Aircraft measurements in the Asian Summer Monsoon Anticyclone –support of flight planning by CAMS forecasts

1. Hans Schlager
DLR-Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Oberpfaffenhofen
Aircraft measurements in the Asian Summer
Monsoon Anticyclone – support of flight planning
by CAMS forecasts
CAMS General Assembly, Athens, 14-16 June 2016

2. Topics
• Asian Summer Monsoon Anticyclone –
interesting feature to validate CAMS
• OMO aircraft campaign in 2015 with CAMS support
• Observations versus CAMS forecasts for a selected case
• CAMS forecasts for future campaigns:
STRATOCLIM (2016) and EMERGE (2017, 2018).

3. Features:
ASM anticyclone is one of the
largest synoptical features on Earth
Isolated air mass by closed
circulation
Input of BL air by frequent
deep convection
Located over very polluted
region – ASM cause large-scale
dispersion of pollution
Area of trop-strat exchange
Alternation of combined and
splitted Tibetian and Iranian
anticyclones
(Park et al. 2007)
ASMA Seasonal Picture
Calipso
(Vernier et al, 2011)
ATAL

4. Modes of the Asian Summer Monsoon Anticyclone

5. Modes of the Asian Summer Monsoon Anticyclone

6. Modes of the Asian Summer Monsoon Anticyclone

7. (Park et al. 2007)
ASMA Seasonal Picture
Calipso
(Vernier et al, 2011)
Questions
What are the main source
regions of the air masses
confined in the anticyclone?
Are there sharp gradients
across the edge of the
anticyclone?
How much reactive nitrogen is
in the anticyclone?
Is there enhanced
photochemistry in the
anticyclone?
What is the source and nature
of the aerosol layer in the
anticyclone?
ATAL

8. Participating institutions
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9. OMO Measurement Flights
14 flights in the period
21 July – 27 Aug 2015
(120 flight hrs)
Region in the UT influenced by
convection and monsoon dynamics
Region with
pristine air masses
Air masses
from NA (aged
emissions)
Paphos
Gan

10. OMO Measurements
• Emissions from naturel and anthropogenic sources
(CO, CH4, NOx, SO2, NMVOC and their isotopes)
• short-lived radicals
(OH, HO2, ROx, BrO)
• long-lived oxidants (e.g. O3)
• reaction intermediates (aldehydes, ketones)
• products that can be removed from the atmosphere
• by deposition processes (acids, peroxides)
• water vapor
• radiation
• number concentration of Aitken aerosols

11. Forecast / Analysis Tools
• ECMWF meteorological forecasts
• CAMS chemical forecasts
• Forecasts of air mass backward and foreward trajectories
• METEOSAT 7 imagery (IR and Vis)
CAMS
CO / ppb
150 hpa
23 Aug 15

12. CAMS Forecast of CO at 150 hPa, 13 Aug 15, 12 UTC
and HALO flight route

13. Latitude / °N
HALO observations 13 Aug 2015 flight
(CO data : H. Fischer et al. MPI-C)

14. CAMS Forecast of SO2 at 150 hPa, 13 Aug 15, 12 UTC
and HALO flight route

15. CAMS Forecast of NOx at 150 hPa, 13 Aug 15, 12 UTC
and HALO flight route

16. Air mass 10-days backward trajectories

17. Air mass 10-days backward trajectories

18. Outlook: STRATOCLIM
July/Aug 2016
Kalamata
Nagpur

19. Coupling of CAMS with the DLR Mission Support
System
User
Interface
Flight planning
& post-campaign
data analysis
MAP
selection
WMS
selection
Way points
selection

20. ECMWF Forecasts coupled with the DLR Mission Tool

21. Qutlook: Use of CAMS Forecasts for EMERGE
in 2017 & 2018
Excess CO from Megacities / ppb

22. Conclusions
• A distinct chemical composition was observed within the ASM
anticyclone with sharp trace gas gradient at the edge
• CAMS forecasts were very useful for the planning of the HALO
flights during OMO
• Key chemical species (e.g. NOx, SO2) were well simulated by CAMS
• An interactive tool for the CAMS forecasts would further intensify
the use of CAMS in field campaigns (e.g. coupling of CAMS with
the DLR mission tool)
• Easy access of CAMS analysis chemical data would suppport
post-campaign data analysis and comparisons
Many thanks to the CAMS team !!!
(contact: hans.schlager@dlr.de)