Diagnosis of the Satellite-Observed Radiative Heating in Relation to the Summer Monsoon

1978 ◽  
pp. 1131-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay S. Winston ◽  
Arthur F. Krueger
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suvarna Fadnavis ◽  
Gayatry Kalita ◽  
K. Ravi Kumar ◽  
Blaz Gasparini ◽  
Jui-Lin Frank Li

Abstract. Recent satellite observations show efficient vertical transport of Asian pollutants from the surface to the upper level anticyclone by deep monsoon convection. In this paper, we examine the transport of carbonaceous aerosols including Black Carbon (BC) and Organic Carbon (OC) into the monsoon anticyclone using of ECHAM6-HAM, a global aerosol climate model. Further, we investigate impacts of enhanced (doubled) carbonaceous aerosols emissions on the UTLS from sensitivity simulations. These model simulations show that boundary layer aerosols are transported into the monsoon anticyclone by the strong monsoon convection from the Bay of Bengal, southern slopes of the Himalayas and the South China Sea. Doubling of emissions of BC and OC aerosols, each, over the South East Asia (10° S–50° N; 65° E–155° E) shows that lofted aerosols produce significant warming in the mid/upper troposphere. These aerosols lead to an increase in temperature by 1 K–3 K in the mid/upper troposphere and in radiative heating rates by 0.005 K/day near the tropopause. They alter aerosol radiative forcing at the surface by −1.4 W/m2; at the Top Of the Atmosphere (TOA) by +1.2 W/m2 and in the atmosphere by 2.7 W/m2 over the Asian summer monsoon region (20° N–40° N, 60° E–120° E). Atmospheric warming increases vertical velocities and thereby cloud ice in the upper troposphere. An anomalous warming over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) facilitate the relative strengthening of the monsoon Hadley circulation and elicit enhancement in precipitation over India and north east China.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (14) ◽  
pp. 4145-4165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Berry ◽  
Gerald G. Mace ◽  
Andrew Gettelman

Abstract The distribution of clouds and their radiative effects in the Community Atmosphere Model, version 5 (CAM5), are compared to A-Train satellite data in Southeast Asia during the summer monsoon. Cloud radiative kernels are created based on populations of observed and modeled clouds separately in order to compare the sensitivity of the TOA radiation to changes in cloud fraction. There is generally good agreement between the observation- and model-derived cloud radiative kernels for most cloud types, meaning that the clouds in the model are heating and cooling like clouds in nature. Cloud radiative effects are assessed by multiplying the cloud radiative kernel by the cloud fraction histogram. For ice clouds in particular, there is good agreement between the model and observations, with optically thin cirrus producing a moderate warming effect and cirrostratus producing a slight cooling effect, on average. Consistent with observations, the model also shows that the median value of the ice water path (IWP) distribution, rather than the mean, is a more representative measure of the ice clouds that are responsible for heating. In addition, in both observations and the model, it is cirrus clouds with an IWP of 20 g m−2 that have the largest warming effect in this region, given their radiative heating and frequency of occurrence.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc von Hobe ◽  
Felix Ploeger ◽  
Paul Konopka ◽  
Corinna Kloss ◽  
Alexey Ulanowski ◽  
...  

