Articles | Volume 15, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6419-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6419-2015
Research article
 | 
12 Jun 2015
Research article |  | 12 Jun 2015

An evaluation of ozone dry deposition in global scale chemistry climate models

C. Hardacre, O. Wild, and L. Emberson

Abstract. Dry deposition to the Earth's surface is an important process from both an atmospheric and biospheric perspective. Dry deposition controls the atmospheric abundance of many compounds as well as their input to vegetative surfaces, thus linking the atmosphere and biosphere. In many atmospheric and Earth system models it is represented using "resistance in series" schemes developed in the 1980s. These methods have remained relatively unchanged since their development and do not take into account more recent understanding of the underlying processes that have been gained through field and laboratory based studies. In this study we compare dry deposition of ozone across 15 models which contributed to the TF HTAP model intercomparison to identify where differences occur. We compare modelled dry deposition of ozone to measurements made at a variety of locations in Europe and North America, noting differences of up to a factor of two but no clear systematic bias over the sites examined. We identify a number of measures that are needed to provide a more critical evaluation of dry deposition fluxes and advance model development.

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Short summary
The dry deposition of ozone to the Earth's surface is an important process as it controls both the removal of this potent pollutant from the atmosphere and its uptake by vegetation. It is necessary to use numerical models to study this process at the global scale, but many models to represent dry deposition lag behind current understanding. In this paper we study the dry deposition process in global models and highlight measures that will allow these models to be critically evaluated.
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