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Title: Anthropogenic combustion iron as a complex climate forcer

Abstract

Atmospheric iron affects the global carbon cycle by modulating ocean biogeochemistry through the deposition of soluble iron to the ocean. Iron emitted by anthropogenic (fossil fuel) combustion is a source of soluble iron that is currently considered less important than other soluble iron sources, such as mineral dust and biomass burning. Here we show that the atmospheric burden of anthropogenic combustion iron is 8 times greater than previous estimates by incorporating recent measurements of anthropogenic magnetite into a global aerosol model. This new estimation increases the total deposition flux of soluble iron to southern oceans (30-90 °S) by 52%, with a larger contribution of anthropogenic combustion iron than dust and biomass burning sources. The direct radiative forcing of anthropogenic magnetite is estimated to be 0.021 W m-2 globally and 0.22 W m-2 over East Asia. Our results demonstrate that anthropogenic combustion iron is a larger and more complex climate forcer than previously thought, and therefore plays a key role in the Earth system

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3];  [3];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [5]
  1. Nagoya Univ., Nagoya (Japan); Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
  2. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
  3. Univ. of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)
  4. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  5. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
National Science Foundation (NSF); Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Earth and Environmental Systems Science Division
OSTI Identifier:
1437039
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1594110
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830; SC0006791; SC0006735
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nature Communications
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 9; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Atmospheric chemistry; Atmospheric science; Climate and Earth system modelling; Climate change; Climate sciences

Citation Formats

Matsui, Hitoshi, Mahowald, Natalie M., Moteki, Nobuhiro, Hamilton, Douglas S., Ohata, Sho, Yoshida, Atsushi, Koike, Makoto, Scanza, Rachel A., and Flanner, Mark G. Anthropogenic combustion iron as a complex climate forcer. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03997-0.
Matsui, Hitoshi, Mahowald, Natalie M., Moteki, Nobuhiro, Hamilton, Douglas S., Ohata, Sho, Yoshida, Atsushi, Koike, Makoto, Scanza, Rachel A., & Flanner, Mark G. Anthropogenic combustion iron as a complex climate forcer. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03997-0
Matsui, Hitoshi, Mahowald, Natalie M., Moteki, Nobuhiro, Hamilton, Douglas S., Ohata, Sho, Yoshida, Atsushi, Koike, Makoto, Scanza, Rachel A., and Flanner, Mark G. Mon . "Anthropogenic combustion iron as a complex climate forcer". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03997-0. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1437039.
@article{osti_1437039,
title = {Anthropogenic combustion iron as a complex climate forcer},
author = {Matsui, Hitoshi and Mahowald, Natalie M. and Moteki, Nobuhiro and Hamilton, Douglas S. and Ohata, Sho and Yoshida, Atsushi and Koike, Makoto and Scanza, Rachel A. and Flanner, Mark G.},
abstractNote = {Atmospheric iron affects the global carbon cycle by modulating ocean biogeochemistry through the deposition of soluble iron to the ocean. Iron emitted by anthropogenic (fossil fuel) combustion is a source of soluble iron that is currently considered less important than other soluble iron sources, such as mineral dust and biomass burning. Here we show that the atmospheric burden of anthropogenic combustion iron is 8 times greater than previous estimates by incorporating recent measurements of anthropogenic magnetite into a global aerosol model. This new estimation increases the total deposition flux of soluble iron to southern oceans (30-90 °S) by 52%, with a larger contribution of anthropogenic combustion iron than dust and biomass burning sources. The direct radiative forcing of anthropogenic magnetite is estimated to be 0.021 W m-2 globally and 0.22 W m-2 over East Asia. Our results demonstrate that anthropogenic combustion iron is a larger and more complex climate forcer than previously thought, and therefore plays a key role in the Earth system},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-018-03997-0},
journal = {Nature Communications},
number = 1,
volume = 9,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {4}
}

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