Abstract. Every year during the Asian summer monsoon season from about mid-June to early September, a stable anticyclonic circulation system forms over the Himalayans. This Asian summer monsoon (ASM) anticyclone has been shown to promote transport of air into the stratosphere from the Asian troposphere, which contains large amounts of anthropogenic pollutants. Essential details of Asian monsoon transport, such as the exact time scales of vertical transport, the role of convection in cross-tropopause exchange, and the main location and level of export from the confined anticyclone to the stratosphere are still not fully resolved. Recent airborne observations from campaigns near the ASM anticyclone edge and centre in 2016 and 2017 respectively show a steady decrease in carbon monoxide (CO) and increase in ozone (O3) with height starting from tropospheric values of 80–100 ppb CO and 30–50 ppb O3 at about 365 K potential temperature. CO mixing ratios reach stratospheric background values of ~ 20 ppb at about 420 K and do not show a significant vertical gradient at higher levels, while ozone continues to increase throughout the altitude range of the aircraft measurements. Nitrous oxide (N2O) remains at or only marginally below its 2017 tropospheric mixing ratio of 326 ppb up to about 400 K, which is above the local tropopause. A decline in N2O mixing ratios that indicates a significant contribution of stratospheric air is only visible above this level. Based on our observations, we draw the following picture of vertical transport and confinement in the ASM anticyclone: rapid convective uplift transports air to near 16 km in altitude, corresponding to potential temperatures up to about 370 K. Although this main convective outflow layer extends above the level of zero radiative heating (LZRH), our observations of CO concentration show little to no evidence of convection actually penetrating the tropopause. Rather, further ascent occurs more slowly, consistent with isentropic vertical velocities of 0.3–0.8 K day−1. For gases not subject to microphysical processes, neither the lapse rate tropopause (LRT) around 380 K nor the cold point tropopause (CPT) around 390 K marks the strong discontinuity of the key tracers (CO, O3, and N2O). Up to about 10 to 20 K above the CPT, isolation of air inside the ASM anticyclone prevents significant in-mixing of stratospheric air. The observed changes in CO and O3 likely result from in-situ chemical processing. Above about 420 K, mixing processes become more significant and the air inside the anticyclone is exported vertically and horizontally into the surrounding stratosphere.


2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 2809-2834 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Devasthale ◽  
S. Fueglistaler

Abstract. The impact of very deep convection on the water budget and thermal structure of the tropical tropopause layer is still not well quantified, not least because of limitations imposed by the available observation techniques. Here, we present detailed analysis of the climatology of the cloud top brightness temperatures as indicators of deep convection during the Indian summer monsoon, and the variations therein due to active and break periods. We make use of the recently newly processed data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) at a nominal spatial resolution of 4 km. Using temperature thresholds from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), the AVHRR brightness temperatures are converted to climatological mean (2003–2008) maps of cloud amounts at 200, 150 and 100 hPa. Further, we relate the brightness temperatures to the level of zero radiative heating, which may allow a coarse identification of convective detrainment that will subsequently ascend into the stratosphere. The AVHRR data for the period 1982–2006 are used to document the differences in deep convection between active and break conditions of the monsoon. The analysis of AVHRR data is complemented with cloud top pressure and optical depth statistics (for the period 2003–2008) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard Aqua satellite. Generally, the two sensors provide a very similar description of deep convective clouds. Our analysis shows that most of the deep convection occurs over the Bay of Bengal and Central Northeast India. Very deep convection over the Tibetan plateau is comparatively weak, and may play only a secondary role in troposphere-to-stratosphere transport. The deep convection over the Indian monsoon region is most frequent in July/August, but the very highest convection (coldest tops, penetrating well into the TTL) occurs in May/June. Large variability in convection reaching the TTL is due to monsoon break/active periods. During the monsoon break period, deep convection reaching the TTL is almost entirely absent in the western part of the study area (i.e. 60°–75° E), while the distribution over the Bay of Bengal and the Tibetan Plateau is less affected. Although the active conditions occur less frequently than the break conditions, they may have a larger bearing on the composition of the TTL within the monsoonal anticyclone, and tracer transport into the stratosphere because of deep convection occurring over anthropogenically more polluted regions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (20) ◽  
pp. 11557-11570 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Johansson ◽  
A. Devasthale ◽  
T. L'Ecuyer ◽  
A. M. L. Ekman ◽  
M. Tjernström

