Article: Interactive Stratospheric Aerosol Microphysics-Chemistry Simulations of the 1991 Pinatubo Volcanic Aerosols With Newly Coupled Sectional Aerosol and Stratosphere-Troposphere Chemistry Modules in the NASA GEOS Chemistry-Climate Model (CCM)
Dr. Valentina Aquila is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science at AU. As an atmospheric scientist, she studies aerosols, the suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in air, in the atmosphere. She primarily focuses on how stratospheric aerosols from volcanic eruptions, forest fires, and anthropogenic sources can alter Earth’s climate system.
Earlier this year, she conducted research on two simulated volcanic eruptions, Pinatubo and Cerro Hudson, which both occurred in 1991. Dr. Aquila, along with four other scientists, published their findings in an article titled – Interactive Stratospheric Aerosol Microphysics-Chemistry Simulations of the 1991 Pinatubo Volcanic Aerosols With Newly Coupled Sectional Aerosol and Stratosphere-Troposphere Chemistry Modules in the NASA GEOS Chemistry-Climate Model (CCM).
To simulate the eruptions, Dr. Aquila used an updated version of the NASA GEOS Chemistry-Climate Model. It was the first simulation of this eruption to utilize the GEOS-Chem mechanism, which better simulates the levels of chemical species in the atmosphere weeks after an eruption. The study revealed that the model is able to realistically recreate conditions that align with what was seen by satellites and other observers at the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
Utilizing this effective model, she studied levels of OH, the hydroxyl radical. The hydroxyl radical is an important oxidant of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere, which reacts with sulfur dioxide (SO2) , a common volcanic gas. It was previously thought that the concentration of OH in the atmosphere remained constant after a Pinatubo sized eruption. However, this research revealed that the level of OH significantly decreases in the volcanic plume after the eruption.
These findings are exciting advancements in the field, as they better categorize the effects of volcanic eruptions on the atmosphere, and demonstrate that the same model can be utilized to learn more about recent eruptions.
You can read the article here: 10.1029/2022MS003147
