Abstract. A new fully online coupled model system developed for the evaluation of the interaction of aerosol particles with the atmosphere on the regional scale is described. The model system is based on the operational weather forecast model of the Deutscher Wetterdienst. Physical processes like transport, turbulent diffusion, and dry and wet deposition are treated together with photochemistry and aerosol dynamics using the modal approach. Based on detailed calculations we have developed parameterisations to examine the impact of aerosol particles on photolysis and on radiation. Currently the model allows feedback between natural and anthropogenic aerosol particles and the atmospheric variables that are initialized by the modification of the radiative fluxes. The model system is applied to two summer episodes, each lasting five days, with a model domain covering Western Europe and adjacent regions. The first episode is characterised by almost cloud free conditions and the second one by cloudy conditions. The simulated aerosol concentrations are compared to observations made at 700 stations distributed over Western Europe. For each episode two model runs are performed; one where the feedback between the aerosol particles and the atmosphere is taken into account and a second one where the feedback is neglected. Comparing these two sets of model runs, the radiative feedback on temperature and other variables is evaluated. In the cloud free case a clear correlation between the aerosol optical depth and changes in global radiation and temperature is found. In the case of cloudy conditions the pure radiative effects are superposed by changes in the liquid water content of the clouds due to changes in the thermodynamics of the atmosphere. In this case the correlation between the aerosol optical depth and its effects on temperature is low. However, on average a decrease in the 2 m temperature is still found. For the area of Germany we found on average for both cases a reduction in the global radiation of about 6 W m2, a decrease of the 2 m temperature of 0.1 K, and a reduction in the daily temperature range of −0.13 K.

[1] Statistical analyses of data from 12 German meteorological stations meeting WMO standards in the period 1991 -2005 are presented. These stations represent different local climate conditions in terms of both meteorology and pollution situation. For the average over data of all stations, we identified significant weekly periodicities in many variables such as temperature, daily temperature range, sunshine duration, cloud amount, precipitation, and precipitation frequency. Not only data of stations situated in congested urban areas, but also data of remote stations as e.g. on Mount Zugspitze 2960 m above sea level in the Alps showed significant in-phase weekly cycles. These weekly periodicities cannot be explained completely by local pollution effects or local heat emissions. We tend towards the hypothesis that the anthropogenic weekly emission cycle and the subsequent aerosol cycle interact with the atmospheric dynamics on a larger scale which leads to a forcing of a naturally existing 7-day period among the spectrum of atmospheric periods.

Abstract.We used the comprehensive model system COSMO-ART to quantify the impact of mineral dust on the radiative fluxes, the temperature and the feedback between dust particles and their emissions. We simulated two dust storms over West Africa in At the surface the shortwave radiative effect of mineral dust can be described by a linear relation between the changes in net surface radiation and the aerosol optical depth (AOD). For an AOD at 450 nm of 1 the average shortwave radiation reduction amounts −140 W m −2 during noon. The longwave radiative effect of mineral dust is nonlinear, with an average increase of +70 W m −2 for an AOD (450 nm) of 1. At the top of the atmosphere the effect of the dust layer with an AOD of 1 on radiative fluxes is not as significant as at the surface. It is slightly positive for the shortwave and approximately 26 W m −2 for the longwave radiation.The height range and the extension of the dust layer determine the effect of dust particles on the 2 m temperature. When the dust layer is attached to the surface and lasts for several days it leads to an increase of the surface temperature even during daytime. In case of an elevated dust layer there is a decrease in 2 m temperature of up to 4 K during noon.It is shown, that the temperature changes caused by mineral dust may result in horizontal temperature gradients which also modify near surface winds. Since surface wind

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Abstract. A new fully online coupled model system developed for the evaluation of the interaction of aerosol particles with the atmosphere on the regional scale is described. The model system is based on the operational weather forecast model of the Deutscher Wetterdienst. Physical processes like transport, turbulent diffusion, and dry and wet deposition are treated together with photochemistry and aerosol dynamics using the modal approach. Based on detailed calculations we have developed parameterizations to examine the impact of aerosol particles on photolysis and on radiation. Currently the model allows feedback between natural and anthropogenic aerosol particles and the atmospheric variables that are initialized by the modification of the radiative fluxes. The model system is applied to two summer episodes, each lasting five days, with a model domain covering Western Europe and adjacent regions. The first episode is characterised by almost cloud free conditions and the second one by cloudy conditions. The simulated aerosol concentrations are compared to observations made at 700 stations distributed over Western Europe. For each episode two model runs are performed; one where the feedback between the aerosol particles and the atmosphere is taken into account and a second one where the feedback is neglected. Comparing these two sets of model runs, the radiative feedback on temperature and other variables is evaluated. In the cloud free case a clear correlation between the aerosol optical depth and changes in global radiation and temperature is found. In the case of cloudy conditions the pure radiative effects are superposed by changes in the liquid water content of the clouds due to changes in the thermodynamics of the atmosphere. In this case the correlation between the aerosol optical depth and its effects on temperature is low. However, on average a decrease in the 2 m temperature is still found. In both cases a reduction in the daily temperature range, due to the aerosol optical depth, can be seen with an average value of −0.13 K over Germany.