Abstract. Clouds forming during the summer monsoon over the Indian subcontinent affect its evolution through their radiative impact as well as the release of latent heat. While the latter is previously studied to some extent, comparatively little is known about the radiative impact of different cloud types and the vertical structure of their radiative heating/cooling effects. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to partly fill this knowledge gap by investigating and documenting the vertical distributions of the different cloud types associated with the Indian monsoon and their radiative heating/cooling using the active radar and lidar sensors onboard CloudSat and CALIPSO. The intraseasonal evolution of clouds from May to October is also investigated to understand pre-to-post monsoon transitioning of their radiative heating/cooling effects. The vertical structure of cloud radiative heating (CRH) follows the northward migration and retreat of the monsoon from May to October. Throughout this time period, stratiform clouds radiatively warm the middle troposphere and cool the upper troposphere by more than ±0.2 K day−1 (after weighing by cloud fraction), with the largest impacts observed in June, July and August. During these months, the fraction of high thin cloud remains high in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). Deep convective towers cause considerable radiative warming in the middle and upper troposphere, but strongly cool the base and inside of the TTL. This cooling is stronger during active (−1.23 K day−1) monsoon periods compared to break periods (−0.36 K day−1). The contrasting radiative warming effect of high clouds in the TTL is twice as large during active periods than in break periods. These results highlight the increasing importance of CRH with altitude, especially in the TTL. Stratiform (made up of alto- and nimbostratus clouds) and deep convection clouds radiatively cool the surface by approximately −100 and −400 W m−2 respectively while warming the atmosphere radiatively by about 40 to 150 W m−2. While the cooling at the surface induced by deep convection and stratiform clouds is largest during active periods of monsoon, the importance of stratiform clouds further increases during break periods. The contrasting CREs (cloud radiative effects) in the atmosphere and at surface, and during active and break periods, should have direct implications for the monsoonal circulation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William K.M. Lau ◽  
Kyu-Myong Kim

<p>Using MERRA2 reanalyses, we have examined the long-term (2000-2019) trends and transport of surface pollutants, CO, BC and OC from surface to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) during the Asian summer monsoon.    We find a strong linear trend indicating an expansion and strengthening of the Asian Monsoon Anticyclone (AMA), in conjunction with increased concentration of CO, BC and OC in the UTLS, including the Aerosol Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL). </p><p>The UTLS trend in CO can be tracked to increased upward transport primarily from surface sources near 25-35<sup>o</sup>N, in association with the expansion/strengthening of the AMA, and a northward displacement of ascending branch of the monsoon meridional circulation.  In contrast, near 25-35<sup>o</sup>N, BC and OC trends show significant reduction from surface to mid-troposphere, coupled a weak increase at UTLS (above 250 -100 hPa).  The reduction in surface and tropospheric BC and OC likely reflects reduced emission due to the clean air acts in East Asia.  Additionally, heavier rainfall associated with the enhanced ascent and wet scavenging may also contribute to the strong reduction in tropospheric BC and OC.  The increase in UTLS OC/BC appears to stem from increased and extended biomass burning near surface sources located in extratropical latitudes (70-130<sup>o</sup> E, 55-70<sup>o</sup> N).  The OC/BC aerosols are transported upward by vertical mixing over the source regions, and enter the tropical UTLS through horizonal diffusive processes.   Additionally, enhanced penetrative convection in the anomalous ascent regions during the peak monsoon season may also play a role in further enhancing the monsoon ascent, lifting ambient hydrophobic OC/BC and water vapor in the mid-to-upper troposphere to higher elevations, resulting in enhanced ice-cloud fraction, increased latent and radiative heating in the UTLS/ATAL region.</p><p> </p>


2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 4573-4582 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Devasthale ◽  
S. Fueglistaler

