Can Reducing Black Carbon Emissions Counteract Global Warming?

Bond, Tami C.; Sun, H.

doi:10.1021/es0480421

Cited by 296 publications

(198 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…The ratio of 100-year GWPs between two studies would be identical to the ratio of 20-year GWP values. Compared with previous estimates of GWP BC by our group (Bond and Sun, 2005), the globally averaged value for direct forcing is similar but slightly higher (740 ± 370 vs. 680). Uncertainties are about 50% of the total for BC.…”

Section: Comparison With Global Warming Potentialsupporting

confidence: 59%

Quantifying immediate radiative forcing by black carbon and organic matter with the Specific Forcing Pulse

et al. 2011

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Abstract. Climatic effects of short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs) differ from those of long-lived greenhouse gases, because they occur rapidly after emission and because they depend upon the region of emission. The distinctive temporal and spatial nature of these impacts is not captured by measures that rely on global averages or long time integrations. Here, we propose a simple measure, the Specific Forcing Pulse (SFP), to quantify climate warming or cooling by these pollutants, where we define "immediate" as occurring primarily within the first year after emission. SFP is the amount of energy added to or removed from a receptor region in the Earth-atmosphere system by a chemical species, per mass of emission in a source region. We limit the application of SFP to species that remain in the atmosphere for less than one year. Metrics used in policy discussions, such as total forcing or global warming potential, are easily derived from SFP. However, SFP conveys purely physical information without incurring the policy implications of choosing a time horizon for the global warming potential.Using one model (Community Atmosphere Model, or CAM), we calculate values of SFP for black carbon (BC) and organic matter (OM) emitted from 23 source-region combinations. Global SFP for both atmosphere and cryosphere impacts is divided among receptor latitudes. SFP is usually greater for open-burning emissions than for energy-related (fossil-fuel and biofuel) emissions because of the timing of emission. Global SFP for BC varies by about 45% for energy-related emissions from different regions. This variation would be larger except for compensating effects. When emitted aerosol has larger cryosphere forcing, it often has lower atmosphere forcing because of less deep convection and a shorter atmospheric lifetime.Correspondence to: T. C. Bond (yark@illinois.edu) A single model result is insufficient to capture uncertainty. We develop a best estimate and uncertainties for SFP by combining forcing results from 12 additional models. We outline a framework for combining a large number of simple models with a smaller number of enhanced models that have greater complexity. Adjustments for black carbon internal mixing and for regional variability are discussed. Emitting regions with more deep convection have greater model diversity. Our best estimate of global-mean SFP is +1.03 ± 0.52 GJ g −1 for direct atmosphere forcing of black carbon, +1.15 ± 0.53 GJ g −1 for black carbon including direct and cryosphere forcing, and −0.064 (−0.02, −0.13) GJ g −1 for organic matter. These values depend on the region and timing of emission. The lowest OM:BC mass ratio required to produce a neutral effect on top-ofatmosphere direct forcing is 15:1 for any region. Any lower ratio results in positive direct forcing. However, important processes, particularly cloud changes that tend toward cooling, have not been included here.Global-average SFP for energy-related emissions can be converted to a 100-year GWP of about 740 ± 370 for BC without snow forcing, and ...

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Section: Comparison With Global Warming Potentialsupporting

confidence: 59%

Quantifying immediate radiative forcing by black carbon and organic matter with the Specific Forcing Pulse

et al. 2011

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“…Reductions in black carbon emissions are often perceived as an attractive global warming mitigation option (e.g. Bond and Sun, 2005;Jacobson, 2010;Kopp and Mauzerall, 2010). However, carbonaceous combustion aerosol can also act as cloud condensation nuclei and thus cool the climate by increasing cloud albedo (Koch et al, 2011).…”

Section: E10mentioning

confidence: 99%

General overview: European Integrated project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality interactions (EUCAARI) – integrating aerosol research from nano to global scales

et al. 2011

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Abstract. In this paper we describe and summarize the main achievements of the European Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions project (EUCAARI). EUCAARI started on 1 January 2007 and ended on 31 December 2010 leaving a rich legacy including: (a) a comprehensive database with a year of observations of the physical, chemical and optical properties of aerosol particles over Europe, (b) comprehensive aerosol measurements in four developing countries, (c) a database of airborne measurements of aerosols and clouds over Europe during May 2008, (d) comprehensive modeling tools to study aerosol processes fron nano to global scale and their effects on climate and air quality. In addition a new Pan-European aerosol emissions inventory was developed and evaluated, a new cluster spectrometer was built and tested in the field and several new aerosol parameterizations and computations modules for chemical transport and global climate models were developed and evaluated. These achievements and related studies have substantially improved our understanding and reduced the uncertainties of aerosol radiative forcing and air quality-climate interactions. The EUCAARI results can be utilized in European and global environmental policy to assess the aerosol impacts and the corresponding abatement strategies.

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“…Volatility tandem DMA (differential mobility analyzer) measurements showed that the majority of particles are comprised of a non-volatile core and a volatile outer layer during heavily polluted days ). Many studies also suggested that the use of a single particle optical model assuming an absorbing spherical core surrounded by a mantle of non-absorbing material is appropriate in the estimation of the aerosol direct radiative forcing (Jacobson et al, 2000(Jacobson et al, , 2001Chandra et al, 2004;Bond and Sun, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new method to determine the mixing state of light absorbing carbonaceous using the measured aerosol optical properties and number size distributions

Zhao

Müller

et al. 2012

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. In this paper, the mixing state of light absorbing carbonaceous (LAC) was investigated with a two-parameter aerosol optical model and in situ aerosol measurements at a regional site in the North China Plain (NCP). A closure study between the hemispheric backscattering fraction (HBF) measured by an integrating nephelometer and that calculated with a modified Mie model was conducted. A new method was proposed to retrieve the ratio of the externally mixed LAC mass to the total mass of LAC (r ext-LAC ) based on the assumption that the ambient aerosol particles were externally mixed and consisted of a pure LAC material and a core-shell morphology in which the core is LAC and the shell is a less absorbing material. A Monte Carlo simulation was applied to estimate the overall influences of input parameters of the algorithm to the retrieved r ext-LAC . The diurnal variation of r ext-LAC was analyzed and the PartMC-MOSAIC model was used to simulate the variation of the aerosol mixing state. Results show that, for internally mixed particles, the assumption of core-shell mixture is more appropriate than that of homogenous mixture which has been widely used in aerosol optical calculations. A significant diurnal pattern of the retrieved r ext-LAC was found, with high values during the daytime and low values at night. The consistency between the retrieved r ext-LAC and the model results indicates that the diurnal variation of LAC mixing state is mainly caused by the diurnal evolution of the mixing layer.

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Can Reducing Black Carbon Emissions Counteract Global Warming?

Cited by 296 publications

References 28 publications

Quantifying immediate radiative forcing by black carbon and organic matter with the Specific Forcing Pulse

Quantifying immediate radiative forcing by black carbon and organic matter with the Specific Forcing Pulse

General overview: European Integrated project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality interactions (EUCAARI) – integrating aerosol research from nano to global scales

A new method to determine the mixing state of light absorbing carbonaceous using the measured aerosol optical properties and number size distributions

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