • There is evidence of non-linear relationships for some regions.

Open Access

Near-term acceleration of hydroclimatic change in the western U.S.

  • Pages: 10,676-10,693
  • First Published: 07 September 2013
Key Points

  • Acceleration of decreases in western U.S. spring snowpack in next three decades
  • Shifts toward earlier snowmelt, base flow, and runoff dates throughout the region
  • Hydrological response is dominated by changes in temperature

Free Access

Interannual fluctuations in the seasonal cycle of nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons due to the Brewer-Dobson circulation

  • Pages: 10,694-10,706
  • First Published: 16 September 2013
Key Points

  • Relates atmospheric dynamics (STE) with N2O and CFC tracers species
  • Inter-annually varying summertime minima and mixing of stratospheric air
  • Prediction of changes in Brewer Donson circulation

Free Access

The estimation of upper atmospheric wind model updates from infrasound data

  • Pages: 10,707-10,724
  • First Published: 13 September 2013
Key Points

  • A Bayesian inversion method to update wind models from infrasound is developed
  • Such updates can be used to constrain wind models in the upper atmosphere
  • Such updates can be useful for infrasound propagation studies

Free Access

Response of land surface fluxes and precipitation to different soil bottom hydrological conditions in a general circulation model

  • Pages: 10,725-10,739
  • First Published: 09 July 2013
Key Points

  • Sensitivity to reduced drainage and saturation within the soil column
  • Confrontation to local scale observations exhibiting a shallow water table
  • European scale analysis of the resulting precipitation increase

Free Access

Connections between the stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation and tropospheric circulation over Asia in northern autumn

  • Pages: 10,740-10,753
  • First Published: 13 September 2013
Key Points

  • Relationship between QBO and troposphere over Asia in autumn
  • Wave activity and meridional circulation with QBO
  • Convective activity associated with QBO

Free Access

Characteristics of the subtropical tropopause region based on long-term highly resolved sonde records over Tenerife

  • Pages: 10,754-10,769
  • First Published: 19 September 2013
Key Points

  • The subtropical tropopause region is thoroughly characterized
  • Several PV values are possible to define an isentropic barrier in the subtropics
  • Distinctive features for midlatitude and tropical tropopauses are revealed

Free Access

Multi-RCM ensemble downscaling of NCEP CFS winter season forecasts: Implications for seasonal hydrologic forecast skill

  • Pages: 10,770-10,790
  • First Published: 10 July 2013
Key Points

  • Evaluation of dynamical vs statistical downscaling of CFS
  • Dynamical downscaling does somewhat improves the skill
  • Careful selection of RCMs is critical

Free Access

The importance of fronts for extreme precipitation

  • Pages: 10,791-10,801
  • First Published: 21 September 2013
Key Points

  • Objectively identified fronts are linked with precipitation extremes.
  • Up to 90% of extreme precipitation events are associated with fronts.
  • Fronts related to extreme precipitation events are much stronger.

Open Access
Highlight

Association between trends in daily rainfall percentiles and the global mean temperature

  • Pages: 10,802-10,810
  • First Published: 09 September 2013
Key Points

  • Intense 24-hr precipitation changes due to global warming
  • New method for downscaling 24-hr precipitation statistics
  • Independent confirmation of earlier studies

Free Access

Impact of Pacific and Atlantic sea surface temperatures on interannual and decadal variations of GRACE land water storage in tropical South America

  • Pages: 10,811-10,829
  • First Published: 11 September 2013
Key Points

  • A quasi-biennial mode is found both in GRACE and in Pacific and Atlantic SST
  • Observed decadal trends may be due to PDO, deforestation or glacier melting
  • NE (central/W) Amazon is influenced by central Pacific (tropical N Atlantic) SST

Free Access

Analytic computations of nonideal corrections to blast wave overpressure predictions at high altitudes

  • Pages: 10,830-10,838
  • First Published: 18 September 2013
Key Points

  • Computes analytically the non-ideal corrections to over pressure predictions
  • Considers atmospheric attenuation and refraction
  • Develops on work done by Reed et al. which has been published in this journal

Free Access

The South Pacific Convergence Zone in three decades of satellite images

  • Pages: 10,839-10,849
  • First Published: 19 September 2013
Key Points

  • Developed a 30 year, 3-hourly data set of SPCZ location and extent
  • Presents interannual and intraseasonal variability of SPCZ location
  • Presents seasonal evolution of SPCZ location and extent