Abstract. The impact of very deep convection on the water budget and thermal structure of the tropical tropopause layer is still not well quantified, not least because of limitations imposed by the available observation techniques. Here, we present detailed analysis of the climatology of the cloud top brightness temperatures as indicators of deep convection during the Indian summer monsoon, and the variations therein due to active and break periods. We make use of the recently newly processed data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) at a nominal spatial resolution of 4 km. Using temperature thresholds from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), the AVHRR brightness temperatures are converted to climatological mean (2003–2008) maps of cloud amounts at 200, 150 and 100 hPa. Further, we relate the brightness temperatures to the level of zero radiative heating, which may allow a coarse identification of convective detrainment that will subsequently ascend into the stratosphere. The AVHRR data for the period 1982–2006 are used to document the differences in deep convection between active and break conditions of the monsoon. The analysis of AVHRR data is complemented with cloud top pressure and optical depth statistics (for the period 2003–2008) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard Aqua satellite. Generally, the two sensors provide a very similar description of deep convective clouds. Our analysis shows that most of the deep convection occurs over the Bay of Bengal and central northeast India. Very deep convection over the Tibetan plateau is comparatively weak, and may play only a secondary role in troposphere-to-stratosphere transport. The deep convection over the Indian monsoon region is most frequent in July/August, but the very highest convection (coldest tops, penetrating well into the TTL) occurs in May/June. Large variability in convection reaching the TTL is due to monsoon break/active periods. During the monsoon break period, deep convection reaching the TTL is almost entirely absent in the western part of the study area (i.e. 60 E–75 E), while the distribution over the Bay of Bengal and the Tibetan Plateau is less affected. Although the active conditions occur less frequently than the break conditions, they may have a larger bearing on the composition of the TTL within the monsoonal anticyclone, and tracer transport into the stratosphere because of deep convection occurring over anthropogenically more polluted regions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 1267-1285
Author(s):  
Marc von Hobe ◽  
Felix Ploeger ◽  
Paul Konopka ◽  
Corinna Kloss ◽  
Alexey Ulanowski ◽  
...  

Abstract. Every year during the Asian summer monsoon season from about mid-June to early September, a stable anticyclonic circulation system forms over the Himalayas. This Asian summer monsoon (ASM) anticyclone has been shown to promote transport of air into the stratosphere from the Asian troposphere, which contains large amounts of anthropogenic pollutants. Essential details of Asian monsoon transport, such as the exact timescales of vertical transport, the role of convection in cross-tropopause exchange, and the main location and level of export from the confined anticyclone to the stratosphere are still not fully resolved. Recent airborne observations from campaigns near the ASM anticyclone edge and centre in 2016 and 2017, respectively, show a steady decrease in carbon monoxide (CO) and increase in ozone (O3) with height starting from tropospheric values of around 100 ppb CO and 30–50 ppb O3 at about 365 K potential temperature. CO mixing ratios reach stratospheric background values below ∼25 ppb at about 420 K and do not show a significant vertical gradient at higher levels, while ozone continues to increase throughout the altitude range of the aircraft measurements. Nitrous oxide (N2O) remains at or only marginally below its 2017 tropospheric mixing ratio of 333 ppb up to about 400 K, which is above the local tropopause. A decline in N2O mixing ratios that indicates a significant contribution of stratospheric air is only visible above this level. Based on our observations, we draw the following picture of vertical transport and confinement in the ASM anticyclone: rapid convective uplift transports air to near 16 km in altitude, corresponding to potential temperatures up to about 370 K. Although this main convective outflow layer extends above the level of zero radiative heating (LZRH), our observations of CO concentration show little to no evidence of convection actually penetrating the tropopause. Rather, further ascent occurs more slowly, consistent with isentropic vertical velocities of 0.7–1.5 K d−1. For the key tracers (CO, O3, and N2O) in our study, none of which are subject to microphysical processes, neither the lapse rate tropopause (LRT) around 380 K nor the cold point tropopause (CPT) around 390 K marks a strong discontinuity in their profiles. Up to about 20 to 35 K above the LRT, isolation of air inside the ASM anticyclone prevents significant in-mixing of stratospheric air (throughout this text, the term in-mixing refers specifically to mixing processes that introduce stratospheric air into the predominantly tropospheric inner anticyclone). The observed changes in CO and O3 likely result from in situ chemical processing. Above about 420 K, mixing processes become more significant and the air inside the anticyclone is exported vertically and horizontally into the surrounding stratosphere.


1977 ◽  
Vol 115 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 1131-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay S. Winston ◽  
Arthur F. Krueger

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