scholarly journals The Angular Distribution of UV-B Sky Radiance under Cloudy Conditions: A Comparison of Measurements and Radiative Transfer Calculations Using a Fractal Cloud Model

2004 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 751-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Kuchinke ◽  
Kurt Fienberg ◽  
Manuel Nunez
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Cloud Model ◽  
Dynamic Movement ◽  
Transfer Measurement ◽  
Beam Interruption ◽  
Sky Radiance ◽  
Radiation Modeling ◽  
Radiance Distribution ◽  
Fractal Cloud

Abstract In recent years, global warming concerns have focused attention on cloud radiative forcing and its accurate encapsulation in radiative transfer measurement and modeling programs. At present, this process is constrained by the dynamic movement and inhomogeneity of cloud structure. This study attempts to quantify the UV sky radiance distribution induced by a partial and overcast stratiform cloud field while addressing some of the inherent spatial and temporal errors resulting from cloud. For this purpose, high-quality azimuthally averaged 2-min measurements of erythemal UV-B sky radiance distribution were undertaken by a variable sky-view platform at Hobart, Australia (42.90°S, 147.33°E). Measurements were subsequently compared with Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations using both a multifractal and plane-parallel homogenous (PPH) cloud field. Data were also compared with several empirical parameterizations. Results at solar zenith angles of 30° and 50° show that for overcast conditions, the multifractal model is superior to the PPH model. For broken cloud conditions, the radiance measurements are biased toward higher instances of direct-beam interruption by cloud. This tends to smooth the near-sun sky radiance field whereas the multifractal model under the same conditions continues to exhibit the circumsolar effect, indicating that its performance may be still valid for radiation modeling. An empirical parameterization of the same multifractal model produced similar sky radiance profiles, warranting its use in radiative transfer models.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of aerosol radiative effects to different mixing assumptions in the AEROPT 1.0 submodel of the EMAC atmospheric-chemistry–climate model

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 2503-2516 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Klingmüller ◽  
B. Steil ◽  
C. Brühl ◽  
H. Tost ◽  
J. Lelieveld
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Mixing Rule ◽  
Aerosol Optical Properties ◽  
Internal Mixing ◽  
Aerosol Radiative

Abstract. The modelling of aerosol radiative forcing is a major cause of uncertainty in the assessment of global and regional atmospheric energy budgets and climate change. One reason is the strong dependence of the aerosol optical properties on the mixing state of aerosol components, such as absorbing black carbon and, predominantly scattering sulfates. Using a new column version of the aerosol optical properties and radiative-transfer code of the ECHAM/MESSy atmospheric-chemistry–climate model (EMAC), we study the radiative transfer applying various mixing states. The aerosol optics code builds on the AEROPT (AERosol OPTical properties) submodel, which assumes homogeneous internal mixing utilising the volume average refractive index mixing rule. We have extended the submodel to additionally account for external mixing, partial external mixing and multilayered particles. Furthermore, we have implemented the volume average dielectric constant and Maxwell Garnett mixing rule. We performed regional case studies considering columns over China, India and Africa, corroborating much stronger absorption by internal than external mixtures. Well-mixed aerosol is a good approximation for particles with a black-carbon core, whereas particles with black carbon at the surface absorb significantly less. Based on a model simulation for the year 2005, we calculate that the global aerosol direct radiative forcing for homogeneous internal mixing differs from that for external mixing by about 0.5 W m−2.

Aerosol influences on radiative heating rates in the Asian tropopause aerosol layer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Gao ◽  
Jonathon Wright
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Radiative Heating ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variability ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Heating Rates ◽  
Aerosol Analysis

<p>The Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) has emerged over recent decades to play an increasingly prominent role in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere above the Asian monsoon region. Although the effects of the ATAL on the surface and top-of-atmosphere radiation budget have been examined by several studies, the processes and effects by which the ATAL alters radiative transfer within the tropopause layer have been much less discussed. We have used a conditional composite approach to investigate aerosol mixing ratios and their impacts on radiative heating rates in the Asian monsoon tropopause layer in MERRA-2. We have then subsampled in time based on known volcanic eruptions and the evolution of emission and data assimilation inputs to the MERRA-2 aerosol analysis to isolate the ATAL contribution and compare it to radiative heating signatures in the monsoon anticyclone region after volcanic eruptions. The results indicate that the ATAL impact on radiative heating rates in this region is on the order of 0.1 K/day, similar to that associated with ozone variability in MERRA-2 but weaker than cloud radiative effects at these altitudes. We have validated these results and tested their sensitivity to variations in the vertical structure and composition of ATAL aerosols using offline radiative transfer simulations. The idealized simulations produce similar but slightly stronger responses of radiative heating rates to the ATAL and are in good agreement with previous estimates of the top-of-atmosphere radiative forcing. Although the ATAL perturbations inferred from MERRA-2 are only about 10% of mean heating rates at these levels, their spatial distribution suggests potential implications for both isentropic and diabatic transport within the monsoon anticyclone, which should be examined in future work. Our results are limited by uncertainties in the composition and spatiotemporal variability of the ATAL, and reflect only the conditions in this layer as represented by MERRA-2. Targeted observations and model simulations are needed to adequately constrain the uncertainties, particularly with respect to the relative proportions and contributions of nitrate aerosols, which are not included in the MERRA-2 aerosol analysis.</p>

