HR: 16:00h
AN: A34C-01 INVITED    [Abstracts]
TI: The Importance of Water Uptake by Aerosols in the Climate Change Problem
AU: * Ramaswamy, V
EM: v.ramaswamy@noaa.gov
AF: NOAA/ Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton University, 201 Forrestal Road, Princeton, NJ 08542, United States
AU: Ginoux, P
EM: paul.ginoux@noaa.gov
AF: NOAA/ Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton University, 201 Forrestal Road, Princeton, NJ 08542, United States
AU: Randles, C
EM: crandles@princeton.edu
AF: NOAA/ Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton University, 201 Forrestal Road, Princeton, NJ 08542, United States
AU: Schwarzkopf, M D
EM: dan.schwarzkopf@noaa.gov
AF: NOAA/ Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton University, 201 Forrestal Road, Princeton, NJ 08542, United States
AB: It is well understood that aerosol species have and are continuing to play a central role in the radiative forcing of the climate system. While the role of single-scattering properties of aerosols on climate is generally well- recognized, a key factor that governs the aerosol optical property viz., the hygroscopic growth has received insufficient attention particularly in terms of its role in the climatic impacts due to aerosols. A sensitivity investigation is performed that quantitatively highlights the consequence of the growth of sea-salt-organic carbon mixtures for radiative forcing. Next, we employ the GFDL coupled atmosphere-ocean model to study specifically the aerosol radiative forcing and climate response arising due to the hygroscopic features of sulfate aerosols as they have increased from preindustrial to present-day. We make use of observations of optical depth and surface concentrations to evaluate the reliability of the simulated hygroscopic growth. Regional climate responses in Europe, Asia and Africa are examined, with a focus on temperature, hydrological cycle and surface energy budgets. The importance of hygroscopicity in the climate change problem is put in perspective by comparing the climatic effects with those due to aerosol absorption as well as with those caused by the infrared-absorbing long- lived greenhouse gases. Further, we explore the climate consequence arising from the scenarios of the future emissions of aerosols and the associated hygroscopicity effects.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906)
DE: 0320 Cloud physics and chemistry
DE: 1600 GLOBAL CHANGE
DE: 1637 Regional climate change
DE: 3311 Clouds and aerosols
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting