非洲地区大气气溶胶光学厚度时空变化及亚速尔高压对沙尘越大西洋传输的影响

研究了非洲地区大气气溶胶光学厚度（AOD）的时空变化及沙尘气溶胶越大西洋海区的传输。结果表明：1）源于撒哈拉沙漠的沙尘及其随赤道东风向西输送使得沙尘气溶胶成为非洲沙漠地区和紧邻的大西洋海区的主要气溶胶组分;AOD高值区和沙尘气溶胶光学厚度高值区在1—7月随赤道辐合带北移同步向北移动,而在8—12月则向南回撤。2）刚果盆地大气气溶胶主要为热带雨林和稀树草原排放的有机碳（OC）和黑碳（BC）气溶胶;其中与生物质燃烧源排放有关的OC、BC高值主要集中在干季（6—9月）的后半段（8—9月）;而生物源OC排放全年连续,其排放峰值出现于雨季开始时;生物质燃烧排放高值期与生物源排放高值期前后相继,形成干季（尤其是后半段）时期的OC、BC光学厚度高值。3）亚马逊河入海口地区主要气溶胶组分为海盐气溶胶,9—11月该区风力输送增强,风向由东南风转变为东风,海盐进入亚马逊河入海口处,形成AOD和海盐气溶胶光学厚度高值区。4）撒哈拉沙漠沙尘气溶胶向大西洋传输的偏北月份为7—9月、偏南月份为1—3月;2000—2016年海区沙尘气溶胶的传输路径存在向南移动的变化趋势,与同期亚速尔高压的增强和沙尘传输路径以北北风分量的增强以及赤道辐合带的移动一致。上述研究结果揭示了利用大气气溶胶时空变化特征反映区域大气环流和气候变化的可能性。     

Adjustment and feedbacks in a global coupled ocean-atmosphere model

 We report the analysis of two 20-year simulations performed with the low resolution version of the IPSL coupled ocean-atmosphere model, with no flux correction at the air-sea interface. The simulated climate is characterized by a global sea surface temperature warming of about 4 °C in 20 years, driven by a net heat gain at the top of the atmosphere. Despite this drift, the circulation is quite realistic both in the ocean and the atmosphere. Several distinct periods are analyzed. The first corresponds to an adjustment during which the heat gain weakens both at the top of the atmosphere and at the ocean surface, and the tropical circulation is slightly modified. Then, the surface warming is enhanced by an increase of the greenhouse feedback. We show that the mechanisms involved in the model share common features with sensitivity experiments to greenhouse gases or to SST warming. At the top of the atmosphere, most of the longwave trapping in the atmosphere is driven by the tropical circulation. At the surface, the reduction of longwave cooling is a direct response to increased temperature and moisture content at low levels in the atmospheric model. During the last part of the simulation, a regulation occurs from evaporation at the surface and longwave cooling at TOA. Most of the model drift is attributed to a too large heating by solar radiation in middle and high latitudes. The reduction of the north–south temperature gradient, and the related changes in the meridional equator-to-pole ocean heat transport lead to a warming of equatorial and subtropical regions. This is also well demonstrated by the difference between the two simulations which differ only in the parametrization of sea-ice. When the sea-ice cover is not restored to climatology the model does not maintain sea-ice at high latitudes. The climate warms more rapidly and the water vapor and clouds feedback occurs earlier. Received: 24 May 1996 / Accepted: 29 November 1996     

Climate change in the 21st century simulated by HadGEM2-AO under representative concentration pathways

