scholarly journals Impact of ship emissions on the microphysical, optical and radiative properties of marine stratus: a case study

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1023-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Schreier ◽  
A. A. Kokhanovsky ◽  
V. Eyring ◽  
L. Bugliaro ◽  
H. Mannstein ◽  
...  

Abstract. Modifications of existing clouds by the exhaust of ships are well-known but poorly studied atmospheric effects which could contribute to climate change. The perturbation of a cloud layer by ship-generated aerosol changes the cloud reflectivity and is identified by long curves in satellite images, known as ship tracks. As ship tracks indicate a pollution of a very clean marine environment and also affect the radiation budget below and above the cloud, it is important to investigate their radiative and climatic effects. Satellite-data from MODIS on Terra are used to examine a scene from 10 February 2003 where ship tracks were detected close to the North American West-Coast. The cloud optical and microphysical properties are derived using a semi-analytical retrieval technique combined with a look-up-table approach. Ship-track-pixels are distinguished from the unperturbed cloud pixels and the optical properties of the former are compared to those of the latter. Within the ship tracks a significant change in the droplet number concentration, the effective radius and the optical thickness are found compared to the unaffected cloud. Significant increase of liquid water could not be confirmed. The resulting cloud properties are used to calculate the radiation budget below and above the cloud. Assuming a mean solar zenith angle, the mean surface radiation below the ship track is decreased by 43.25 Wm−2 and the mean reflectance at TOA is increased by 40.73 Wm−2. For the selected scene the ship emission decreases the solar radiation at the surface by 2.10 Wm−2 and increases the backscattered solar radiation at top of the atmosphere (TOA) by 2.00 Wm−2. Increased backscattered radiation is partly compensated by a decrease of the thermal radiation of 0.43 Wm−2. The resulting net-effect at TOA is an increase of 1.57 Wm−2 corresponding to a negative radiative forcing and a cooling.

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 4925-4942 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Schreier ◽  
A. A. Kokhanovsky ◽  
V. Eyring ◽  
L. Bugliaro ◽  
H. Mannstein ◽  
...  

Abstract. Modifications of existing clouds by the exhaust of ships are well-known but inadequately quantified impacts, which could contribute to climate change. The perturbation of a cloud layer by ship-generated aerosol changes the cloud reflectivity and is identified by long curves in satellite images, known as ship tracks. As ship tracks indicate a pollution of a very clean marine environment and also affect the radiation budget below and above the cloud, it is important to investigate their radiative and climatic effects. Satellite-data from MODIS on Terra are used to examine a scene from 10 February 2003 where ship tracks were detected close to the North American West-Coast. The cloud optical and microphysical properties are derived using a semi-analytical retrieval technique combined with a look-up-table approach. An algorithm is presented to distinguish ship-track-pixels from the unperturbed cloud pixels in the scene and from this the optical properties of the former are compared to those of the latter. Within the ship tracks a significant change in the droplet number concentration, the effective radius and the optical thickness are found compared to the unaffected cloud. The resulting cloud properties are used to calculate the radiation budget below and above the cloud. Assuming a mean solar zenith angle of 63° for the selected scene, the mean solar surface radiation below the ship track is decreased by 43.2 Wm−2 and the mean reflectance at top of atmosphere (TOA) is increased by 40.8 Wm−2. For the entire analyzed scene the ship emission decreases the solar radiation at the surface by 2.1 Wm−2 and increases the backscattered solar radiation at TOA by 2.0 Wm−2, whereas no significant effect on thermal radiation was detected.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1905-1915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjun Tang ◽  
Kun Yang ◽  
Jun Qin ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Xiaolei Niu

Abstract. The recent release of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) HXG cloud products and new ERA5 reanalysis data enabled us to produce a global surface solar radiation (SSR) dataset: a 16-year (2000–2015) high-resolution (3 h, 10 km) global SSR dataset using an improved physical parameterization scheme. The main inputs were cloud optical depth from ISCCP-HXG cloud products; the water vapor, surface pressure and ozone from ERA5 reanalysis data; and albedo and aerosol from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products. The estimated SSR data were evaluated against surface observations measured at 42 stations of the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) and 90 radiation stations of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). Validation against the BSRN data indicated that the mean bias error (MBE), root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (R) for the instantaneous SSR estimates at 10 km scale were −11.5 W m−2, 113.5 W m−2 and 0.92, respectively. When the estimated instantaneous SSR data were upscaled to 90 km, its error was clearly reduced, with RMSE decreasing to 93.4 W m−2 and R increasing to 0.95. For daily SSR estimates at 90 km scale, the MBE, RMSE and R at the BSRN were −5.8 W m−2, 33.1 W m−2 and 0.95, respectively. These error metrics at the CMA radiation stations were 2.1 W m−2, 26.9 W m−2 and 0.95, respectively. Comparisons with other global satellite radiation products indicated that our SSR estimates were generally better than those of the ISCCP flux dataset (ISCCP-FD), the global energy and water cycle experiment surface radiation budget (GEWEX-SRB), and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES). Our SSR dataset will contribute to the land-surface process simulations and the photovoltaic applications in the future. The dataset is available at  https://doi.org/10.11888/Meteoro.tpdc.270112 (Tang, 2019).


1985 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 238-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Yamanouchi ◽  
Sadao Kawaguchi

Effects of drifting snow are examined from measurements of radiation fluxes at Mizuho Station in the katabatic wind zone, Antarctica. A good correlation is found between the difference of downward longwave fluxes measured at two heights and wind speed used as an index of drifting snow. The wind increases the downward flux at a rate of 2 W m-2/m s-2 when wind speed is higher than 13 m/s. Drifting snow suppresses the net longwave cooling at the surface. Direct solar radiation is depleted greatly by the drifting snow; however, the global flux decreases only slightly, compensated by the large increase of the diffuse flux, at a rate of about 1% for each 1 m/s increase in wind speed. At Mizuho Station, the effect on longwave radiation prevails throughout the year. The relation between snow drift content and wind speed is obtained from shortwave optical depth measurements as a function of wind speed. A simple parameterization of radiative properties is given.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 7467-7485
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Cox ◽  
David C. Noone ◽  
Max Berkelhammer ◽  
Matthew D. Shupe ◽  
William D. Neff ◽  
...  

Abstract. Radiation fogs at Summit Station, Greenland (72.58∘ N, 38.48∘ W; 3210 m a.s.l.), are frequently reported by observers. The fogs are often accompanied by fogbows, indicating the particles are composed of liquid; and because of the low temperatures at Summit, this liquid is supercooled. Here we analyze the formation of these fogs as well as their physical and radiative properties. In situ observations of particle size and droplet number concentration were made using scattering spectrometers near 2 and 10 m height from 2012 to 2014. These data are complemented by colocated observations of meteorology, turbulent and radiative fluxes, and remote sensing. We find that liquid fogs occur in all seasons with the highest frequency in September and a minimum in April. Due to the characteristics of the boundary-layer meteorology, the fogs are elevated, forming between 2 and 10 m, and the particles then fall toward the surface. The diameter of mature particles is typically 20–25 µm in summer. Number concentrations are higher at warmer temperatures and, thus, higher in summer compared to winter. The fogs form at temperatures as warm as −5 ∘C, while the coldest form at temperatures approaching −40 ∘C. Facilitated by the elevated condensation, in winter two-thirds of fogs occurred within a relatively warm layer above the surface when the near-surface air was below −40 ∘C, as cold as −57 ∘C, which is too cold to support liquid water. This implies that fog particles settling through this layer of cold air freeze in the air column before contacting the surface, thereby accumulating at the surface as ice without riming. Liquid fogs observed under otherwise clear skies annually imparted 1.5 W m−2 of cloud radiative forcing (CRF). While this is a small contribution to the surface radiation climatology, individual events are influential. The mean CRF during liquid fog events was 26 W m−2, and was sometimes much higher. An extreme case study was observed to radiatively force 5 ∘C of surface warming during the coldest part of the day, effectively damping the diurnal cycle. At lower elevations of the ice sheet where melting is more common, such damping could signal a role for fogs in preconditioning the surface for melting later in the day.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 7605-7621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Kienast-Sjögren ◽  
Christian Rolf ◽  
Patric Seifert ◽  
Ulrich K. Krieger ◽  
Bei P. Luo ◽  
...  

