NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Revisiting the Relationship between Atlantic Dust and Tropical Cyclone Activity using Aerosol Optical Depth Reanalyses: 2003-2018 Previous studies have noted a relationship between African dust and Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) activity. However, due to the limitations of past dust analyses, the strength of this relationship remains uncertain. The emergence of aerosol reanalyses, including the Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS) aerosol optical depth (AOD) reanalysis, NASA Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), and ECMWF Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service reanalysis (CAMSRA), enables an investigation of the relationship between African dust and TC activity over the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean in a consistent temporal and spatial manner for 2003–2018. Although June–July–August (JJA) 550 nm dust AOD (DAOD) from all three reanalysis products correlates significantly over the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean, the difference in DAOD magnitude between products can be as large as 60 % over the Caribbean and 20 % over the tropical North Atlantic. Based on the three individual reanalyses, we have created an aerosol multi-reanalysis consensus (MRC). The MRC presents overall better root mean square error over the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean compared to individual reanalyses when verified with ground-based AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) AOD measurements. Each of the three individual reanalyses and the MRC have significant negative correlations between JJA Caribbean DAOD and seasonal Atlantic accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), while the correlation between JJA tropical North Atlantic DAOD and seasonal ACE is weaker. Possible reasons for this regional difference are provided. A composite analysis of 3 high-JJA-Caribbean-DAOD years versus 3 low-JJA-Caribbean-DAOD years reveals large differences in overall Atlantic TC activity. We also show that JJA Caribbean DAOD is significantly correlated with large-scale fields associated with variability in interannual Atlantic TC activity including zonal wind shear, mid-level moisture, and sea surface temperature (SST), as well as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM), implying confounding effects of these factors on the dust–TC relationship. We find that seasonal Atlantic DAOD and the AMM, the leading mode of coupled Atlantic variability, are inversely related and intertwined in the dust–TC relationship. Overall, DAOD in both the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean is negatively correlated with Atlantic hurricane frequency and intensity, with stronger correlations in the Caribbean than farther east in the tropical North Atlantic.
Document ID
20205010257
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Accepted Manuscript (Version with final changes)
Authors
Peng Xian ORCID
(United States Naval Research Laboratory Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)
Philip J. Klotzbach
(Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado, United States)
Jason P. Dunion
(University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida, United States)
Matthew A. Janiga
(United States Naval Research Laboratory Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)
Jeffrey S. Reid
(United States Naval Research Laboratory Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)
Peter R Colarco ORCID
(Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, United States)
Zak Kipling ORCID
(European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reading, United Kingdom)
Date Acquired
November 16, 2020
Publication Date
December 11, 2020
Publication Information
Publication: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Publisher: European Geosciences Union / Copernicus Publications
Volume: 20
Issue: 23
Issue Publication Date: November 1, 2020
ISSN: 1680-7316
e-ISSN: 1680-7324
URL: https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/20/15357/2020/
Subject Category
Geosciences (General)
Funding Number(s)
WBS: 281945.02.80.01.01
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
Technical Review
NASA Peer Committee
Keywords
Dust particles
Cloud condensation
Cloud microphysics
No Preview Available