We present climate responses of Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) using the coupled climate model HadGEM2-AO for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5). The RCPs are selected as standard scenarios for the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report and these scenarios include time paths for emissions and concentrations of greenhouse gas and aerosols and land-use/land cover. The global average warming and precipitation increases for the last 20 years of the 21st century relative to the period 1986-2005 are +1.1°C/+2.1% for RCP2.6, +2.4°C/+4.0% for RCP4.5, +2.5°C/+3.3% for RCP6.0 and +4.1°C/+4.6% for RCP8.5, respectively. The climate response on RCP 2.6 scenario meets the UN Copenhagen Accord to limit global warming within two degrees at the end of 21st century, the mitigation effect is about 3°C between RCP2.6 and RCP8.5. The projected precipitation changes over the 21st century are expected to increase in tropical regions and at high latitudes, and decrease in subtropical regions associated with projected poleward expansions of the Hadley cell. Total soil moisture change is projected to decrease in northern hemisphere high latitudes and increase in central Africa and Asia whereas near-surface soil moisture tends to decrease in most areas according to the warming and evaporation increase. The trend and magnitude of future climate extremes are also projected to increase in proportion to radiative forcing of RCPs. For RCP 8.5, at the end of the summer season the Arctic is projected to be free of sea ice.     

Greenhouse-gas versus aerosol forcing and African climate response

There are many indicators that human activity may change climate conditions all around the globe through emissions of greenhouse gases. In addition, aerosol particles are emitted from various natural and anthropogenic sources. One important source of aerosols arises from biomass burning, particularly in low latitudes where shifting cultivation and land degradation lead to enhanced aerosol burden. In this study the counteracting effects of greenhouse gases and aerosols on African climate are compared using climate model experiments with fully interactive aerosols from different sources. The consideration of aerosol emissions induces a remarkable decrease in short-wave solar irradiation near the surface, especially in winter and autumn in tropical West Africa and the Congo Basin where biomass burning is mainly prevailing. This directly leads to a modification of the surface energy budget with reduced sensible heat fluxes. As a consequence, temperature decreases, compensating the strong warming signal due to enhanced trace gas concentrations. While precipitation in tropical Africa is less sensitive to the greenhouse warming, it tends to decrease, if the effect of aerosols from biomass burning is taken into account. This is partly due to the local impact of enhanced aerosol burden and partly to modifications of the large-scale monsoon circulation in the lower troposphere, usually lagging behind the season with maximum aerosol emissions. In the model equilibrium experiments, the greenhouse gas impact on temperature stands out from internal variability at various time scales from daily to decadaland the same holds for precipitation under the additional aerosol forcing. Greenhouse gases and aerosols exhibit an opposite effect on daily temperature extremes, resulting in an compensation of the individual responses under the combined forcing. In terms of precipitation, daily extreme events tend to be reduced under aerosol forcing, particularly over the tropical Atlantic and the Congo basin. These results suggest that the simulation of the multiple aerosol effects from anthropogenic sources represents an important factor in tropical climate change, hence, requiring more attention in climate modelling attempts.     

北方局地夏末气溶胶光学特性综合观测分析

本文对中国北方相近地理经度不同纬度的三个试验点（内蒙草原生态定位站、北京、新乡）夏末季节大气气溶胶特性进行了地面粒子计数和整层光学遥感等综合观测。分析结果表明，这三个试验点地面和整层气溶胶数浓度通常有内蒙较小，北京居中，新乡最大的特征。文中提出了浓度比这个参量，它可以定量描述地面源气溶胶对整层大气气溶胶的相对贡献。据此分析可知内蒙地面源较弱，与该地区人类活动稀少相对应。由浓度比推测，新乡除近地面城市空气污染较严重外，滨临的黄河河面水汽蒸发作用也是促成气溶胶浓度增大的原因。     