Free Access

Past and future spatiotemporal changes in evapotranspiration and effective moisture on the Tibetan Plateau

  • Pages: 10,850-10,860
  • First Published: 20 September 2013
Key Points

  • Evapotranspiration is simulated by the modified LPJ and a regional climate model
  • Changes in drought stress are derived from effective moisture
  • Negative to positive transition in potential evapotranspiration occurred in 1997

Open Access

Seasonal variations in lower stratospheric gravity wave energy above the Falkland Islands

  • Pages: 10,861-10,869
  • First Published: 20 September 2013
Key Points

  • Identifying gravity wave sources affecting the stratosphere above the Falklands
  • Examining seasonal variation in gw energy density
  • Examining seasonal variation in gw vertical propagation direction

Free Access

Synoptic and dynamical analysis of subtropical cyclone Anita (2010) and its potential for tropical transition over the South Atlantic Ocean

  • Pages: 10,870-10,883
  • First Published: 14 September 2013
Key Points

  • Indicates environmental conditions that may favor TT over SAO
  • Suggests importance of the diabatic contribution from the air-sea interaction
  • Shows the Rossby wave breaking event as an important dynamical forcing

Free Access

Evaluation of CMIP5 20th century climate simulations for the Pacific Northwest USA

  • Pages: 10,884-10,906
  • First Published: 18 September 2013
Key Points

  • CMIP5 models were evaluated and ranked for performance with respect to PNW
  • Ranking considered information redundancy among metrics and size of ensembles
  • Little change in performance from CMIP3 multi-model ensemble

Free Access

Initial breakdown pulses in intracloud lightning flashes and their relation to terrestrial gamma ray flashes

  • Pages: 10,907-10,925
  • First Published: 03 October 2013
Key Points

  • Initial breakdown pulses (IBPs) of IC flashes move upward as the initial leader
  • Initial leaders develop with a few IBP bursts separated by a few milliseconds
  • IBPs and slow E-changes are causally connected to LF and slow ULF pulses of TGFs

Free Access

The effect of the Madden-Julian Oscillation on station rainfall and river level in the Fly River system, Papua New Guinea

  • Pages: 10,926-10,935
  • First Published: 03 October 2013
Key Points

  • 40% difference in rainfall stations between wet and dry MJO in New Guinea
  • Difference in station data is much higher than in satellite data
  • River levels also respond strongly to MJO rainfall

Free Access

Nonlinear coupling between quasi 2 day wave and tides based on meteor radar observations at Maui

  • Pages: 10,936-10,943
  • First Published: 03 October 2013
Key Points

  • Significant interactions among QDTW and tides occur simultaneously
  • Interaction is responsible for variability of SDT due to large coupling degree
  • Two mechanisms are responsible for observed variability of DT

Free Access

Nonhydrostatic nested climate modeling: A case study of the 2010 summer season over the western United States

  • Pages: 10,944-10,962
  • First Published: 23 August 2013
Key Points

  • Viability of nested non-hydrostatic nested model approaches over large domain
  • Evaluation of hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic WRF against obs
  • Non-hydrostatic WRF biases: A case study over Western US

Free Access

Predictability of soil moisture and streamflow on subseasonal timescales: A case study

  • Pages: 10,963-10,979
  • First Published: 19 September 2013
Key Points

  • Soil moisture and streamflow well predictable 2 and 1 weeks ahead, respectively
  • Initial soil moisture and precip. fcsts. important for hydrol. predictability
  • Concepts of memory and predictability as measures of persistence are similar

Free Access

Global observations of gravity wave intermittency and its impact on the observed momentum flux morphology

  • Pages: 10,980-10,993
  • First Published: 03 October 2013
Key Points

  • Observed GW distribution dominated by wave packets with MF>0.5 mPa
  • Intermittency higher over orography
  • Gini coefficient confirmed as a good metric for wave intermittency

Free Access

Planetary-scale wave activity as a source of varying tropospheric response to stratospheric sudden warming events: A case study

  • Pages: 10,994-11,006
  • First Published: 03 October 2013
Key Points

  • Planetary-scale wave force deceleration in the troposphere during SSW

Open Access

Changes in precipitation intensity over East Asia during the 20th and 21st centuries simulated by a global atmospheric model with a 60 km grid size

