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Title: Climate Impacts From a Removal of Anthropogenic Aerosol Emissions: Climate Impacts From a Removal of Anthropogenic Aerosol Emissions

Journal Article · · Geophysical Research Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017gl076079· OSTI ID:1499122

Limiting global warming to 1.5 or 2.0°C requires strong mitigation of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Concurrently, emissions of anthropogenic aerosols will decline, due to coemission with GHG, and measures to improve air quality. However, the combined climate effect of GHG and aerosol emissions over the industrial era is poorly constrained. Here we show the climate impacts from removing present-day anthropogenic aerosol emissions and compare them to the impacts from moderate GHG-dominated global warming. Removing aerosols induces a global mean surface heating of 0.5–1.1°C, and precipitation increase of 2.0–4.6%. Extreme weather indices also increase. We find a higher sensitivity of extreme events to aerosol reductions, per degree of surface warming, in particular over the major aerosol emission regions. Under near-term warming, we find that regional climate change will depend strongly on the balance between aerosol and GHG forcing.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012549
OSTI ID:
1499122
Journal Information:
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 45, Issue 2; ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 96 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Assessment of candidate distributions for SPI/SPEI and sensitivity of drought to climatic variables in China journal April 2019
The role of anthropogenic aerosols in future precipitation extremes over the Asian Monsoon Region journal October 2018
Projected changes in temperature, precipitation, and their extremes over China through the RegCM journal July 2019
Attributable damage liability in a non-linear climate journal February 2019
The Role of Anthropogenic Aerosol Forcing in Interdecadal Variations of Summertime Upper‐Tropospheric Temperature Over East Asia journal February 2019
How Uneven Are Changes to Impact-Relevant Climate Hazards in a 1.5 °C World and Beyond? journal July 2018
How Daily Temperature and Precipitation Distributions Evolve With Global Surface Temperature. journal December 2019
Current fossil fuel infrastructure does not yet commit us to 1.5 °C warming journal January 2019
Climate policy for short- and long-lived pollutants journal October 2018
Climate effects of aerosols reduce economic inequality journal February 2020
Emerging Asian aerosol patterns journal July 2019
Changes in atmospheric shortwave absorption as important driver of dimming and brightening journal February 2020
Extreme wet and dry conditions affected differently by greenhouse gases and aerosols journal July 2019
Effects of fossil fuel and total anthropogenic emission removal on public health and climate journal March 2019
The national security implications of solar geoengineering: an Australian perspective journal September 2019
Satellite detection of aerosol-produced temperature change journal June 2019
Robust changes in tropical rainy season length at 1.5 °C and 2 °C journal June 2018
Climate and carbon budget implications of linked future changes in CO 2 and non-CO 2 forcing journal March 2019
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Climate extremes, land–climate feedbacks and land-use forcing at 1.5°C
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journal April 2018
How cleaner air changes the climate journal April 2018
Deriving Aerosol Absorption Properties from Solar Ultraviolet Radiation Spectral Measurements at Thessaloniki, Greece journal September 2019
Anthropogenic aerosol forcing under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways journal January 2019
Significant climate impacts of aerosol changes driven by growth in energy use and advances in emission control technology journal January 2019
The regional temperature implications of strong air quality measures journal January 2019
Role of climate model dynamics in estimated climate responses to anthropogenic aerosols journal January 2019
The governance of solar geoengineering: by Jesse L. Reynolds, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2019, viii + 268 pp., indices, £69.99 (hardback), ISBN 978 1 107 16195 5; £26.99 (paperback), 978 1 316 61413 6 journal May 2020
Current fossil fuel infrastructure does not yet commit us to 1.5 degrees C warming text January 2019
Climate extremes, land-climate feedbacks and land-use forcing at 1.5° C text January 2018

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