人为气溶胶对中国东部冬季风影响的模拟研究

采用美国国家大气研究中心(NCAR)的公共大气模式CAM5.1研究了人为气溶胶排放增加对中国东部冬季风的影响,同时通过对比中国东部地区不同人为气溶胶排放源的敏感性试验结果,探讨了人为硫酸盐、黑碳及总人为气溶胶(硫酸盐+黑碳)增加对东亚冬季风的影响。结果表明:冬季硫酸盐气溶胶排放增加的直接和第一间接效应减少了到达地表的短波辐射通量,引起了陆地地表和对流层低层降温,海平面气压升高,增加了海陆间气压梯度,使得东亚冬季风增强。其第二间接效应导致中国南部大尺度降水率减少;黑碳气溶胶排放增加导致到达地表的短波辐射通量减少和大气中短波辐射通量增加,其半直接效应部分抵消了直接效应,故地表温度变化微小且不显著。加热的对流层低层导致中国南部对流活动和对流降水率增加;总人为气溶胶排放增加导致的大气温度变化表现为弱的降温作用,引起中国北部对流和大尺度降水率减少,而南部对流降水率增加。总人为气溶胶和黑碳气溶胶排放增加是导致中国北(南)部的东亚冬季风增强(减弱)的重要因素。     

NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF THE EFFECTS OF AEROSOLS IN THE ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER ON THE CLIMATE*

The climatic effects of the atmospheric boundary aerosols are studied by the use of a three-dimensional climate model.Simulated results show that the climate states both at the surface and in the atmosphere change remarkably when the aerosols with different optical thicknesses and properties are introduced into the atmospheric boundary layer of the model.The aerosols absorb and scatter the solar shortwave radiation,therefore,they reduce the solar energy reaching the ground surface and decrease the surface and the soil temperatures.The temperature in the boundary layer increase because of the supplementary absorption of radiation by the boundary aerosols.In the atmosphere,the temperatures at all isobaric surfaces rise up except for the 100 hPa level.The atmospheric temperatures below the 500 hPa level are directly influenced by the boundary aerosols,while the atmospheric temperatures above the 500 hPa level are influenced by the heating due to convective condensation and the changes in the vertical motion field.Cyclonic differential circulations appear over the desert areas at the low levels,and anticyclonic differential circulations exist at the upper levels in the horizontal flow fields.The vertical motions change in correspondence with the differential circulations.The changes in precipitation are directly related to that of vertical motions.The mechanisms of climate effects of the boundary aerosols are also discussed in this paper.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF THE EFFECTS OF AEROSOLS IN THE ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER ON THE CLIMATE

The climatic effects of the atmospheric boundary aerosols are studied by the use of a three-dimensional climatemodel.Simulated results show that the climate states both at the surface and in the atmosphere change remarkably whenthe aerosols with different optical thicknesses and properties are introduced into the atmospheric boundary layer of themodel.The aerosols absorb and scatter the solar shortwave radiation,therefore,they reduce the solar energy reachingthe ground surface and decrease the surface and the soil temperatures.The temperature in the boundary layer increasesbecause of the supplementary absorption of radiation by the boundary aerosols.In the atmosphere,the temperatures atall isobaric surfaces rise up except for the 100 hPa level.The atmospheric temperatures below the 500 hPa level aredirectly influenced by the boundary aerosols,while the atmospheric temperatures above the 500 hPa level are influencedby the heating due to convective condensation and the changes in the vertical motion field.Cyclonic differential circula-tions appear over the desert areas at the low levels,and anticyclonic differential circulations exist at the upper levels inthe horizontal flow fields.The vertical motions change in correspondence with the differential circulations.The changesin precipitation are directly related to that of vertical motions.The mechanisms of climate effects of the boundaryaerosols are also discussed in this paper.     

