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Title: Significance of aerosol radiative effect in energy balance control on global precipitation change

Abstract

Historical changes of global precipitation in the 20th century simulated by a climate model are investigated. The results simulated with alternate configurations of cloud microphysics are analyzed in the context of energy balance controls on global precipitation, where the latent heat changes associated with the precipitation change is nearly balanced with changes to atmospheric radiative cooling. The atmospheric radiative cooling is dominated by its clear-sky component, which is found to correlate with changes to both column water vapor and aerosol optical depth (AOD). The water vapor-dependent component of the clear-sky radiative cooling is then found to scale with global temperature change through the Clausius–Clapeyron relationship. This component results in a tendency of global precipitation increase with increasing temperature at a rate of approximately 2%K-1. Another component of the clear-sky radiative cooling, which is well correlated with changes to AOD, is also found to vary in magnitude among different scenarios with alternate configurations of cloud microphysics that controls the precipitation efficiency, a major factor influencing the aerosol scavenging process that can lead to different aerosol loadings. These results propose how different characteristics of cloud microphysics can cause different aerosol loadings that in turn perturb global energy balance to significantly change globalmore » precipitation. This implies a possible coupling of aerosol–cloud interaction with aerosol–radiation interaction in the context of global energy balance.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Univ. of Tokyo, Kashiwa (Japan). Atmosphere and Ocean Research Inst.
  2. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab.; Univ. of Reading (United Kingdom). Dept. of Meteorology
  3. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States); Univ. of Tokyo, Kashiwa (Japan)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (United States); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
OSTI Identifier:
1424119
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-726347
Journal ID: ISSN 1530-261X
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-07NA27344; NA15OAR4310153
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Atmospheric Science Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 18; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 1530-261X
Publisher:
Royal Meteorological Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; global energy balance; aerosol radiative effect; cloud microphysics; hydrologic sensitivity

Citation Formats

Suzuki, Kentaroh, Stephens, Graeme L., and Golaz, Jean-Christophe. Significance of aerosol radiative effect in energy balance control on global precipitation change. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1002/asl.780.
Suzuki, Kentaroh, Stephens, Graeme L., & Golaz, Jean-Christophe. Significance of aerosol radiative effect in energy balance control on global precipitation change. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.780
Suzuki, Kentaroh, Stephens, Graeme L., and Golaz, Jean-Christophe. Tue . "Significance of aerosol radiative effect in energy balance control on global precipitation change". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.780. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1424119.
@article{osti_1424119,
title = {Significance of aerosol radiative effect in energy balance control on global precipitation change},
author = {Suzuki, Kentaroh and Stephens, Graeme L. and Golaz, Jean-Christophe},
abstractNote = {Historical changes of global precipitation in the 20th century simulated by a climate model are investigated. The results simulated with alternate configurations of cloud microphysics are analyzed in the context of energy balance controls on global precipitation, where the latent heat changes associated with the precipitation change is nearly balanced with changes to atmospheric radiative cooling. The atmospheric radiative cooling is dominated by its clear-sky component, which is found to correlate with changes to both column water vapor and aerosol optical depth (AOD). The water vapor-dependent component of the clear-sky radiative cooling is then found to scale with global temperature change through the Clausius–Clapeyron relationship. This component results in a tendency of global precipitation increase with increasing temperature at a rate of approximately 2%K-1. Another component of the clear-sky radiative cooling, which is well correlated with changes to AOD, is also found to vary in magnitude among different scenarios with alternate configurations of cloud microphysics that controls the precipitation efficiency, a major factor influencing the aerosol scavenging process that can lead to different aerosol loadings. These results propose how different characteristics of cloud microphysics can cause different aerosol loadings that in turn perturb global energy balance to significantly change global precipitation. This implies a possible coupling of aerosol–cloud interaction with aerosol–radiation interaction in the context of global energy balance.},
doi = {10.1002/asl.780},
journal = {Atmospheric Science Letters},
number = 10,
volume = 18,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Oct 17 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Tue Oct 17 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

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Cited by: 11 works
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Works referencing / citing this record:

The Impact of Process‐Based Warm Rain Constraints on the Aerosol Indirect Effect
journal, October 2018

  • Jing, Xianwen; Suzuki, Kentaroh
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 45, Issue 19
  • DOI: 10.1029/2018gl079956

Perturbations to Global Energy Budget Due to Absorbing and Scattering Aerosols
journal, February 2019

  • Suzuki, Kentaroh; Takemura, Toshihiko
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 124, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1029/2018jd029808

Low clouds link equilibrium climate sensitivity to hydrological sensitivity
journal, September 2018