Modeling atmospheric transport to the Marshall Islands

Isentropic trajectory analyses are presented which support the hypothesis that atmospheric continental material found at Enewetak Atoll (11.3°N, 162.3°E) during the Sea-Air Exchange (SEAREX) experiments in 1979 had its origin primarily in Asia in the springtime (dry season experiment) and in North and Central America in the summer (wet season experiment). Fields of wind, Montgomery potential, and pressure on isentropic surfaces are obtained from global isobaric analyses by vertical interpolation. Trajectories backward in time from the area at and upwind of the experiment site were calculated using these fields. In April and May 1979 the atmospheric chemistry at Enewetak was influenced strongly by long-range transport from Asia; this transport was primarily in the potential temperature range 305–315 K with travel times of 8–13 days. Westerly winds over Asia at 350–600 mbar carry continental materials over the ocean, and as the air moves southward, subsidence occurs until the air is entrained in the trade wind flow. During July and August 1979 the transport paths were from open ocean areas and from near North and Central America at 305–310 K with travel times of 17–21 days. The trajectories remained at low levels within the boundary layer during this period. Also discussed is a meteorological analysis of dust storms in China, which shows that a mechanism exists for lifting eolian material to the upper troposphere. There is substantial uncertainty in the individual trajectories, and the factors limiting their accuracy are discussed. Given the consistency of the trajectory analyses with the chemical results, we now have a coherent picture of some of the processes responsible for long-range transport to the subtropical open ocean.

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