不同污染条件下气溶胶对短波辐射通量影响的模拟研究

将高光谱分辨率的气溶胶光学参数化方案应用于高精度的辐射传输模式BCC_RAD（974带）中,研究不同污染状况下气溶胶在地表与近地层大气中造成的直接辐射强迫与辐射强迫效率。发现气溶胶在地表产生的直接辐射强迫为负,在近地层大气中产生的直接辐射强迫为正,且随气溶胶浓度的升高变大,说明大气气溶胶的含量越高,单位气溶胶光学厚度产生的直接辐射强迫越大。将短波划分为3个波段:紫外、可见光和近红外,发现在紫外、可见光和近红外波段中,不同污染状况下气溶胶在地表造成的直接辐射强迫范围分别为:-1.36—-13.66、-3.03—-32.41和-2.74—-28.62 W/m2,在近地层大气中产生的直接辐射强迫范围分别为0.44—4.26、0.99—9.80和0.93—8.87 W/m2。通过进一步对比自然和人为气溶胶的影响,发现人为气溶胶在地表和大气层顶产生的负直接辐射强迫以及对整层和近地面大气造成的正直接辐射强迫均大于自然气溶胶的影响,且上述两种排放源的气溶胶对整层大气辐射收支的影响主要集中在800 hPa高度以下的大气中。按照地表直接辐射强迫大小来分析不同种类气溶胶的影响,结果为硫酸盐>有机碳>黑碳>海盐>沙尘;按照近地层大气直接辐射强迫大小排序则为黑碳>有机碳>沙尘>海盐>硫酸盐。最后,通过分析散射型气溶胶与吸收型气溶胶对辐射通量的影响,还探究了大气中散射与吸收过程的异同。      

Regional Oceanic Impact on Circulation and Direct Radiative Effect of Aerosol over East Asia

The Regional Integrated Environmental Model System(RIEMS 2.0) coupled with a chemistry-aerosol model and the Princeton Ocean Model(POM) is employed to simulate regional oceanic impact on atmospheric circulation and the direct radiative effect(DRE) of aerosol over East Asia.The aerosols considered in this study include both major anthropogenic aerosols(e.g.,sulfate,black carbon,and organic carbon) and natural aerosols(e.g.,soil dust and sea salt) .The RIEMS 2.0 is driven by NCEP/NCAR reanalysis II,and the simulated period is from 1 January to 31 December 2006.The results show the following:(1) The simulated annual mean sea-level pressure by RIEMS 2.0 with POM is lower than without POM over the mainland and higher without POM over the ocean.(2) In summer,the subtropical high simulated by RIEMS 2.0 with POM is stronger and extends further westward,and the continental low is stronger than without POM in summer.(3) The aerosol optical depth(AOD) simulated by RIEMS 2.0 with POM is larger in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River than without POM.(4) The direct radiative effect with POM is stronger than that without POM in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and parts of southern China. Therefore,the authors should take account of the impact of the regional ocean model on studying the direct climate effect of aerosols in long term simulation.     

Role of the ocean in controlling atmospheric CO2 concentration in the course of global glaciations

Responses of ocean circulation and ocean carbon cycle in the course of a global glaciation from the present Earth conditions are investigated by using a coupled climate-biogeochemical model. We investigate steady states of the climate system under colder conditions induced by a reduction of solar constant from the present condition. A globally ice-covered solution is obtained under the solar constant of 92.2% of the present value. We found that because almost all of sea water reaches the frozen point, the ocean stratification is maintained not by temperature but by salinity just before the global glaciation (at the solar constant of 92.3%). It is demonstrated that the ocean circulation is driven not by the surface cooling but by the surface freshwater forcing associated with formation and melting of sea ice. As a result, the deep ocean is ventilated exclusively by deep water formation in southern high latitudes where sea ice production takes place much more massively than northern high latitudes. We also found that atmospheric CO₂ concentration decreases through the ocean carbon cycle. This reduction is explained primarily by an increase of solubility of CO₂ due to a decrease of sea surface temperature, whereas the export production weakens by 30% just before the global glaciation. In order to investigate the conditions for the atmospheric CO₂ reduction to cause global glaciations, we also conduct a series of simulations in which the total amount of carbon in the atmosphere?Cocean system is reduced from the present condition. Under the present solar constant, the results show that the global glaciation takes place when the total carbon decreases to be 70% of the present-day value. Just before the glaciation, weathering rate becomes very small (almost 10% of the present value) and the organic carbon burial declines due to weakened biological productivity. Therefore, outgoing carbon flux from the atmosphere?Cocean system significantly decreases. This suggests the atmosphere?Cocean system has strong negative feedback loops against decline of the total carbon content. The results obtained here imply that some processes outside the atmosphere?Cocean feedback loops may be required to cause global glaciations.     