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.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 8777-8799
Author(s):  
B. Barja ◽  
J. C. Antuña

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.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Possner ◽  
Ryan Eastman ◽  
Frida Bender ◽  
Franziska Glassmeier

&lt;p&gt;Marine stratocumuli cover around a fifth of the worlds oceans and are a key contributor to Earth&amp;#8217;s radiative balance at the surface. Their sensitivity to changes in anthropogenic aerosol concentrations remain a key uncertainty in the climate system. Our current understanding of their sensitivity and the plausible range of the aerosol-cloud radiative forcing is largely based on the process understanding obtained from field campaigns, high-resolution modelling, and satellite records of aerosol-induced phenomena such as volcano or ship tracks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yet, a large fraction of these records is only applicable to relatively shallow planetary boundary layers (PBLs). Ship tracks are only found in boundary layers up to a depth of 800m. Field campaigns and high-resolution modelling studies of aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions in marine stratocumuli have been restricted to a similar range of PBL depths in the past. Meanwhile over 70% of marine boundary layers reside in deeper PBLs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The liquid water path (LWP) adjustment due to aerosol-cloud interactions in marine stratocumuli remains a considerable source of uncertainty for climate sensitivity estimates. An unequivocal attribution of LWP adjustments to changes in aerosol concentration from climatology remains difficult due to the considerable covariance between meteorological conditions alongside changes in aerosol concentrations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here, we combine a range of space-born remote sensing retrievals to investigate the relationship of cloud-radiative properties for different boundary layer depths and aerosol concentrations. As done in previous studies we utilise the susceptibility framework, i.e. the relative change in LWP scaled by the relative change in cloud droplet number concentration, to quantify the change in LWP adjustment with PBL depth. We show that the susceptibility of LWP adjustments triples in magnitude from values of -0.1 in PBLs shallower than 0.5 km to -0.33 in PBLs deeper than 1 km.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We further argue that LWP susceptibility estimates inferred from deep PBL climatologies are poorly constrained due to a lack of process-oriented observations. Meanwhile, susceptibilities inferred from climatology in shallow PBL regimes are consistent with estimates obtained from process modelling studies, but are overestimated as compared to pollution track estimates.&lt;/p&gt;


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 3333-3348 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Leibensperger ◽  
L. J. Mickley ◽  
D. J. Jacob ◽  
W.-T. Chen ◽  
J. H. Seinfeld ◽  
...  

Abstract. We calculate decadal aerosol direct and indirect (warm cloud) radiative forcings from US anthropogenic sources over the 1950–2050 period. Past and future aerosol distributions are constructed using GEOS-Chem and historical emission inventories and future projections from the IPCC A1B scenario. Aerosol simulations are evaluated with observed spatial distributions and 1980–2010 trends of aerosol concentrations and wet deposition in the contiguous US. Direct and indirect radiative forcing is calculated using the GISS general circulation model and monthly mean aerosol distributions from GEOS-Chem. The radiative forcing from US anthropogenic aerosols is strongly localized over the eastern US. We find that its magnitude peaked in 1970–1990, with values over the eastern US (east of 100° W) of −2.0 W m−2 for direct forcing including contributions from sulfate (−2.0 W m−2), nitrate (−0.2 W m−2), organic carbon (−0.2 W m−2), and black carbon (+0.4 W m−2). The uncertainties in radiative forcing due to aerosol radiative properties are estimated to be about 50%. The aerosol indirect effect is estimated to be of comparable magnitude to the direct forcing. We find that the magnitude of the forcing declined sharply from 1990 to 2010 (by 0.8 W m−2 direct and 1.0 W m−2 indirect), mainly reflecting decreases in SO2 emissions, and project that it will continue declining post-2010 but at a much slower rate since US SO2 emissions have already declined by almost 60% from their peak. This suggests that much of the warming effect of reducing US anthropogenic aerosol sources has already been realized. The small positive radiative forcing from US BC emissions (+0.3 W m−2 over the eastern US in 2010; 5% of the global forcing from anthropogenic BC emissions worldwide) suggests that a US emission control strategy focused on BC would have only limited climate benefit.


