scholarly journals The effect of optically thin cirrus clouds on solar radiation in Camagüey, Cuba

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 8777-8799
Author(s):  
B. Barja ◽  
J. C. Antuña
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
Spectral Band ◽  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Cirrus Clouds ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Earth System ◽  
The Earth

Abstract. Cirrus clouds play a key role in the radiation budget of the Earth system. They are an important aspect in the climate system, as they interact with the atmospheric radiation field. They control both the solar radiation that reaches the Earth surface and the longwave radiation that leaves the Earth system. The feedback produced by cirrus clouds in climate is not well understood. Therefore it is necessary to improve the understanding and characterization of the radiative forcing of cirrus clouds. We analyze the effect of optically thin cirrus clouds characterized with the lidar technique in Camagüey, Cuba, on solar radiation, by numerical simulation. Nature and amplitude of the effect of cirrus clouds on solar radiation is evaluated. Cirrus clouds have a cooling effect in the solar spectrum at the Top of the Atmosphere (TOA) and at the surface (SFC). The daily mean value of solar cirrus cloud radiative forcing (SCRF) has an average value of −9.1 W m−2 at TOA and −5.6 W m−2 at SFC. The cirrus clouds also have a local heating effect on the atmospheric layer where they are located. Cirrus clouds have mean daily values of heating rates of 0.63 K day−1 with a range between 0.35 K day−1 and 1.24 K day−1. The principal effect is in the near infrared spectral band of the solar spectrum. There is a linear relation between SCRF and cirrus clouds optical depth (COD), with −30 W m−2 COD−1 and −26 W m−2 COD−1, values for the slopes of the fits at the TOA and SFC, respectively in the broadband solar spectrum. Also there is a relation between the solar zenith angle and cirrus clouds radiative forcing displayed in the diurnal cycle.

scholarly journals The effect of optically thin cirrus clouds on solar radiation in Camagüey, Cuba

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 8625-8634 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Barja ◽  
J. C. Antuña
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
Spectral Band ◽  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Cirrus Clouds ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Cirrus Cloud ◽  
Heating Rates

Abstract. The effect of optically thin cirrus clouds on solar radiation is analyzed by numerical simulation, using lidar measurements of cirrus conducted at Camagüey, Cuba. Sign and amplitude of the cirrus clouds effect on solar radiation is evaluated. There is a relation between the solar zenith angle and solar cirrus cloud radiative forcing (SCRF) present in the diurnal cycle of the SCRF. Maximums of SCRF out of noon located at the cirrus cloud base height are found for the thin and opaque cirrus clouds. The cirrus clouds optical depth (COD) threshold for having double SCRF maximum out of noon instead of a single one at noon was 0.083. In contrast, the heating rate shows a maximum at noon in the location of cirrus clouds maximum extinction values. Cirrus clouds have a cooling effect in the solar spectrum at the Top of the Atmosphere (TOA) and at the surface (SFC). The daily mean value of SCRF has an average value of −9.1 W m−2 at TOA and −5.6 W m−2 at SFC. The cirrus clouds also have a local heating effect on the atmospheric layer where they are located. Cirrus clouds have mean daily values of heating rates of 0.63 K day−1 with a range between 0.35 K day−1 and 1.24 K day−1. The principal effect is in the near-infrared spectral band of the solar spectrum. There is a linear relation between SCRF and COD, with −30 W m−2 COD−1 and −26 W m−2 COD−1, values for the slopes of the fits at the TOA and SFC, respectively, in the broadband solar spectrum.

Climate and composition impacts of a net-zero anthropogenic methane future using an emissions-driven chemistry-climate model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zosia Staniaszek ◽  
Paul T. Griffiths ◽  
Gerd A. Folberth ◽  
Fiona M. O'Connor ◽  
Alexander T. Archibald
Keyword(s):  
Tropospheric Ozone ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Baseline Scenario ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Atmospheric Methane ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Emissions Scenario