Warming of an elevated layer over Africa

This paper analyzes trends of temperatures over Africa and seeks to quantify the most significant processes. Observations of air temperature reveal significant warming trends in the 925–600 hPa layer over tropical west Africa and the east Atlantic. This is related to the influence of desert dust and biomass burning emissions on the atmospheric energy budget. We calculate a net radiative absorption of ～??20 W m^???2. The southern (northern) plume is rich in short-lived greenhouse gases (dust aerosols), and the atmospheric response, according to a simplified radiative transfer model, is a >3°C heating of the 2–4 km layer. The observed pattern of warming coincides with a mixture of dust, black carbon and short-lived greenhouse gases in space, time and height. Physical forcing provides a secondary source of regional warming, with sinking motions over the Sahel. The elevated warm layer stabilizes the lower atmosphere over and west of Africa, so drying trends may be anticipated.     

空气污染与气候变化

近50年来,全球气候变化主要由大气温室气体浓度的日益增加引起,而空气污染主要由悬浮于空气中的大气气溶胶粒子造成,它们都主要由矿物燃料的燃烧排放形成.近年的研究表明,大气气溶胶粒子也具有气候效应:一是通过散射和吸收太阳光,减少到达地面的太阳辐射而具有降冷作用,可抵消一部分由温室气体造成的变暖作用;二是可以作为云中凝结核改变云微物理过程和降水性质,改变大气的水循环.大气气溶胶对于经济社会的许多方面,如农业、水资源、人体健康、城市化等也表现出重要的影响.由于空气污染和气候变化在很大程度上有共同的原因,即主要都是由矿物燃料燃烧的排放造成,因而减轻和控制空气污染与减少温室气体排放保护气候在行动上应是一致的.为了从经济上得到最大的节约和获得双赢的效果,应该采取协同应对空气污染和气候变化的减排战略,即应该采取统一的而不是分离的科学研究和应对战略.     

Influence of modern land cover on the climate of the United States

I have used a high-resolution nested climate modeling system to test the sensitivity of regional and local climate to the modern non-urban land cover distribution of the continental United States. The dominant climate response is cooling of surface air temperatures, particularly during the warm-season. Areas of statistically significant cooling include areas of the Great Plains where crop/mixed farming has replaced short grass, areas of the Midwest and southern Texas where crop/mixed farming has replaced interrupted forest, and areas of the western United States containing irrigated crops. This statistically significant warm-season cooling is driven by changes in both surface moisture balance and surface albedo, with changes in surface moisture balance dominating in the Great Plains and western United States, changes in surface albedo dominating in the Midwest, and both effects contributing to warm-season cooling over southern Texas. The simulated changes in surface moisture and energy fluxes also influence the warm-season atmospheric dynamics, creating greater moisture availability in the lower atmosphere and enhanced uplift aloft, consistent with the enhanced warm-season precipitation seen in the simulation with modern land cover. The local and regional climate response is of a similar magnitude to that projected for future greenhouse gas concentrations, suggesting that the climatic effects of land cover change should be carefully considered when crafting policies for regulating land use and for managing anthropogenic forcing of the climate system.     