Radiative forcing over the Arctic of aerosols from the August 2017 Canadian and Greenlandic wildfires

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo Calì Quaglia ◽  
Daniela Meloni ◽  
Alcide Giorgio di Sarra ◽  
Tatiana Di Iorio ◽  
Virginia Ciardini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Solar Zenith Angle ◽  
Surface Albedo ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Radiative Effect

<p>Extended and intense wildfires occurred in Northern Canada and, unexpectedly, on the Greenlandic West coast during summer 2017. The thick smoke plume emitted into the atmosphere was transported to the high Arctic, producing one of the largest impacts ever observed in the region. Evidence of Canadian and Greenlandic wildfires was recorded at the Thule High Arctic Atmospheric Observatory (THAAO, 76.5°N, 68.8°W, www.thuleatmos-it.it) by a suite of instruments managed by ENEA, INGV, Univ. of Florence, and NCAR. Ground-based observations of the radiation budget have allowed quantification of the surface radiative forcing at THAAO. </p><p>Excess biomass burning chemical tracers such as CO, HCN, H2CO, C2H6, and NH3 were  measured in the air column above Thule starting from August 19 until August 23. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) reached a peak value of about 0.9 on August 21, while an enhancement of wildfire compounds was  detected in PM10. The measured shortwave radiative forcing was -36.7 W/m2 at 78° solar zenith angle (SZA) for AOD=0.626.</p><p>MODTRAN6.0 radiative transfer model (Berk et al., 2014) was used to estimate the aerosol radiative effect and the heating rate profiles at 78° SZA. Measured temperature profiles, integrated water vapour, surface albedo, spectral AOD and aerosol extinction profiles from CALIOP onboard CALIPSO were used as model input. The peak  aerosol heating rate (+0.5 K/day) was  reached within the aerosol layer between 8 and 12 km, while the maximum radiative effect (-45.4 W/m2) is found at 3 km, below the largest aerosol layer.</p><p>The regional impact of the event that occurred on August 21 was investigated using a combination of atmospheric radiative transfer modelling with measurements of AOD and ground surface albedo from MODIS. The aerosol properties used in the radiative transfer model were constrained by in situ measurements from THAAO. Albedo data over the ocean have been obtained from Jin et al. (2004). Backward trajectories produced through HYSPLIT simulations (Stein et al., 2015) were also employed to trace biomass burning plumes.</p><p>The radiative forcing efficiency (RFE) over land and ocean was derived, finding values spanning from -3 W/m2 to -132 W/m2, depending on surface albedo and solar zenith angle. The fire plume covered a vast portion of the Arctic, with large values of the daily shortwave RF (< -50 W/m2) lasting for a few days. This large amount of aerosol is expected to influence cloud properties in the Arctic, producing significant indirect radiative effects.</p>

scholarly journals Radiative forcing by long-lived greenhouse gases: Calculations with the AER radiative transfer models

2008 ◽  
Vol 113 (D13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Iacono ◽  
Jennifer S. Delamere ◽  
Eli J. Mlawer ◽  
Mark W. Shephard ◽  
Shepard A. Clough ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Radiative Transfer Models ◽  
Transfer Models

scholarly journals Retrieval of Key Aerosol Optical Parameters from Spectral Direct and Diffuse Irradiances Observed by a Radiometer with Nonideal Cosine Response Characteristic

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 683-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pradeep Khatri ◽  
Tamio Takamura ◽  
Akihiro Yamazaki ◽  
Yutaka Kondo
Keyword(s):  
Direct Effect ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Response Characteristic ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Optical Parameters ◽  
Aerosol Radiative Forcing ◽  
Aerosol Direct Effect ◽  
Diffuse Irradiance ◽  
Isotropic Distribution ◽  
Sky Radiance

Abstract The spectral direct and diffuse irradiances observed by a radiometer with a horizontal surface detector have been frequently used to study aerosol optical parameters, such as aerosol optical thickness (τaer) and single scattering albedo (ω). Such radiometers more or less lack an ideal cosine response. Generally, either the cosine error of observed diffuse irradiance was corrected by assuming an isotropic distribution of sky radiance or it was neglected in the past studies. This study presents an algorithm to retrieve τaer and ω from direct and diffuse irradiances observed by a radiometer with a nonideal cosine response characteristic by taking into account the cosine errors of observed irradiances in detail. The proposed algorithm considers the anisotropic distribution of sky radiance while correcting the cosine error of observed diffuse irradiance. This algorithm can also be used to calculate the cosine error correction factor of diffuse irradiance. The results show that the aerosol optical parameters and the aerosol direct effect (aerosol radiative forcing and the heating rate) can be heavily affected by the cosine errors of observed direct and diffuse irradiances. The study further shows that assuming the isotropic distribution of sky radiance while correcting the cosine error of observed diffuse irradiance can affect the retrieved ω at small and large solar zenith angles; thus, the estimated aerosol direct effect can be quantitatively affected. Because of the cosine errors, this study found the actual values of diffuse irradiances at different wavelengths were underestimated by around 5%–11%.

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