Interactive Stratospheric Aerosol Microphysics-Chemistry Simulations of the 1991 Pinatubo Volcanic Aerosols With Newly Coupled Sectional Aerosol and Stratosphere-Troposphere Chemistry Modules in the NASA GEOS Chemistry-Climate Model (CCM)

We have coupled the GEOS-Chem tropospheric-stratospheric chemistry mechanism and the Community Aerosol and Radiation Model for Atmospheres (CARMA), a sectional aerosol microphysics module, within the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model (GEOS CCM) in order to simulate the interactions between stratospheric chemistry and aerosol microphysics. We use observations of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo volcanic cloud to evaluate this new version of the GEOS CCM. The GEOS-Chem chemistry module is used to simulate the oxidation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) more realistically than assuming hydroxyl radical (OH) fields are constant, as OH concentrations in the plume decrease dramatically in the weeks following the eruption. CARMA simulates sulfate aerosols with dynamic microphysical and optical properties. The CARMA-calculated aerosol surface area is coupled to the chemistry module from GEOS-Chem for the calculation of heterogeneous chemistry. We use a set of observational and theoretical constraints for Pinatubo to evaluate the performance of this new version of the GEOS CCM. These simulations are specifically compared with satellite and in-situ observations and provide insights into the connections between the gas-phase chemistry and the aerosol microphysics of the early plume and how they impact the climatic and chemical changes following a large volcanic eruption. A second, smaller eruption is also included in these simulations, the 15 August 1991, eruption of Cerro Hudson in Chile, which we find essential in explaining the aerosol optical depth in the Southern Hemisphere in 1991.

Automated summary

In this study, the GEOS-Chem tropospheric-stratospheric chemistry mechanism and the Community Aerosol and Radiation Model for Atmospheres (CARMA) were coupled within the GEOS CCM to investigate the interactions between stratospheric chemistry and aerosol microphysics. Observations of the 1991 Pinatubo volcanic cloud were used to evaluate the new version of the GEOS CCM. The study found that simulating the oxidation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) using the GEOS-Chem chemistry module more accurately than assuming constant hydroxyl radical (OH) concentrations is crucial, as OH concentrations decrease significantly in the weeks following the eruption.