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Developing Multi-scale Modeling Over Australia for the 2019/2020 Extreme Wildfire Season
  • +4
  • Rebecca Buchholz,
  • Wenfu Tang,
  • Louisa Emmons,
  • Simone Tilmes,
  • Patrick Callaghan,
  • Helen Worden,
  • Duseong Jo
Rebecca Buchholz
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Wenfu Tang
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory
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Louisa Emmons
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory
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Simone Tilmes
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory
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Patrick Callaghan
National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Center for Atmospheric Research
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Helen Worden
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory
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Duseong Jo
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory
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Abstract

Modeling atmospheric chemistry across scales with the Multi-Scale Infrastructure for Chemistry and Aerosols (MUSICA) leverages a new regional refinement capability within the NCAR Community Earth System Model (CESM). This framework allows for simultaneous simulation at human-relevant and policy-relevant scales at the same time as hemispheric and global-scales. Here, we present the development of a regional refined grid over the Australian region and assess initial simulations for the 2019/2020 wildfire season. The Australian wildfire events of 2019/2020 saw large local emissions of pollution with wide-scale impacts across the southeast of the continent, where smoke and haze degraded air quality for many days for millions of people. Hemispheric transport of pollution at low and lofted altitudes also occurred, creating an atmospheric signature over New Zealand and South America, and had a direct influence on climate. These multiple-scale impacts from wildfire in the Australian region make it ideal for testing the new capability of multi-scale modeling.