THE ANALYSIS OF MECHANISM OF IMPACT OF AEROSOLS ON EAST ASIAN SUMMER MONSOON INDEX AND ONSET

RegCM4.3, a high-resolution regional climate model, which includes five kinds of aerosols(dust, sea salt,sulfate, black carbon and organic carbon), is employed to simulate the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) from 1995 to 2010 and the simulation data are used to study the possible impact of natural and anthropogenic aerosols on EASM.The results show that the regional climate model can well simulate the EASM and the spatial and temporal distribution of aerosols. The EASM index is reduced by about 5% by the natural and anthropogenic aerosols and the monsoon onset time is also delayed by about a pentad except for Southeast China. The aerosols heat the middle atmosphere through absorbing solar radiation and the air column expands in Southeast China and its offshore areas. As a result, the geopotential height decreases and a cyclonic circulation anomaly is generated in the lower atmosphere. Northerly wind located in the west of cyclonic circulation weakens the low-level southerly wind in the EASM region. Negative surface radiative forcing due to aerosols causes downward motion and an indirect meridional circulation is formed with the low-level northerly wind and high-level southerly wind anomaly in the north of 25° N in the monsoon area, which weakens the vertical circulation of EASM. The summer precipitation of the monsoon region is significantly reduced,especially in North and Southwest China where the value of moisture flux divergence increases.     

The danger of overvaluing methane’s influence on future climate change

Minimizing the future impacts of climate change requires reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) load in the atmosphere. Anthropogenic emissions include many types of GHG’s as well as particulates such as black carbon and sulfate aerosols, each of which has a different effect on the atmosphere, and a different atmospheric lifetime. Several recent studies have advocated for the importance of short timescales when comparing the climate impact of different climate pollutants, placing a high relative value on short-lived pollutants, such as methane (CH₄) and black carbon (BC) versus carbon dioxide (CO₂). These studies have generated confusion over how to value changes in temperature that occur over short versus long timescales. We show the temperature changes that result from exchanging CO₂ for CH₄ using a variety of commonly suggested metrics to illustrate the trade-offs involved in potential carbon trading mechanisms that place a high value on CH₄ emissions. Reducing CH₄ emissions today would lead to a climate cooling of approximately ~0.5 °C, but this value will not change greatly if we delay reducing CH₄ emissions by years or decades. This is not true for CO₂, for which the climate is influenced by cumulative emissions. Any delay in reducing CO₂ emissions is likely to lead to higher cumulative emissions, and more warming. The exact warming resulting from this delay depends on the trajectory of future CO₂ emissions but using one business-as usual-projection we estimate an increase of 3/4 °C for every 15-year delay in CO₂ mitigation. Overvaluing the influence of CH₄ emissions on climate could easily result in our “locking” the earth into a warmer temperature trajectory, one that is temporarily masked by the short-term cooling effects of the CH₄ reductions, but then persists for many generations.     

Agricultural drought in a future climate: results from 15 global climate models participating in the IPCC 4th assessment

This study examines the impact of greenhouse gas warming on soil moisture based on predictions of 15 global climate models by comparing the after-stabilization climate in the SRESA1b experiment with the pre-industrial control climate. The models are consistent in predicting summer dryness and winter wetness in only part of the northern middle and high latitudes. Slightly over half of the models predict year-round wetness in central Eurasia and/or year-round dryness in Siberia and mid-latitude Northeast Asia. One explanation is offered that relates such lack of seasonality to the carryover effect of soil moisture storage from season to season. In the tropics and subtropics, a decrease of soil moisture is the dominant response. The models are especially consistent in predicting drier soil over the southwest North America, Central America, the Mediterranean, Australia, and the South Africa in all seasons, and over much of the Amazon and West Africa in the June–July–August (JJA) season and the Asian monsoon region in the December–January–February (DJF) season. Since the only major areas of future wetness predicted with a high level of model consistency are part of the northern middle and high latitudes during the non-growing season, it is suggested that greenhouse gas warming will cause a worldwide agricultural drought. Over regions where there is considerable consistency among the analyzed models in predicting the sign of soil moisture changes, there is a wide range of magnitudes of the soil moisture response, indicating a high degree of model dependency in terrestrial hydrological sensitivity. A major part of the inter-model differences in the sensitivity of soil moisture response are attributable to differences in land surface parameterization.     

