Solar radiative forcing at selected locations and evidence for global lower tropospheric cooling following the eruptions of El Chichon and Pinatubo

Journal Article · Wed Dec 02 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/92GL02495· OSTI ID:6999439

Dutton, E G ^[1]; Christy, J R ^[2]

---

1. NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Lab., Boulder, CO (United States)
2. Univ. of Alabama, Huntsville (United States)

As a result of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo (June 1991), direct solar radiation was observed to decrease by as much as 25-30% at four remote locations widely distributed in latitude. The average total aerosol optical depth for the first 10 months after the Pinatubo eruption at those sites is 1.7 times greater than that observed following the 1982 eruption of El Chichon. Monthly-mean clear-sky total solar irradiance at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, decreased by as much as 5% and averaged 2.4% and 2.7% in the first 10 months after the El Chichon and Pinatubo eruptions, respectively. By September 1992 the global and northern hemispheric lower tropospheric temperatures had decreased 0.5[degrees]C and 0.7[degrees]C, respectively compared to pre-Pinatubo levels. The temperature record examined consists of globally uniform observations from satellite microwave sounding units.

• OSTI ID: 6999439
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States) Vol. 19:23; ISSN GPRLAJ; ISSN 0094-8276
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
CLIMATIC CHANGE
COOLING
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ERUPTION
FLUIDS
GASES
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
RADIATIONS
SATELLITES
SOLAR RADIATION
STELLAR RADIATION
SURVEYS
TEMPERATURE SURVEYS
TROPOSPHERE
VOLCANIC GASES