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Biomass smoke from southern Africa can significantly enhance the brightness of stratocumulus over the southeastern Atlantic Ocean

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [2];  [3];  [7]
  1. Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071,
  2. Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071,, International Center for Climate and Environment Sciences, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China,
  3. Physics Department, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250,, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250,
  4. School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China,
  5. Climate and Radiation Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771,
  6. Physics Department, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250,
  7. Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
+ Show Author Affiliations
Significance

Each year biomass burning (BB) aerosols emitted in southern Africa during the fire season (July–October) transport westward over the southeast Atlantic Ocean and interact with underlying stratocumulus decks. Previous studies showed that BB aerosols greatly perturb the top of atmosphere radiation balance by scattering and absorbing solar radiation and by altering cloud properties via changing the lower tropospheric stability (direct and semidirect effects). Using a state-of-the-art model in combination with satellite observations, we found that BB aerosols that are entrained into the clouds function as cloud condensation nuclei, and increase the brightness of stratocumulus clouds (indirect effect). In these models, this indirect effect dominates the direct and semidirect effects of BB aerosols over this region.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Baltimore, MD (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0014641
OSTI ID:
1423733
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1540268
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 115; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
aerosol–cloud interaction
biomass burning aerosols
stratocumulus clouds