A global satellite view of the seasonal distribution of mineral dust and its correlation with atmospheric circulation

Aerosols make a considerable contribution to the climate system through their radiative and cloud condensation nuclei effects, which underlines the need for understanding the origin of aerosols and their transport pathways. Seasonal distribution of mineral dust around the globe and its correlation with atmospheric circulation is investigated using satellite data, and meteorological data from ECMWF. The most important sources of dust are located in North Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia with an observed summer maximum, and East Asia with a spring peak. Maximum dust activity over North Africa and the Middle East in summer is attributed to dry convection associated with the summertime low-pressure system, while unstable weather and dry conditions are responsible for the spring peak in dust emission in East Asia. Intercontinental transport of mineral dust by atmospheric circulation has been observed, including trans-Atlantic transport of North African dust, trans-Pacific transport of Asian dust, and transport of dust from the Middle East across the Indian Ocean. The extent of African dust over the Atlantic Ocean and its latitudinal variation with season is related to the large-scale atmospheric circulation, including seasonal changes in the position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and variation of wind patterns. North African aerosols extend over longer distances across the North Atlantic in summer because of greater dust emission, an intensified easterly low level jet (LLJ) and strengthening of the Azores-Bermuda anticyclonic circulation. Transport of East Asian aerosol is facilitated by the existence of a LLJ that extends from East Asia to the west coast of North America.     

A Review of Aerosol Optical Properties and Radiative Effects

Atmospheric aerosols influence the earth's radiative balance directly through scattering and absorbing solar radiation, and indirectly through affecting cloud properties. An understanding of aerosol optical properties is fundamental to studies of aerosol effects on climate. Although many such studies have been undertaken, large uncertainties in describing aerosol optical characteristics remain, especially regarding the absorption properties of different aerosols. Aerosol radiative effects are considered as either positive or negative perturbations to the radiation balance, and they include direct, indirect (albedo effect and cloud lifetime effect), and semi-direct effects. The total direct effect of anthropogenic aerosols is negative (cooling), although some components may contribute a positive effect (warming). Both the albedo effect and cloud lifetime effect cool the atmosphere by increasing cloud optical depth and cloud cover, respectively. Absorbing aerosols, such as carbonaceous aerosols and dust, exert a positive forcing at the top of atmosphere and a negative forcing at the surface, and they can directly warm the atmosphere. Internally mixed black carbon aerosols produce a stronger warming effect than externally mixed black carbon particles do. The semi-direct effect of absorbing aerosols could amplify this warming effect. Based on observational (ground-and satellite-based) and simulation studies, this paper reviews current progress in research regarding the optical properties and radiative effects of aerosols and also discusses several important issues to be addressed in future studies.     

Radiative effects of black carbon aerosols on Indian monsoon: a study using WRF-Chem model

The Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is utilized to examine the radiative effects of black carbon (BC) aerosols on the Indian monsoon, for the year 2010. Five ensemble simulations with different initial conditions (1st to 5th December, 2009) were performed and simulation results between 1st January, 2010 to 31st December, 2010 were used for analysis. Most of the BC which stays near the surface during the pre-monsoon season gets transported to higher altitudes with the northward migration of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) during the monsoon season. In both the seasons, strong negative SW anomalies are present at the surface along with positive anomalies in the atmosphere, which results in the surface cooling and lower tropospheric heating, respectively. During the pre-monsoon season, lower troposphere heating causes increased convection and enhanced meridional wind circulation, bringing moist air from Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal to the North-East India, leading to increased rainfall there. However, during the monsoon season, along with cooling over the land regions, a warming over the Bay of Bengal is simulated. This differential heating results in an increased westerly moisture flux anomaly over central India, leading to increased rainfall over northern parts of India but decreased rainfall over southern parts. Decreased rainfall over southern India is also substantiated by the presence of increased evaporation over Bay of Bengal and decrease over land regions.