<div> <p>Methane (CH<sub>4</sub>), the second most important greenhouse gas in terms of radiative forcing, is on the rise; but there are extensive opportunities for mitigation with existing technologies. Anthropogenic emissions account for around 60% of the global methane source, and the recent atmospheric methane growth rate puts us on a trajectory comparable to the most extreme future methane scenarios in the sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). </p> </div><div> <p>We use a new methane emissions-driven configuration of the UK Earth System Model (UKESM1) to explore the role of anthropogenic methane in the earth system. The full methane cycle is represented, including surface deposition, chemistry and interactive wetland emissions. As a baseline scenario we used Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 3-7.0 (SSP3-7.0) – the highest methane emissions scenario in CMIP6. In an idealised experiment, all anthropogenic methane emissions were instantaneously stopped from 2015 onwards in a coupled atmosphere-ocean simulation running from 2015-2050, to make a net-zero anthropogenic methane emissions scenario.  </p> </div><div> <p>Within a decade, significant changes can be seen in atmospheric composition and climate, compared to SSP3-7.0. The atmospheric methane burden declines to below pre-industrial levels within 12 years, and by the late 2030s reaches a constant level around 44% below that of the present day (2015). The tropospheric ozone burden and surface mean ozone concentrations decreased by 12% and 15% respectively by 2050 – key in terms of limiting global warming as well as improving air quality and human health. </p> </div><div> <p>By 2050 the net-zero anthropogenic methane scenario results in a global mean surface temperature (GMST) 1˚C lower than the baseline, a significant value in the context of climate goals such as the Paris Agreement. Through decomposition of the radiation budget, the change in climate can be directly attributed to the reduction in methane and indirectly to the resulting changes in ozone, clouds and ozone precursors such as CO. In addition, the changes in climate result in impacts on the interactive wetland emissions via changes in temperature and wetland extent, highlighting the coupled nature of methane in the earth system. </p> </div><div> <p>Cessation of anthropogenic methane emissions has profound impacts on near-term warming and on tropospheric ozone, but ultimately cannot single-handedly achieve the necessary reductions for meeting Paris goals. </p> </div>

scholarly journals Aerosol effects on ice clouds: can the traditional concept of aerosol indirect effects be applied to aerosol-cloud interactions in cirrus clouds?

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 10345-10358 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Lee ◽  
J. E. Penner
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Cirrus Clouds ◽  
Ice Crystals ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Traditional Concept ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Double Moment ◽  
Aerosol Cloud Interactions

Abstract. Cirrus clouds cover approximately 20–25% of the globe and thus play an important role in the Earth's radiation budget. Therefore the effect of aerosols on cirrus clouds can have a substantial impact on global radiative forcing if either the ice-water path (IWP) and/or the cloud ice number concentration (CINC) changes. This study examines the aerosol indirect effect (AIE) through changes in the CINC and IWP for a cirrus cloud case. We use a cloud-system resolving model (CSRM) coupled with a double-moment representation of cloud microphysics. Intensified interactions among CINC, deposition and dynamics play a critical role in increasing the IWP as aerosols increase. Increased IWP leads to a smaller change in the outgoing LW radiation relative to that for the SW radiation for increasing aerosols. Increased aerosols lead to increased CINC, providing increased surface area for water vapor deposition. The increased deposition causes depositional heating which produces stronger updrafts, and leads to the increased IWP. The conversion of ice crystals to aggregates through autoconversion and accretion plays a negligible role in the IWP response to aerosols, and the sedimentation of aggregates is negligible. The sedimentation of ice crystals plays a more important role in the IWP response to aerosol increases than the sedimentation of aggregates, but not more than the interactions among the CINC, deposition and dynamics.

scholarly journals Climatological and radiative properties of midlatitude cirrus clouds derived by automatic evaluation of lidar measurements

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 7605-7621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Kienast-Sjögren ◽  
Christian Rolf ◽  
Patric Seifert ◽  
Ulrich K. Krieger ◽  
Bei P. Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Cirrus Clouds ◽  
Radiative Properties ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Detection Scheme ◽  
Lidar Measurements

Abstract. Cirrus, i.e., high, thin clouds that are fully glaciated, play an important role in the Earth's radiation budget as they interact with both long- and shortwave radiation and affect the water vapor budget of the upper troposphere and stratosphere. Here, we present a climatology of midlatitude cirrus clouds measured with the same type of ground-based lidar at three midlatitude research stations: at the Swiss high alpine Jungfraujoch station (3580 m a.s.l.), in Zürich (Switzerland, 510 m a.s.l.), and in Jülich (Germany, 100 m a.s.l.). The analysis is based on 13 000 h of measurements from 2010 to 2014. To automatically evaluate this extensive data set, we have developed the Fast LIdar Cirrus Algorithm (FLICA), which combines a pixel-based cloud-detection scheme with the classic lidar evaluation techniques. We find mean cirrus optical depths of 0.12 on Jungfraujoch and of 0.14 and 0.17 in Zürich and Jülich, respectively. Above Jungfraujoch, subvisible cirrus clouds (τ < 0.03) have been observed during 6 % of the observation time, whereas above Zürich and Jülich fewer clouds of that type were observed. Cirrus have been observed up to altitudes of 14.4 km a.s.l. above Jungfraujoch, whereas they have only been observed to about 1 km lower at the other stations. These features highlight the advantage of the high-altitude station Jungfraujoch, which is often in the free troposphere above the polluted boundary layer, thus enabling lidar measurements of thinner and higher clouds. In addition, the measurements suggest a change in cloud morphology at Jungfraujoch above ∼ 13 km, possibly because high particle number densities form in the observed cirrus clouds, when many ice crystals nucleate in the high supersaturations following rapid uplifts in lee waves above mountainous terrain. The retrieved optical properties are used as input for a radiative transfer model to estimate the net cloud radiative forcing, CRFNET, for the analyzed cirrus clouds. All cirrus detected here have a positive CRFNET. This confirms that these thin, high cirrus have a warming effect on the Earth's climate, whereas cooling clouds typically have cloud edges too low in altitude to satisfy the FLICA criterion of temperatures below −38 °C. We find CRFNET = 0.9 W m−2 for Jungfraujoch and 1.0 W m−2 (1.7 W m−2) for Zürich (Jülich). Further, we calculate that subvisible cirrus (τ < 0.03) contribute about 5 %, thin cirrus (0.03 < τ < 0.3) about 45 %, and opaque cirrus (0.3 < τ) about 50 % of the total cirrus radiative forcing.

scholarly journals Biogeochemical Consequences of Ocean Acidification and Feedbacks to the Earth System

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Gehlen ◽  
Nicolas Gruber
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Biological Pump ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Carbonate Chemistry ◽  
Emission Pathway ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Indirect Impacts ◽  
Active Substances

By the year 2008, the ocean had taken up approximately 140 Gt carbon corresponding to about a third of the total anthropogenic CO2 emitted to the atmosphere since the onset of industrialization (Khatiwala et al. 2009 ). As the weak acid CO2 invades the ocean, it triggers changes in ocean carbonate chemistry and ocean pH (see Chapter 1). The pH of modern ocean surface waters is already 0.1 units lower than in pre-industrial times and a decrease by 0.4 units is projected by the year 2100 in response to a business-as- usual emission pathway (Caldeira and Wickett 2003). These changes in ocean carbonate chemistry are likely to affect major ocean biogeochemical cycles, either through direct pH effects or indirect impacts on the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems. This chapter addresses the potential biogeochemical consequences of ocean acidification and associated feedbacks to the earth system, with focus on the alteration of element fluxes at the scale of the global ocean. The view taken here is on how the different effects interact and ultimately alter the atmospheric concentration of radiatively active substances, i.e. primarily greenhouse gases such as CO2 and nitrous oxide (N2O). Changes in carbonate chemistry have the potential for interacting with ocean biogeochemical cycles and creating feedbacks to climate in a myriad of ways (Box 12.1). In order to provide some structure to the discussion, direct and indirect feedbacks of ocean acidification on the earth system are distinguished. Direct feedbacks are those which directly affect radiative forcing in the atmosphere by altering the air–sea flux of radiatively active substances. Indirect feedbacks are those that first alter a biogeochemical process in the ocean, and through this change then affect the air–sea flux and ultimately the radiative forcing in the atmosphere. For example, when ocean acidification alters the production and export of organic matter by the biological pump, then this is an indirect feedback. This is because a change in the biological pump alters radiative forcing in the atmosphere indirectly by first changing the nearsurface concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity.

scholarly journals Contribution of organic carbon to wood smoke particulate matter absorption of solar radiation

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 5803-5816 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. W. Kirchstetter ◽  
T. L. Thatcher
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Atmospheric Particulate Matter ◽  
Biomass Combustion ◽  
Wood Smoke ◽  
Spectral Selectivity ◽  
Tropospheric Photochemistry

