Dust and Biological Aerosols from the Sahara and Asia Influence Precipitation in the Western U.S.
Dust and Biological Aerosols from the Sahara and Asia Influence Precipitation in the Western U.S.
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DOI：
10.1126/science.1227279
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发表时间：
2013-03-29
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Prather, Kimberly A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Creamean, Jessie M.;Suski, Kaitlyn J.;Prather, Kimberly A.
加州的内华达州山脉的冬季风暴增加了季节性积雪，并为该州提供了关键的水资源和水电。因此，影响该地区降水的机制一直是几十年来研究的主题。以往的研究表明，亚洲沙尘增强云冰和降水，而很少有研究认为生物气溶胶作为一个重要的全球冰核（IN）的来源。在这里，我们表明，尘埃和生物气溶胶从撒哈拉沙漠远的冰川高海拔云层与IN浓度升高和冰引起的降水相一致。这项研究提出了第一个直接的云和降水测量表明，撒哈拉和亚洲的灰尘和生物气溶胶可能作为IN和美国西部的地形降水过程中发挥了重要作用。
Winter storms in California's Sierra Nevada increase seasonal snowpack and provide critical water resources and hydropower for the state. Thus, the mechanisms influencing precipitation in this region have been the subject of research for decades. Previous studies suggest Asian dust enhances cloud ice and precipitation, whereas few studies consider biological aerosols as an important global source of ice nuclei (IN). Here, we show that dust and biological aerosols transported from as far as the Sahara were present in glaciated high-altitude clouds coincident with elevated IN concentrations and ice-induced precipitation. This study presents the first direct cloud and precipitation measurements showing that Saharan and Asian dust and biological aerosols probably serve as IN and play an important role in orographic precipitation processes over the western United States.