scholarly journals Collaborative Research: Quantifying the Uncertainties of Aerosol Indirect Effects and Impacts on Decadal-Scale Climate Variability in NCAR CAM5 and CESM1

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athanasios Nenes
2015 ◽  
Vol 153 ◽  
pp. 59-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.K. Georgoulias ◽  
K.A. Kourtidis ◽  
G. Alexandri ◽  
S. Rapsomanikis ◽  
A. Sanchez-Lorenzo

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (21) ◽  
pp. 8493-8501 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Quaas ◽  
O. Boucher ◽  
A. Jones ◽  
G. P. Weedon ◽  
J. Kieser ◽  
...  

Abstract. A weekly cycle in aerosol pollution and some meteorological quantities is observed over Europe. In the present study we exploit this effect to analyse aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions. A weekly cycle is imposed on anthropogenic emissions in two general circulation models that include parameterizations of aerosol processes and cloud microphysics. It is found that the simulated weekly cycles in sulfur dioxide, sulfate, and aerosol optical depth in both models agree reasonably well with those observed indicating model skill in simulating the aerosol cycle. A distinct weekly cycle in cloud droplet number concentration is demonstrated in both observations and models. For other variables, such as cloud liquid water path, cloud cover, top-of-the-atmosphere radiation fluxes, precipitation, and surface temperature, large variability and contradictory results between observations, model simulations, and model control simulations without a weekly cycle in emissions prevent us from reaching any firm conclusions about the potential aerosol impact on meteorology or the realism of the modelled second aerosol indirect effects.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Jiang ◽  
Helen Worden ◽  
John R. Worden ◽  
Daven K. Henze ◽  
Dylan B. A. Jones ◽  
...  

Abstract. Decreases in surface emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) in North America have led to substantial improvements in air-quality over the last several decades. Here we show that satellite observations of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) columns over the contiguous United States (US) do not decrease after about 2009, while surface NO2 concentrations continue to decline through to the present. This divergence, if it continues, could have a substantial impact on surface air quality due to mixing of free-tropospheric air into the boundary layer. Our results show only limited contributions from local effects such as fossil fuel emissions, lightning, or instrument artifacts, but we do find a possible relationship of NO2 changes to decadal climate variability. Our analysis demonstrates that the intensity of transpacific transport is stronger in El Niño years and weaker in La Niña years, and consequently, that decadal-scale climate variability impacts the contribution of Asian emissions on North American atmospheric composition. Because of the short lifetime, it is usually believed that the direct contribution of long-range transport to tropospheric NOx distribution is limited. If our hypothesis about transported Asian emissions is correct, then this observed divergence between satellite and surface NOx could indicate mechanisms that allow for either NOx or its reservoir species to have a larger than expected effect on North American tropospheric composition. These results therefore suggest more aircraft and satellite studies to determine the possible missing processes in our understanding of the long-range transport of tropospheric NOx.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Anil Kumar ◽  
G. Pandithurai ◽  
P. P. Leena ◽  
K. K. Dani ◽  
P. Murugavel ◽  
...  

Abstract. The effect of aerosols on cloud droplet number concentration and droplet effective radius are investigated from ground-based measurements over a high-altitude site where in clouds pass over the surface. First aerosol indirect effect AIE estimates were made using i) relative changes in cloud droplet number concentration (AIEn) and ii) relative changes in droplet effective radius (AIEs) with relative changes in aerosol for different LWC values. AIE estimates from two different methods reveal that there is systematic overestimation in AIEn as compared to that of AIEs. Aerosol indirect effects (AIEn and AIEs) and Dispersion effect (DE) at different liquid water content (LWC) regimes ranging from 0.05 to 0.50 gm-3 were estimated. The analysis demonstrates that there is overestimation of AIEn as compared to AIEs which is mainly due to DE. Aerosol effects on spectral dispersion in droplet size distribution plays an important role in altering Twomey’s cooling effect and thereby changes in climate. This study shows that the higher DE in the medium LWC regime which offsets the AIE by 30%.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 3473-3481 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Bulatovic ◽  
A. M. L. Ekman ◽  
J. Savre ◽  
I. Riipinen ◽  
C. Leck

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