  • Pages: 11,007-11,016
  • First Published: 03 October 2013
Key Points

  • Simulation for 20th and 21st centuries was done by 60 km global atmospheric model
  • Precipitation intensity increases monotonically over East Asia in 21st century
  • Increase rate of heavy precipitation is larger than moderate precipitation

Free Access

GCMs-based spatiotemporal evolution of climate extremes during the 21st century in China

  • Pages: 11,017-11,035
  • First Published: 20 September 2013
Key Points

  • The weather extremes in China during 21st century were evaluated
  • Dynamical and gradual process of extremes under different scenarios are analyzed
  • The implications of weather extremes to natural hazards are discussed

Free Access

The hydrological impact of geoengineering in the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP)

  • Pages: 11,036-11,058
  • First Published: 03 October 2013
Key Points

  • Geoengineering leads to a weakening of the hydrologic cycle
  • Evapotranspiration changes important for initial reduction of precipitation
  • Considerable reduction of monsoonal precipitation over land with SRM

Free Access

Identification of extreme precipitation threat across midlatitude regions based on short-wave circulations

  • Pages: 11,059-11,074
  • First Published: 18 September 2013
Key Points

  • The arctic amplification likely modifies short-wave circulations
  • Modified upper-level circulation affects low-level moisture flux
  • The combined effect enhances precipitation extremes in certain regions

Free Access

An impact study of updating background error covariances in the ALADIN-France data assimilation system

  • Pages: 11,075-11,086
  • First Published: 19 September 2013
Key Points

  • An impact study on updating background error covariances in ALADIN-France
  • Three experiments are compared, using three time averaged covariance estimates
  • Positive impacts are illustrated when using monthly and daily averages

Regular Articles

Aerosol and Clouds

Free Access

Large-scale influences on secondary eyewall size

  • Pages: 11,088-11,097
  • First Published: 27 June 2013
Key Points

  • Secondary eyewall size is related to storm intensity
  • Environment affects secondary eyewall size
  • A statistical model is evaluated

Free Access

Bipolar cloud-to-ground lightning flash observations

  • Pages: 11,098-11,106
  • First Published: 04 September 2013
Key Points

  • Existence of single-channel bipolar flashes
  • Common characteristics of bipolar flashes
  • How can positive and negative discharges use the same path to ground?

Free Access

Recent global dust trend and connections to climate forcing

  • Pages: 11,107-11,118
  • First Published: 16 September 2013
Key Points

  • The recent history of global dust frequency and concentration is investigated
  • Dust variations are determined, both globally and in key dust regions
  • Climate drivers behind the dust variations are identified

Free Access

Impacts of microphysical scheme on convective and stratiform characteristics in two high precipitation squall line events

  • Pages: 11,119-11,135
  • First Published: 01 September 2013
Key Points

  • The 3-ice scheme increases convective area, precipitation, but reduces stratiform
  • All schemes overestimated reflectivity at midlevels, especially 2-ice schemes
  • The partitioning scheme identifies convective and stratiform regions reasonably

Free Access

The microphysical properties of ice fog measured in urban environments of Interior Alaska

  • Pages: 11,136-11,147
  • First Published: 11 September 2013
Key Points

  • New measurements of the microphysical properties of ice fog

Free Access

Estimating the radiative forcing of carbonaceous aerosols over California based on satellite and ground observations

  • Pages: 11,148-11,160
  • First Published: 16 September 2013
Key Points

  • The solar absorption was partitioned into contributions from EC, OC and dust.
  • Observed and modeled EC AAOD agrees but models underestimate OC AAOD by 50%.
  • TOA warming of carbonaceous aerosols is 0.7 W/m2 and that of OC is near zero.

Free Access

Modeling of observed mineral dust aerosols in the arctic and the impact on winter season low-level clouds

  • Pages: 11,161-11,174
  • First Published: 18 September 2013
Key Points

  • Anthropogenic pollution is a major source of dust in the Arctic in winter
  • Acid coating of dust aerosols may influence Arctic clouds
  • LWP of low-level Arctic clouds is sensitive to dust aerosol in winter

Free Access

Sea spray geoengineering experiments in the geoengineering model intercomparison project (GeoMIP): Experimental design and preliminary results

  • Pages: 11,175-11,186
  • First Published: 20 September 2013
Key Points

  • Outline of three marine cloud brightening experiments
  • Land-sea contrast is an important feature of marine cloud brightening
  • Direct effect of sea salt injection may be greater than indirect effect

Free Access

Calibration of Suomi national polar-orbiting partnership advanced technology microwave sounder

  • Pages: 11,187-11,200
  • First Published: 19 September 2013
Key Points

  • ATMS nonlinearity analysis
  • Prelaunch and on-orbit assessments of absolute accuracy
  • Analysis of ATMS instrument sensitivity

Free Access

The role of dust storms in total atmospheric particle concentrations at two sites in the western U.S.

