Modeling the radiative impact of mineral dust during the Saharan Dust Experiment (SHADE) campaign

Abstract

The Oslo chemical transport model (Oslo CTM2) is driven by meteorological data to model mineral dust during the Saharan Dust Experiment (SHADE) campaign in September 2000. Model calculations of the optical properties and radiative transfer codes are used to assess the direct radiative impact in the solar and terrestrial regions of the spectrum. The model calculations are compared to a wide range of measurements (satellite, ground‐based, and aircraft) during the campaign. The model reproduces the main features during the SHADE campaign, including a large mineral dust storm. The optical properties and the vertical profiles are in reasonable agreement with the measurements. There is a very good agreement between the modeled radiative impact and observations. The strongest local solar radiative impact we model is around −115 Wm−2. On a global scale the radiative effect of mineral dust from Sahara exerts a significant negative net radiative effect.