scholarly journals Unanticipated Side Effects of Stratospheric Albedo Modification Proposals Due to Aerosol Composition and Phase

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Cziczo ◽  
Martin J. Wolf ◽  
Blaž Gasparini ◽  
Steffen Münch ◽  
Ulrike Lohmann
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
Radiative Balance ◽  
Nucleation Sites ◽  
Polar Stratospheric Cloud ◽  
Reduction Of Emissions ◽  
Cloud Ice

AbstractThe Earth has now warmed ~1.0 °C since the period 1850–1900, due in large part to the anthropogenic addition of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Most strategies to address this warming have called for a reduction of emissions and, often, accompanying removal of greenhouse gases. Other proposals suggest masking the increased radiative forcing by an increase in particles and/or clouds to increase scattering of incoming solar radiation. Two related recent proposals have suggested addition of calcite particles to the stratosphere, which one model suggests may enhance ozone. Here we show that the interaction of calcite with acidic materials in the stratosphere results in a more complex aerosol than has been previously considered, including aqueous and hydrate phases that can lead to ozone loss. Our study suggests particle addition to the stratosphere could also perturb global radiative balance by affecting high altitude cloud formation and properties. Experimental and modeling results suggest particles will act as the nucleation sites for polar stratospheric cloud ice and, after sedimentation into the troposphere, impact cirrus clouds in the absence of other efficient ice nucleating particles. These results show that an overly simplistic set of assumptions regarding intentional particle emissions to the atmosphere can lead to incorrect estimates of the radiative effect and fail to identify unintended consequences.

scholarly journals Atmospheric ionization and cloud radiative forcing

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Svensmark ◽  
Jacob Svensmark ◽  
Martin Bødker Enghoff ◽  
Nir J. Shaviv
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Short Wave ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Wave Radiation ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Radiative Balance ◽  
Cloud Radiative Forcing ◽  
Atmospheric Ionization

AbstractAtmospheric ionization produced by cosmic rays has been suspected to influence aerosols and clouds, but its actual importance has been questioned. If changes in atmospheric ionization have a substantial impact on clouds, one would expect to observe significant responses in Earth’s energy budget. Here it is shown that the average of the five strongest week-long decreases in atmospheric ionization coincides with changes in the average net radiative balance of 1.7 W/m$$^2$$ 2 (median value: 1.2 W/m$$^2$$ 2 ) using CERES satellite observations. Simultaneous satellite observations of clouds show that these variations are mainly caused by changes in the short-wave radiation of low liquid clouds along with small changes in the long-wave radiation, and are almost exclusively located over the pristine areas of the oceans. These observed radiation and cloud changes are consistent with a link in which atmospheric ionization modulates aerosol's formation and growth, which survive to cloud condensation nuclei and ultimately affect cloud formation and thereby temporarily the radiative balance of Earth.

scholarly journals Transport of pollution to a remote coastal site during gap flow from California's interior: impacts on aerosol composition, clouds, and radiative balance

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 1491-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C. Martin ◽  
Gavin C. Cornwell ◽  
Samuel A. Atwood ◽  
Kathryn A. Moore ◽  
Nicholas E. Rothfuss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Climate ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
Radiative Balance ◽  
Gap Flow ◽  
Climate Simulations ◽  
Bodega Bay

Abstract. During the CalWater 2015 field campaign, ground-level observations of aerosol size, concentration, chemical composition, and cloud activity were made at Bodega Bay, CA, on the remote California coast. A strong anthropogenic influence on air quality, aerosol physicochemical properties, and cloud activity was observed at Bodega Bay during periods with special weather conditions, known as Petaluma Gap flow, in which air from California's interior is transported to the coast. This study applies a diverse set of chemical, cloud microphysical, and meteorological measurements to the Petaluma Gap flow phenomenon for the first time. It is demonstrated that the sudden and often dramatic change in aerosol properties is strongly related to regional meteorology and anthropogenically influenced chemical processes in California's Central Valley. In addition, it is demonstrated that the change in air mass properties from those typical of a remote marine environment to properties of a continental regime has the potential to impact atmospheric radiative balance and cloud formation in ways that must be accounted for in regional climate simulations.

scholarly journals Transport of Pollution to a Remote Coastal Site during Gap Flow from California’s Interior: Impacts on Aerosol Composition, Clouds and Radiative Balance

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Martin ◽  
G. C. Cornwell ◽  
S. A. Atwood ◽  
K. A. Moore ◽  
N. Rothfuss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Climate ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
Radiative Balance ◽  
Gap Flow ◽  
Climate Simulations ◽  
Bodega Bay

