Evidence of surface cooling from absorbing aerosols

Krishnan, R. ; Ramanathan, V. (2002) Evidence of surface cooling from absorbing aerosols Geophysical Research Letters, 29 (9). 54(1)-54(4). ISSN 0094-8276

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Official URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2002GL0...

Related URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2002GL014687

Abstract

Anthropogenic emissions over the Asian region have grown rapidly with increase in population and industrialization. Air-pollutants from this region lead to a brownish haze over most of the North Indian Ocean and South Asia during winter and spring. The haze, with as much as 10–15% of black carbon (by mass), is known to reduce the surface solar insolation by about 10% (−15 Wm−2) and nearly double the lower atmospheric solar heating. Here we present an analysis of observed surface-temperature variations over the Indian subcontinent, which filters out effects of greenhouse gases and natural variability. The analysis reveals that the absorbing aerosols have led to a statistically significant cooling of about 0.3°C since the 1970s. The seasonally asymmetric cooling, which is consistent with the seasonality of the South Asian aerosol forcing, raises the new possibility that the surface cooling underneath the polluted regions, is balanced by warming elsewhere.

Item Type:Article
Source:Copyright of this article belongs to John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ID Code:109439
Deposited On:01 Feb 2018 10:17
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