2001 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-218
Author(s):  
Jaime Garatuza-Payán ◽  
W. James Shuttleworth ◽  
Rachel T. Pinker

Se realizaron estimaciones cada media hora de radiación solar a partir de datos de satélite para el Valle del Yaqui en Sonora, México, para el período de noviembre de 1998 a marzo de 1999. Las estimaciones se hicieron en una malla de 50 km usando el algoritmo de "Global Energy and Water-Cycle Experiment Surface Radiation Budget (GEWEX/SRB)" aplicado con datos de GOES-East y, en una malla de 4 km, usando una versión de alta resolución del mismo algoritmo con datos de GOES-West. Los resultados se compararon con mediciones de terreno en dos sitios. En promedio, usando la actual calibración de los radiómetros de los satélites, los valores derivados de GOES-East son 18% mayores que los medidos en terreno, mientras que los de GOES-West son 9% menores. Asumiendo que estas diferencias sistemáticas reflejan la pobre calibración de los sensores en los satélites, las estimaciones fueron recalibradas por separado para ajustarse a los datos de campo. Después de la recalibración, existen aún diferencias entre las estimaciones y las observaciones porque el satélite da una estimación instantánea promedio de un área, mientras que la observación de campo representa una medición puntual promedio para un cierto intervalo de tiempo. Estas discrepancias se reducen cuando se comparan valores promedios diarios. El error entre el satélite y las mediciones es menor para la estimación de alta resolución, y existe mejoría en el detalle espacial con los datos de alta resolución, haciéndolos preferibles en aplicaciones hidrológicas. Investigaciones anteriores han demostrado la capacidad para estimar evaporación potencial a partir de radiación solar diaria usando una versión de la ecuación de Makkink calibrada localmente y los factores de cultivo relevantes han sido derivados para trigo y algodón. Finalmente, se demuestra la aplicación de las estimaciones de radiación solar de alta resolución para derivar estimaciones diarias de evapotranspiración en campos de trigo y algodón.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 8829-8848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Lisok ◽  
Anna Rozwadowska ◽  
Jesper G. Pedersen ◽  
Krzysztof M. Markowicz ◽  
Christoph Ritter ◽  
...  

Abstract. The aim of the presented study was to investigate the impact on the radiation budget of a biomass-burning plume, transported from Alaska to the High Arctic region of Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, in early July 2015. Since the mean aerosol optical depth increased by the factor of 10 above the average summer background values, this large aerosol load event is considered particularly exceptional in the last 25 years. In situ data with hygroscopic growth equations, as well as remote sensing measurements as inputs to radiative transfer models, were used, in order to estimate biases associated with (i) hygroscopicity, (ii) variability of single-scattering albedo profiles, and (iii) plane-parallel closure of the modelled atmosphere. A chemical weather model with satellite-derived biomass-burning emissions was applied to interpret the transport and transformation pathways. The provided MODTRAN radiative transfer model (RTM) simulations for the smoke event (14:00 9 July–11:30 11 July) resulted in a mean aerosol direct radiative forcing at the levels of −78.9 and −47.0 W m−2 at the surface and at the top of the atmosphere, respectively, for the mean value of aerosol optical depth equal to 0.64 at 550 nm. This corresponded to the average clear-sky direct radiative forcing of −43.3 W m−2, estimated by radiometer and model simulations at the surface. Ultimately, uncertainty associated with the plane-parallel atmosphere approximation altered results by about 2 W m−2. Furthermore, model-derived aerosol direct radiative forcing efficiency reached on average −126 W m-2/τ550 and −71 W m-2/τ550 at the surface and at the top of the atmosphere, respectively. The heating rate, estimated at up to 1.8 K day−1 inside the biomass-burning plume, implied vertical mixing with turbulent kinetic energy of 0.3 m2 s−2.


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