  • Pages: 11,201-11,212
  • First Published: 20 September 2013
Key Points

  • TSP concentrations are highly elevated at two sites in the western US
  • mineral aerosols are dominated by particles larger than 10 u in diameter
  • The spring/summer elevation of aerosols is related to dust storms

Free Access

A modeling study of ice formation affected by aerosols

  • Pages: 11,213-11,227
  • First Published: 24 September 2013
Key Points

  • Aerosol effect on ice formation is studied in an adiabatic parcel model
  • CCN effect is sensitive to updraft velocity
  • Ice concentration has a nonmontonic relationship with ice nuclei concentration

Free Access

Comparison of GEOS-Chem aerosol optical depth with AERONET and MISR data over the contiguous United States

  • Pages: 11,228-11,241
  • First Published: 03 October 2013
Key Points

  • GEOS-Chem simulated AODs are evaluated with AERONET and MISR in the U.S.
  • Monthly mean AERONET and nested GEOS-Chem AODs are well correlated
  • GC bias in inorganic aerosols and MISR errors contribute to the differences

Free Access

High-resolution MODIS aerosol retrieval during wildfire events in California for use in exposure assessment

  • Pages: 11,242-11,255
  • First Published: 30 September 2013
Key Points

  • The 2.5 km estimates of AOD are derived for California wildfires
  • AOD estimates predict more than 50% of observed surface PM2.5 variance
  • High-resolution surface reflectance ratios are critically important

Composition and Chemistry

Free Access

Ozone and organic nitrates over the eastern United States: Sensitivity to isoprene chemistry

  • Pages: 11,256-11,268
  • First Published: 10 September 2013
Key Points

  • The model achieves an unbiased simulation of ozone over eastern US
  • The model reproduces ∑ANs and their correlations with HCHO and ozone
  • ∑ANs can provide an important reservoir for exporting NOx

Open Access

Extending water vapor trend observations over Boulder into the tropopause region: Trend uncertainties and resulting radiative forcing

  • Pages: 11,269-11,284
  • First Published: 13 September 2013
Key Points

  • Boulder H2O trends (1981-2011) are extended to the tropopause region
  • Trend analysis considers three H2O reservoirs (tropics vs. mid-latitudes)
  • H2O at the tropopause as major uncertainty for radiative forcing assessment

Free Access

Variations in middle atmospheric water vapor from 2004 to 2013

  • Pages: 11,285-11,293
  • First Published: 16 September 2013
Key Points

  • H2O has increased by 0.2–0.3 ppmv in the lower mesosphere since 2006
  • Variations observed at Mauna Loa and globally at the stratopause are similar
  • CH4 changes account for the increase in H2O from 2010 to 2011 at Table Mountain

Free Access

Minimax filtering for sequential aggregation: Application to ensemble forecast of ozone analyses

  • Pages: 11,294-11,303
  • First Published: 15 August 2013
Key Points

  • The minimax filter is applied for sequential aggregation of ensemble forecasts
  • The approach allows to forecast 2D ozone analyses, with uncertainty estimation
  • The filter is compared to Kalman filter and to discounted ridge regression

Free Access

Isotopic composition of rainwater nitrate at Bermuda: The influence of air mass source and chemistry in the marine boundary layer

  • Pages: 11,304-11,316
  • First Published: 13 September 2013
Key Points

  • Stable isotope ratios of rainwater nitrate N and O were measured at Bermuda
  • Coastal MBL chemistry leads to low δ15N anthropogenic NO3-
  • Negative correlation observed in N and O isotopes unique to marine rainwater

Free Access

Attribution of primary formaldehyde and sulfur dioxide at Texas City during SHARP/formaldehyde and olefins from large industrial releases (FLAIR) using an adjoint chemistry transport model

  • Pages: 11,317-11,326
  • First Published: 16 September 2013
Key Points

  • Inverse modeling of primary HCHO was performed
  • The results agree with independent remote sensing estimates
  • Primary HCHO from Texas City industry is significant

Free Access

Gas-particle partitioning of primary organic aerosol emissions: 3. Biomass burning

