• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.435-444
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• 2017

In this study, we investigated the effect of aerosol feedback on $PM_{10}$ simulation using a two-way coupled air quality model (WRF-CMAQ). $PM_{10}$ concentration over Korea in January 2014 was simulated, and the aerosol feedback effect on the simulated solar radiation was intensively examined. Two $PM_{10}$ simulations were conducted using the WRF-CMAQ model with (FB) and without(NFB) the aerosol feedback option. We find that the simulated solar radiation in the west part of Korea decreased by up to $-80MJ/m^2$ due to the aerosol feedback effect. The feedback effect was significant in the west part of Korea, showing high $PM_{10}$ estimates due to dense emissions and its long-range transport from China. The aerosol feedback effect contributed to the decreased rRMSE(relative Root Mean Square Error) for solar radiation (47.58% to 30.75%). Aerosol feedback effect on the simulated solar radiation was mainly affected by concentration of $PM_{10}$. Moreover, FB better matched the observed solar radiation and $PM_{10}$ concentration than NFB, implying that taking into account the aerosol direct effects resulted in the improved modeling performance. These results indicate that aerosol feedback effects can play an important role in the simulation of solar radiation over Korean Peninsula.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1167-1180
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• 2017

Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models such as the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model are essential for forecasting one-day-ahead solar irradiance. In order to evaluate the performance of the WRF in forecasting solar irradiance over the Korean Peninsula, we compared WRF prediction data from 2008 to 2010 corresponding to weather observation data (OBS) from the Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA). The WRF model showed poor performance at polluted regions such as Seoul and Suwon where the relative Root Mean Square Error (rRMSE) is over 30%. Predictions by the WRF model alone had a large amount of potential error because of the lack of actual aerosol radiative feedbacks. For the purpose of reducing this error induced by atmospheric particles, i.e., aerosols, the WRF model was coupled with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. The coupled system makes it possible to estimate the radiative feedbacks of aerosols on the solar irradiance. As a result, the solar irradiance estimated by the coupled system showed a strong dependence on both the aerosol spatial distributions and the associated optical properties. In the NF (No Feedback) case, which refers to the WRF-only stimulated system without aerosol feedbacks, the GHI was overestimated by $50-200W\;m^{-2}$ compared with OBS derived values at each site. In the YF (Yes Feedback) case, in contrast, which refers to the WRF-CMAQ two-way coupled system, the rRMSE was significantly improved by 3.1-3.7% at Suwon and Seoul where the Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations, specifically, those related to the $PM_{10}$ size fraction, were over $100{\mu}g\;m^{-3}$. Thus, the coupled system showed promise for acquiring more accurate solar irradiance forecasts.