Abstract. Spectroscopic analysis shows that 115 residential wood smoke-dominated particulate matter samples absorb light with strong spectral selectivity, consistent with prior work that has demonstrated that organic carbon (OC), in addition to black carbon (BC), appreciably absorbs solar radiation in the visible and ultraviolet spectral regions. Apportionment of light absorption yields the absorption Ångström exponent of the light absorbing OC in these samples, which ranges from 3.0 to 7.4 and averages 5.0, and indicates that OC and BC, respectively, would account for 14% and 86% of solar radiation absorbed by the wood smoke in the atmosphere (integrated over the solar spectrum from 300 to 2500 nm). OC would contribute 49% of the wood smoke particulate matter absorption of ultraviolet solar radiation at wavelengths below 400 nm. These results illustrate that BC is the dominant light absorbing particulate matter species in atmospheres burdened with residential wood smoke and OC absorption is secondary but not insignificant. Further, since biomass combustion generates a major portion of atmospheric particulate matter globally, these results suggest that OC absorption should be included when particulate matter effects on the radiative forcing of climate are considered, and that OC absorption may affect the ultraviolet actinic flux and thus tropospheric photochemistry.

scholarly journals Metrology of the Solar Spectral Irradiance at the Top Of Atmosphere in the Near Infrared Measured at Mauna Loa Observatory: The PYR-ILIOS campaign

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuno Pereira ◽  
David Bolsée ◽  
Peter Sperfeld ◽  
Sven Pape ◽  
Dominique Sluse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Solar Physics ◽  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Spectral Irradiance ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Calibration Source ◽  
Error Budget ◽  
Mauna Loa ◽  
Solar Spectral Irradiance ◽  
Earth’S Radiation Budget

Abstract. The near infrared (NIR) part of the solar spectrum is of prime importance for the solar physics and climatology, directly intervening in the Earth's radiation budget. Despite its major role, available solar spectral irradiance (SSI) NIR datasets, space-borne or ground based, present discrepancies caused by instrumental or methodological reasons. We present new results obtained from the PYR-ILIOS campaign, which is a replication of the previous IRSPERAD campaign which took place in 2011 at the Izaña Observatory (IZO). We used the same instrument and primary calibration source of spectral irradiance. A new site was chosen for PYR-ILIOS: the Mauna-Loa observatory in Hawaii (3397 m asl), approximately 1000 m higher than IZO. Relatively to IRSPERAD, the methodology of monitoring the traceability to the primary calibration source was improved. The results as well as a detailed error budget are presented. We demonstrate that the most recent results, from PYR-ILIOS and other space-borne and ground-based experiments show an NIR SSI lower than ATLAS3 for wavelengths above 1.6 μm.

scholarly journals Balance between Health Risks and Benefits for Outdoor Workers Exposed to Solar Radiation: An Overview on the Role of Near Infrared Radiation Alone and in Combination with Other Solar Spectral Bands

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Grandi ◽  
Maria Concetta D’Ovidio
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Uvb Radiation ◽  
Biological Organization ◽  
Visible Radiation ◽  
Outdoor Workers ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Risk Assessment And Management

Near infrared or infrared A (IRA) accounts for over 40% of the solar spectrum (SS) and is able to reach subcutaneous tissue as well as the retina. Outdoor workers are occupationally exposed to solar radiation (SR), but the level of exposure may differ widely depending on the job performed, time spent outdoors, latitude, altitude, season, personal protection, etc. Until now, risk assessment and management for outdoor workers has focused on the prevention of both acute and long-term effects on the eye and the skin due to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) with little consideration of the other components of the SS (a possible exception is represented by visible radiation with reference to the eye). A growing body of evidence coming from in vitro studies indicates that IRA is involved in cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and may interfere with the respiratory chain in the mitochondria. Moreover, it can modulate gene expression and some metabolic pathways. The biological action of IRA is only partly attributable to a thermal mechanism, should it be also involved in photochemical ones. The cellular and molecular pathways affected by IRA are partly similar and partly different with respect to those involved in the case of visible ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. Consequently, the net effect of the SS is very difficult to predict at different levels of the biological organization, making more difficult the final balance of health risk and benefits (for the skin, eye, immune system, blood pressure, etc.) in a given exposure situation. Moreover, few in vivo studies and no epidemiological data are presently available in this regard. Investigating this topic may contribute to better defining the individual exposome. More practically, it is expected to bring benefits to the risk assessment and management for outdoor workers exposed to SS, contributing to: (1) better definition of the individual profiles of susceptibility, (2) more focused preventive and protective measures, (3) better implementation of the health surveillance and (4) a more effective information and training.