  • Pages: 11,327-11,338
  • First Published: 13 September 2013
Key Points

  • The majority of POA emissions from biomass fuels were semivolatile
  • Parameters for simulating gas-particle partitioning of biomass POA were derived
  • Existing emissions inventories and models can be updated using these parameters

Free Access

A multitower measurement network estimate of California's methane emissions

  • Pages: 11,339-11,351
  • First Published: 20 September 2013
Key Points

  • Multisite observations constrain Central Valley CH4 emissions
  • California total emissions are likely 1.3–1.8 times the state inventory
  • Additional measurements will help guide CH4 mitigation activities

Free Access

Gravity wave activity in the troposphere and lower stratosphere: An observational study of seasonal and interannual variations

  • Pages: 11,352-11,359
  • First Published: 19 September 2013
Key Points

  • There are serious discrepancies between observations and model expectations
  • Study of the seasonal and interannual variations at high latitudes is meager
  • We discuss main excitation source of the seasonal and interannual variations

Free Access

Aerosol particles at a high-altitude site on the Southeast Tibetan Plateau, China: Implications for pollution transport from South Asia

  • Pages: 11,360-11,375
  • First Published: 26 June 2013
Key Points

  • One year continuous observation was carried out in southeast TP above 3300 m asl
  • Two kinds of episodes were observed with high TSP and typical species levels
  • Southeast TP is influenced by aerosols transported from surrounding regions

Free Access

CMAQ modeling and analysis of radicals, radical precursors, and chemical transformations

  • Pages: 11,376-11,387
  • First Published: 05 September 2013
Key Points

  • CMAQ simulates ambient concentrations of ozone well for Houston in May 2009
  • Modeling of radical precursors (HONO, HCHO) yield agreement with observations
  • Uncertainties remains in predicting radicals and removal processes

Free Access

Sources of organic aerosol investigated using organic compounds as tracers measured during CalNex in Bakersfield

  • Pages: 11,388-11,398
  • First Published: 11 September 2013
Key Points

  • SOA was the dominant component of OA, and four types of SOA were identified
  • Both regional and local SOA were significant contributors to OA
  • the formation of SOA was mainly through gas-to-particle condensation

Free Access
Highlight

Application of OMI, SCIAMACHY, and GOME-2 satellite SO2 retrievals for detection of large emission sources

  • Pages: 11,399-11,418
  • First Published: 14 September 2013
Key Points

  • Available satellite SO2 data can be used to monitor large emission sources
  • SO2 data from different satellites agree when spatial filtration is applied
  • Instruments with higher spatial resolution can detect smaller emission sources

Free Access

Comparison of modeled and observed effects of radiation belt electron precipitation on mesospheric hydroxyl and ozone

  • Pages: 11,419-11,428
  • First Published: 18 September 2013
Key Points

  • Electron precipitation effect can be comparable to that of solar proton events
  • Model results generally agree with satellite observations above 70 km
  • Correction of electron flux observations might be needed at energies > 300 keV

Free Access

Tropospheric SF6: Age of air from the Northern Hemisphere midlatitude surface

  • Pages: 11,429-11,441
  • First Published: 20 September 2013
Key Points

  • SF6 quantifies mean time since air was in NH mid-latitude surface layer
  • Surface SF6 age varies from near zero north of 30°N to 1.4 years south of 30°S
  • SF6 age is useful for evaluating tropospheric transport in models

Free Access

A global model of meteoric sodium

  • Pages: 11,442-11,452
  • First Published: 03 October 2013
Key Points

  • The first global model of mesospheric sodium has been developed
  • Model includes new description of the meteoroid input function
  • Meridional winds and stratospheric sudden warnings affect the sodium column

Free Access

Los Angeles Basin airborne organic aerosol characterization during CalNex

  • Pages: 11,453-11,467
  • First Published: 21 September 2013
Key Points

  • Airborne organic aerosol measurements over LA are reported
  • Spatial pattern of O:C depends on amount of organic aerosol present
  • PMF factors are correlated with two modes of rBC containing aerosol

Free Access

Interannual variability in tropical tropospheric ozone and OH: The role of lightning

  • Pages: 11,468-11,480
  • First Published: 20 September 2013
Key Points

  • Imposing IAV in lightning from satellite improves hindcasts of ozone and OH
  • IAV in tropical ozone and OH more sensitive to lightning than other emissions
  • OH particularly sensitive to lightning because of positive chemical feedbacks