Natural aerosol–climate feedbacks suppressed by anthropogenic aerosol

Spracklen, Dominick V.; Rap, A.

doi:10.1002/2013gl057966

Cited by 41 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…In particular, anthropogenic SO 2 emissions and production of SOA from anthropogenic compounds contribute more to CCN variance in the PD than in the PI, and natural emissions of DMS and biomass burning contribute less. This reduction in sensitivity to natural emissions will suppress natural aerosol−climate feedbacks (39).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence of pristine aerosol environments on a polluted planet

Hamilton

Lee

Pringle

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

163

172

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Significance Uncertainty in aerosol forcing of climate since the preindustrial era hampers efforts to quantify the sensitivity of global temperature to radiative perturbations caused by human activity. Because forcings are referenced to preindustrial conditions, a large part of the uncertainty will be reduced only by accurately defining pristine aerosol conditions before air pollution. We show that pristine conditions should still be observable on a few days per month in many regions of the Earth. However, pristine cloudy regions, which are of most importance for forcing uncertainty, occur almost entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. Reduction in uncertainty of predominantly Northern Hemisphere forcing may therefore have to rely on measurements from a different hemisphere, which will limit the extent to which uncertainties can be reduced.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence of pristine aerosol environments on a polluted planet

Hamilton

Lee

Pringle

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

163

172

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show abstract

“…Thirdly, Siberia is one of the few possible background regions in the Northern Hemisphere where near-pristine conditions prevail for certain periods of the year . Such atmospheric observations in remote areas are very important for providing a reference for evaluating anthropogenic impacts in this and other regions (Andreae, 2007;Carslaw et al, 2013;Spracklen and Rap, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term measurements (2010–2014) of carbonaceous aerosol and carbon monoxide at the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory (ZOTTO) in central Siberia

et al. 2017

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Abstract. We present long-term (5-year) measurements of particulate matter with an upper diameter limit of ∼ 10 µm (PM 10 ), elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in aerosol filter samples collected at the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory in the middle-taiga subzone (Siberia). The data are complemented with carbon monoxide (CO) measurements. Air mass back trajectory analysis and satellite image analysis were used to characterise potential source regions and the transport pathway of haze plumes. Polluted and background periods were selected using a non-parametric statistical approach and analysed separately. In addition, near-pristine air masses were selected based on their EC concentrations being below the detection limit of our thermal-optical instrument. Over the entire sampling campaign, 75 and 48 % of air masses in winter and in summer, respectively, and 42 % in spring and fall are classified as polluted. The observed background concentrations of CO and EC showed a sine-like behaviour with a period of 365 ± 4 days, mostly due to different degrees of dilution and the removal of polluted air masses arriving at the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory (ZOTTO) from remote sources. Our analysis of the near-pristine conditions shows that the longest periods with clean air masses were observed in summer, with a frequency of 17 %, while in wintertime only 1 % can be classified as a clean. Against a background of low concentrations of CO, EC, and OC in the near-pristine summertime, it was possible to identify pollution plumes that most likely came from crude-oil production sites located in the oil-rich regions of Western Siberia. Overall, our analysis indicates that most of the time the Siberian region is impacted by atmospheric pollution arising from biomass burning and anthropogenic emissions. A relatively clean atmosphere can be observed mainly in summer, when polluted species are removed by precipitation and the aerosol burden returns to near-pristine conditions.

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“…However, that is not caused by substantial changes in fire-emitted aerosols but by increases in anthropogenic aerosols, which caused the cooling potential of fire aerosols to decrease. This effect was discussed more recently [85], with a broader perspective on all natural aerosol radiative effects. Between 1850 and 2100, Ward et al estimated a firedriven RF of about +0.2 Wm −2 , with the aerosol direct effect (ADE) being key, but also with a large uncertainty depending on the future climate scenario influencing fire activity [84•].…”

Section: Effects On Radiative Forcing and Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

Fire Influences on Atmospheric Composition, Air Quality and Climate

Voulgarakis

Field

2015

Curr Pollution Rep

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Fires impact atmospheric composition through their emissions, which range from long-lived gases to shortlived gases and aerosols. Effects are typically larger in the tropics and boreal regions but can also be substantial in highly populated areas in the northern mid-latitudes. In all regions, fire can impact air quality and health. Similarly, its effect on large-scale atmospheric processes, including regional and global atmospheric chemistry and climate forcing, can be substantial, but this remains largely unexplored. The impacts are primarily realised in the boundary layer and lower free troposphere but can also be noticeable in upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UT/LS) region, for the most intense fires. In this review, we summarise the recent literature on findings related to fire impact on atmospheric composition, air quality and climate. We explore both observational and modelling approaches and present information on key regions and on the globe as a whole. We also discuss the current and future directions in this area of research, focusing on the major advances in emission estimates, the emerging efforts to include fire as a component in Earth system modelling and the use of modelling to assess health impacts of fire emissions.

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Natural aerosol–climate feedbacks suppressed by anthropogenic aerosol

Cited by 41 publications

References 49 publications

Occurrence of pristine aerosol environments on a polluted planet

Occurrence of pristine aerosol environments on a polluted planet

Long-term measurements (2010–2014) of carbonaceous aerosol and carbon monoxide at the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory (ZOTTO) in central Siberia

Fire Influences on Atmospheric Composition, Air Quality and Climate

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