Using aircraft measurements to characterize subgrid-scale variability of aerosol properties near the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site

Abstract. Complex distributions of aerosol properties evolve in space and time as a function emissions, new particle formation, coagulation, condensational growth, chemical transformation, phase changes, turbulent mixing transport, removal processes, ambient meteorological conditions. The ability transport models to represent the multi-scale processes affecting life cycle aerosols depends on their spatial resolution since are assumed be constant within grid cell. Subgrid-scale-dependent that affect populations could have significant impact formation particles, growth cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) sizes, aerosol–cloud interactions, dry deposition rainout hence burdens, lifetimes, radiative forcing. To address this issue, we characterize subgrid-scale variability terms measured number, size, composition, hygroscopicity, CCN concentrations made by repeated aircraft flight paths over Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Southern Great Plains (SGP) site during Holistic Interactions Shallow Clouds, Aerosols Land Ecosystem (HI-SCALE) campaign. Subgrid is quantified both normalized frequency percentage difference percentiles using spacings 3, 9, 27, 81 km those typically used cloud-system-resolving well current next-generation climate models. Even though SGP rural location, surprisingly large horizontal gradients were frequently observed. For example, 90 % 27 cell mean organic matter differed from around much ∼ 46 %, number size found events, consequently 38 %. varied seasonally for some properties, with having larger spring others late summer. While measurements at single surface cannot reflect surrounding given time, averaged an similar many, but not all, ground site. This analysis suggests it reasonable directly compare most coarse global model predictions. In addition, can uncertainty range when comparing point predictions use spacings.