HR: 08:30h
AN: GC41B-03 [Abstracts]
TI: Modeling the Wavelength and Time Dependence of Solar Forcing of Earth~{!/~}s Atmosphere
AU: * Cahalan, R F
EM: Robert.F.Cahalan@nasa.gov
AF: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, MD 20771, United
States
AU: Wen, G
EM: wen@climate.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, MD 20771, United
States
AU: Wen, G
EM: wen@climate.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: Univeristy of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hiiltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, United
States
AU: Pilewskie, P
EM: Peter.Pilewskie@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: University of Colorado, Duane Physics, Rm D-317, Boulder, Co 80309, United States
AU: Shindell, D
EM:
AB:
Solar forcing is the primary external forcing of Earth's climate. Climate response to solar radiative forcing is poorly
understood, and previous to SORCE there has been limited information about the spectral character of solar
variations. Variations in total solar irradiance (TSI) have contributions from spectral bands ranging from the
ultraviolet, through the visible, to the near infrared. These three solar spectral regions, UV, VIS, and NIR, force the
stratosphere, troposphere, and ocean mixed layers, respectively. UV is responsible for stratospheric heating, and
formation of the ozone layer; VIS heats the Ocean Mixed layer and drives upper oceanic circulation; and NIR
directly heats the troposphere by water vapor absorption, as well as through cloud and other feedbacks. In this
study, we use a simple 1D radiative convective model (RCM) (Arking, 2005) to study the response of surface and
atmospheric temperatures to the spectral forcing of solar radiation as observed by the Spectral Irradiance Monitor
(SIM) on SORCE. Preliminary RCM results show significant differences in surface temperature when driven by
the SIM spectral solar irradiance (SSI) as compared to responses to SSI variations assumed in previous climate
studies (e.g., Kurucz and Bell, 1995).
Reference
Arking, A., (2005), Effects of Bias in Solar Radiative Transfer Codes on Global Climate Model Simulations,
Geophys. Res. Lett., VOL 32, L20717, doi:10.1029/2005GL023644.
Kurucz, R. L. and Bell, B., (1995), Cambridge, Smithsonian Astrophys. Obs., CD-rom No. 23.
DE: 1650 Solar variability (7537)
DE: 7538 Solar irradiance
SC: Global Environmental Change [GC]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting