Aerosol direct radiative effect of smoke over clouds over the southeast Atlantic Ocean from 2006 to 2009
de Graaf, M; Bellouin, N; Tilstra, LG; et al.Haywood, J; Stammes, P
Date: 16 November 2014
Article
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Publisher DOI
Abstract
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 ...
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 about6Wm−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.
Mathematics and Statistics
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
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