Aerosol direct radiative effect of smoke over clouds over the southeast Atlantic Ocean from 2006 to 2009

de Graaf, M., Bellouin, N. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2109-9559, Tilstra, L.G., Haywood, J. and Stammes, P. (2014) Aerosol direct radiative effect of smoke over clouds over the southeast Atlantic Ocean from 2006 to 2009. Geophysical Research Letters, 41 (21). pp. 7723-7730. ISSN 0094-8276 doi: 10.1002/2014GL061103

Abstract/Summary

The aerosol direct radiative effect (DRE) of African smoke was analyzed in cloud scenes over the southeast Atlantic Ocean, using Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography (SCIAMACHY) satellite observations and Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model version 2 (HadGEM2) climate model simulations. The observed mean DRE was about 30–35 W m−2 in August and September 2006–2009. In some years, short episodes of high-aerosol DRE can be observed, due to high-aerosol loadings, while in other years the loadings are lower but more prolonged. Climate models that use evenly distributed monthly averaged emission fields will not reproduce these high-aerosol loadings. Furthermore, the simulated monthly mean aerosol DRE in HadGEM2 is only about 6 W m−2 in August. The difference with SCIAMACHY mean observations can be partly explained by an underestimation of the aerosol absorption Ångström exponent in the ultraviolet. However, the subsequent increase of aerosol DRE simulation by about 20% is not enough to explain the observed discrepancy between simulations and observations.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/38689
Identification Number/DOI	10.1002/2014GL061103
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > Department of Meteorology
Uncontrolled Keywords	clouds;aerosols;climate change;remote sensing
Publisher	American Geophysical Union
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