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gfdl's home page > gfdl on-line bibliography > 1988: Aerosols and Climate, 349-372
Aerosol radiative forcing and model responses
| Ramaswamy, V., 1988: Aerosol radiative forcing and model responses. In Aerosols and Climate, A. Deepak Publishing, 349-372. |
| Abstract: The effects on the surface-atmosphere system due to aerosols are surveyed, with an emphasis on the radiative aspects of aerosols generated by noncatastrophic, nonepisodic events. Solar absorption and scattering by one type of "nominal" tropospheric aerosols is chosen as an example to illustrate the nature of the perturbations in the radiative fluxes at the surface, at the top of atmosphere, and in the atmospheric layers. The range in the magnitude of the perturbations can be quite large when catastrophic or episodic events are also considered. The effects of the aerosol perturbations in the solar spectrum are analyzed by considering the compensation effects due to radiative and radiative-convective mechanisms. These constitute idealistic atmospheric responses, wherein all the mechanisms are confined in a local vertical column and changes in the hydrologic cycle are ignored. Estimates of these responses are compared with those reported from global three-dimensional general circulation model simulations. The results suggest that an aerosol-induced radiative forcing can cause changes in the local energy balance and in the circulation, besides causing changes in the atmospheric thermal profile. |
| The coupling of the aerosol microphysics and radiative and dynamical mechanisms has been achieved thus far only in the study of catastrophic and episodic events. Future investigations would need to focus more on these aspects for all types of aerosols. Robust estimates of the sources and optical properties as well as a better understanding of the microphysical and transport processes are needed to assess the aerosol-induced radiative-dynamical-microphysical interactions unambiguously.The coupling of the aerosol microphysics and radiative and dynamical mechanisms has been achieved thus far only in the study of catastrophic and episodic events. Future investigations would need to focus more on these aspects for all types of aerosols. Robust estimates of the sources and optical properties as well as a better understanding of the microphysical and transport processes are needed to assess the aerosol-induced radiative-dynamical-microphysical interactions unambiguously. |