title: Surface dimming by the 2013 Rim Fire simulated by a sectional aerosol model.
abstract: The Rim Fire of 2013, the third largest area burned by fire recorded in California history, is simulated by a climate model coupled with a size-resolved aerosol model. Modeled aerosol mass, number, and particle size distribution are within variability of data obtained from multiple-airborne in situ measurements. Simulations suggest that Rim Fire smoke may block 4-6% of sunlight energy reaching the surface, with a dimming efficiency around 120-150 W m-2per unit aerosol optical depth in the midvisible at 13:00-15:00 local time. Underestimation of simulated smoke single scattering albedo at midvisible by 0.04 suggests that the model overestimates either the particle size or the absorption due to black carbon. This study shows that exceptional events like the 2013 Rim Fire can be simulated by a climate model with 1° resolution with overall good skill, although that resolution is still not sufficient to resolve the smoke peak near the source region.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA; Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA; Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA; Earth System Research Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2345-9300
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA; Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: Owen B
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Toon
authors.affiliation: Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling Laboratory National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: Charles G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Bardeen
authors.affiliation: Naval Research Laboratory Monterey California USA.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bucholtz
authors.affiliation: Earth System Research Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: Karen H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Rosenlof
authors.affiliation: Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling Laboratory National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder Colorado USA; Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research The University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa USA.
authors.forename: Pablo E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Saide
authors.affiliation: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt Maryland USA.
authors.forename: Arlindo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Da Silva
authors.affiliation: NASA Langley Research Center Hampton Virginia USA.
authors.forename: Luke D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Ziemba
authors.affiliation: Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton Virginia USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Thornhill
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: Jose-Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Campuzano-Jost
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA; Earth System Research Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: Joshua P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA; Earth System Research Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: Anne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Perring
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA; Earth System Research Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: Karl D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Froyd
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado USA; Earth System Research Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling Laboratory National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder Colorado USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.affiliation: Naval Research Laboratory Monterey California USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Reid
keywords: Rim Fire; radiative forcing; sectional aerosol model