Is there hope for reducing the uncertainty associated with aerosols in climate projections? 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilona Riipinen ◽  
Annica Ekman ◽  
Matthew Salter ◽  
Karoliina Pulkkinen ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Scientific Understanding ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Aerosol Cloud ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Aerosol Cloud Interactions ◽  
Aerosol Emissions

&lt;p&gt;Together with imminent climate action, building a sustainable future for the humanity requires striving for healthier environments. Atmospheric aerosol particles (also referred to as particulate matter, PM) play a key role in defining the air that the future generations will breathe but also the climates they live in, PM being an important short-lived climate forcer but also a key component of air quality and global environmental health hazard. The contribution of aerosol particles has been a key uncertainty in estimates of the Earth&amp;#8217;s radiative forcing since the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) and still remains as the single largest quoted source of uncertainty in the anthropogenic climate forcing during the industrial period. In the latest assessment by the IPCC, the radiative forcing by aerosol particles has been estimated to be -0.45 W m-2 (between -0.95 and 0.05 W m-2) for aerosol-radiation interactions (RFari) and -0.45 W m-2 (between -1.25 and 0 W m-2) for aerosol-cloud interactions (RFaci). Recent reviews indicate no significant reduction in the uncertainty. The large range of possible aerosol forcing values has serious consequences for climate projections and therefore developing strategies for reaching Paris agreement targets. It is currently not possible to say if a reduction in aerosol emissions due to air pollution mitigation and a phase-out of aerosol emissions will result in a noticeable increase in global mean temperature&amp;#160; or in a negligible climate effect. We will discuss the components and reasons of this uncertainty, focusing on those that are important for aerosol-cloud interactions. We will identify critical bottlenecks in 1) scientific understanding of fundamental aerosol and cloud microphysical processes; 2) method development for improving the understanding of aerosol, cloud, and aerosol-cloud processes as well as their representation in Earth System Models (ESMs); and 3) knowledge transfer within and between the relevant research communities. We will argue for key actions to overcome these bottlenecks, giving examples of good practices for breaking new ground in this long-standing problem that continues to intrigue the atmospheric and climate science communities. Besides enhancing the scientific understanding of the Earth system within the realm of natural science based on multiple lines of evidence, and developing novel (e.g. machine learning &amp;#8211;based) methodologies for analyzing existing observational data and model output, we call for additional perspectives from social science and humanities on the communication and knowledge transfer practices within atmospheric and climate research. Making the relevant knowledge transfer pathways and processes transparent is urgently needed to enable systematic determination of the actions required to maximally utilize the existing knowledge, and to ensure effective implementation of new results that may help to narrow down the uncertainty associated with aerosols in climate projections. Improved understanding of the role of aerosols in the climate system will result in enhanced credibility of ESMs and hence also tighter constraints for policies aiming for simultaneous climate neutrality and zero pollution targets.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Thermodynamic limits of hydrologic cycling within the Earth system: concepts, estimates and implications

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 2873-2892 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kleidon ◽  
M. Renner
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Hydrologic Cycle ◽  
Earth System ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Atmospheric Motion ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Thermodynamic Limits ◽  
Analytical Expressions

Abstract. The hydrologic cycle results from the combination of energy conversions and atmospheric transport, and the laws of thermodynamics set limits to both. Here, we apply thermodynamics to derive the limits of the strength of hydrologic cycling within the Earth system and about the properties and processes that shape these limits. We set up simple models to derive analytical expressions of the limits of evaporation and precipitation in relation to vertical and horizontal differences in solar radiative forcing. These limits result from a fundamental trade-off by which a greater evaporation rate reduces the temperature gradient and thus the driver for atmospheric motion that exchanges moistened air from the surface with the drier air aloft. The limits on hydrologic cycling thus reflect the strong interaction between the hydrologic flux, motion, and the driving gradient. Despite the simplicity of the models, they yield estimates for the limits of hydrologic cycling that are within the observed magnitude, suggesting that the global hydrologic cycle operates near its maximum strength. We close with a discussion of how thermodynamic limits can provide a better characterization of the interaction of vegetation and human activity with hydrologic cycling.

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