Abstract. During the CalWater 2015 field campaign, ground-level observations of aerosol size, concentration, chemical composition, and cloud activity were made at Bodega Bay, CA on the remote California coast. A strong anthropogenic influence on air quality, aerosol physicochemical properties, and cloud activity was observed at Bodega Bay during periods with special weather conditions, known as Petaluma Gap flow, in which air from California’s interior is transported to the coast. This study applies a diverse set of chemical, cloud microphysical and meteorological measurements to the Petaluma Gap flow phenomenon for the first time. It is demonstrated that the sudden and often dramatic change in aerosol properties are strongly related to regional meteorology and anthropogenically-influenced chemical processes in California’s Central Valley. In addition, it is demonstrated that the change in airmass properties from those typical of a remote marine environment to properties of a continental regime has the potential to impact atmospheric radiative balance and cloud formation in ways that must be accounted for in regional climate simulations.

scholarly journals Radiative forcing of the desert aerosol at Ouarzazate (Morocco)

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 03004
Author(s):  
Abdelouahid Tahiri ◽  
Mohamed Diouri
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosol ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Optical Parameters ◽  
Aerosol Radiative Forcing ◽  
Daily Average ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Aerosol Radiative

The atmospheric aerosol contributes to the definition of the climate with direct effect, the diffusion and absorption of solar and terrestrial radiations, and indirect, the cloud formation process where aerosols behave as condensation nuclei and alter the optical properties. Satellites and ground-based networks (solar photometers) allow the terrestrial aerosol observation and the determination of impact. Desert aerosol considered among the main types of tropospheric aerosols whose optical property uncertainties are still quite important. The analysis concerns the optical parameters recorded in 2015 at Ouarzazate solar photometric station (AERONET/PHOTONS network, http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/) close to Saharan zone. The daily average aerosol optical depthτaer at 0.5μm, are relatively high in summer and less degree in spring (from 0.01 to 1.82). Daily average of the Angstrom coefficients α vary between 0.01 and 1.55. The daily average of aerosol radiative forcing at the surface range between -150W/m2 and -10 W/m2 with peaks recorded in summer, characterized locally by large loads of desert aerosol in agreement with the advections of the Southeast of Morocco. Those recorded at the Top of the atmosphere show a variation from -74 W/m2 to +24 W/m2

scholarly journals Comment on "Radiative forcings for 28 potential Archean greenhouse gases" by Byrne and Goldblatt (2014)

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1097-1105 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. V. Kochanov ◽  
I. E. Gordon ◽  
L. S. Rothman ◽  
S. W. Sharpe ◽  
T. J. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Spectral Region ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Recent Article ◽  
The Other ◽  
Radiative Forcings ◽  
The Status ◽  
Moderate Resolution ◽  
Spectroscopic Database

Abstract. In the recent article by Byrne and Goldblatt, "Radiative forcing for 28 potential Archean greenhouse gases", Clim. Past. 10, 1779–1801 (2014), the authors employ the HITRAN2012 spectroscopic database to evaluate the radiative forcing of 28 Archean gases. As part of the evaluation of the status of the spectroscopy of these gases in the selected spectral region (50–1800 cm−1), the cross sections generated from the HITRAN line-by-line parameters were compared with those of the PNNL database of experimental cross sections recorded at moderate resolution. The authors claimed that for NO2, HNO3, H2CO, H2O2, HCOOH, C2H4, CH3OH and CH3Br there exist large or sometimes severe disagreements between the databases. In this work we show that for only three of these eight gases a modest discrepancy does exist between the two databases and we explain the origin of the differences. For the other five gases, the disagreements are not nearly at the scale suggested by the authors, while we explain some of the differences that do exist. In summary, the agreement between the HITRAN and PNNL databases is very good, although not perfect. Typically differences do not exceed 10 %, provided that HITRAN data exist for the bands/wavelengths of interest. It appears that a molecule-dependent combination of errors has affected the conclusions of the authors. In at least one case it appears that they did not take the correct file from PNNL (N2O4 (dimer)+ NO2 was used in place of the monomer). Finally, cross sections of HO2 from HITRAN (which do not have a PNNL counterpart) were not calculated correctly in BG, while in the case of HF misleading discussion was presented there based on the confusion by foreign or noise features in the experimental PNNL spectra.

scholarly journals Mediterranean Precipitation Response to Greenhouse Gases and Aerosols

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Tang ◽  
Drew Shindell ◽  
Bjørn H. Samset ◽  
Oliviér Boucher ◽  
Piers M. Forster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Radiative Balance ◽  
Precipitation Decrease ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. Atmospheric aerosols and greenhouse gases affect cloud properties, radiative balance and thus, the hydrological cycle. Observations show that precipitation has decreased in the Mediterranean since the 20th century, and many studies have investigated possible mechanisms. So far, however, the effects of aerosol forcing on Mediterranean precipitation remain largely unknown. Here we compare Mediterranean precipitation responses to individual forcing agents in a set of state-of-the-art global climate models (GCMs). Our analyses show that both greenhouse gases and aerosols can cause drying in the Mediterranean, and that precipitation is more sensitive to black carbon (BC) forcing than to well-mixed greenhouse gases (WMGHGs) or sulfate aerosol. In addition to local heating, BC appears to reduce precipitation by causing an enhanced positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)/Arctic Oscillation (AO)-like sea level pressure (SLP) pattern, characterized by higher SLP at mid-latitudes and lower SLP at high-latitudes. WMGHGs cause a similar SLP change, and both are associated with a northward diversion of the jet stream and storm tracks, reducing precipitation in the Mediterranean while increasing precipitation in Northern Europe. Though the applied forcings were much larger, if forcings are scaled to those of the historical period of 1901–2010, roughly one-third (31 ± 17 %) of the precipitation decrease would be attributable to global BC forcing with the remainder largely attributable to WMGHGs whereas global scattering sulfate aerosols have negligible impacts. The results from this study suggest that future BC emissions may significantly affect regional water resources, agricultural practices, ecosystems, and the economy in the Mediterranean region.

