On the radiative impact of aerosols on photolysis rates: comparison of simulations and observations in the Lampedusa island during the ChArMEx/ADRIMED campaign

Abstract. The Mediterranean basin is characterized by large concentrations of aerosols from both natural and anthropogenic sources. These aerosols change the optical properties of the atmosphere, therefore affecting tropospheric photochemistry through the photolytic rates. Two simulations of the atmospheric composition at basin-scale have been performed with the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model for the period from 1 June to 15 July 2013 covered by the ADRIMED campaign, a campaign of intense measurements in the western Mediterranean basin. One simulation takes into account the radiative effect of the aerosols on photochemistry, the other one does not. These simulations are compared to satel…