How to modify radiative properties or add new aerosol type for prescribed aerosols?

[Ken Caldeira]

Sorry for the newby question, but we are trying to do some stylized studies with prescribed aerosols that are defined to be pure shortwave scatterers or pure longwave absorbers.

What would be the easiest way to get such stylized aerosols into the model?

Can we just alter parameters, say, for sulfate and black carbon and achieve this effect?

If so, where would we do this?

 

[tilmes]

Hi Ken,
I am looking into this and follow up, it may be as easy as modifying the aerosol radiative properties files. Please note, we created a prescribed aerosol distribution for CCMI experiments, that may be something you could use, or a different one, depending on the model version.
Simone

 

[Ken Caldeira]

Simone,

Our next step was going to be to email you directly. We are also open to collaboration.

This is a project led by Tresa Thomas, and the idea is to do stylized studies in support of understanding of effects of contrail radiative forcing.

Our idea is to do simulations that are easy to analyze (high signal to noise, clearly separate longwave and shortwave components), and for this we are willing to sacrifice some fidelity to reality.

Best,
Ken