scholarly journals A simplified empirical method for determination of aerosol hygroscopicity and composition

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 23627-23656
Author(s):  
C. H. Chan ◽  
A. Y. S. Cheng ◽  
A. Viseu
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Aerosols ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Empirical Method ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Monthly Variation ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
Remote System ◽  
Aerosol Hygroscopicity

Abstract. Atmospheric aerosols have substantial influence on the Earth's radiation budget, visibility, cloud formation and precipitation. The aerosol hygroscopicity and the composition of aerosols are of vital importance for solar radiation budget calculation, cloud formation mechanism, and measurement of aerosol spatiotemporal distribution through remote sensing, such as Lidar, MODIS and sun/star photometer. In this paper, hourly averaged records of humidity, visibility and aerosol concentration, conducted in Macao, P.R.C. from 1 February 2006 to 31 December 2008 (LT), are used to estimate aerosol hygroscopicity and composition with a simplified empirical method. The result of monthly variation of aerosol hygroscopicity indicates the important role of aerosol composition on optical properties, which is in agreement with the previous study. This aerosol composition pattern is also consistent with the Asiatic Monsoon pattern and vicinity, such as Hong Kong. The monthly variation of aerosol hygroscopicity and composition also shows the necessity to consider such a factor for the aerosols monitoring by remote system and aerosols forcing simulated by climate model.

scholarly journals Surface and top-of-atmosphere radiative feedback kernels for CESM-CAM5

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 317-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angeline G. Pendergrass ◽  
Andrew Conley ◽  
Francis M. Vitt
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Surface Albedo ◽  
Large Ensemble ◽  
Radiative Fluxes ◽  
Radiative Feedback ◽  
Ensemble Simulations ◽  
Temperature Water

Abstract. Radiative kernels at the top of the atmosphere are useful for decomposing changes in atmospheric radiative fluxes due to feedbacks from atmosphere and surface temperature, water vapor, and surface albedo. Here we describe and validate radiative kernels calculated with the large-ensemble version of CAM5, CESM1.1.2, at the top of the atmosphere and the surface. Estimates of the radiative forcing from greenhouse gases and aerosols in RCP8.5 in the CESM large-ensemble simulations are also diagnosed. As an application, feedbacks are calculated for the CESM large ensemble. The kernels are freely available at https://doi.org/10.5065/D6F47MT6, and accompanying software can be downloaded from https://github.com/apendergrass/cam5-kernels.

scholarly journals Aerosol characteristics at the Southern Great Plains site during the HI-SCALE campaign

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiumeng Liu ◽  
Liz Alexander ◽  
Jerome D. Fast ◽  
Rodica Lindenmaier ◽  
John E. Shilling
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Global Climate Model ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Numerical Representation ◽  
Southern Great Plains

Abstract. Large uncertainties exist in global climate model predictions of radiative forcing due to insufficient understanding and simplified numerical representation of cloud formation and cloud-aerosol interactions. The Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols and Land Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) campaign was conducted near the DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in north-central Oklahoma to provide a better understanding of land-atmosphere interactions, aerosol and cloud properties, and the influence of aerosol and land-atmosphere interactions on cloud formation. The HI-SCALE campaign consisted of two Intensive Observational Periods (IOPs) (April–May, and August–September, 2016), during which coincident measurements were conducted both on the G-1 aircraft platform and at the SGP ground site. In this study we focus on the observations at the SGP ground site. An Aerodyne HR-ToF Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and an Ionicon Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS) were deployed, characterizing chemistry of non-refractory aerosol and trace gases, respectively. Contributions from various aerosol sources, including biogenic and biomass burning emissions, were retrieved using factor analysis of the AMS data. In general, the organic aerosols at the SGP site was highly oxidized, with OOA identified as the dominant factor for both the spring and summer IOP though more aged in spring. Cases of IEPOX SOA and biomass burning events were further investigated to understand additional sources of organic aerosol. Unlike other regions largely impacted by IEPOX chemistry, the IEPOX SOA at SGP was more highly oxygenated, likely due to the relatively weak local emissions of isoprene. Biogenic emissions appear to largely control the formation of OA during HI-SCALE campaign. Potential HOM (highly-oxygenated molecule) chemistry likely contributes to the highly-oxygenated feature of aerosols at the SGP site, with impacts on new particle formation and global climate.

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