Uncertainty in Aerosol–Cloud Radiative Forcing Is Driven By Clean Conditions

Atmospheric aerosols and their impact on cloud properties remain the largest uncertainty in the human forcing of the climate system. By increasing the concentration of cloud droplets (Nd), aerosols reduce droplet size and increase the reflectivity of clouds (a negative radiative forcing). Central to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmospheric chemistry and physics 2023-04, Vol.23 (7), p.4115-4122
Main Authors: Gryspeerdt, Edward, Povey, Adam C., Grainger, Roy G., Hasekamp, Otto, Hsu, N. Christina, Mulcahy, Jane P., Sayer, Andrew M., Sorooshian, Armin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosol effects
Aerosol-cloud interactions
Aerosols
Analysis
Atmospheric aerosols
Atmospheric models
Atmospheric physics
Climate
Climate models
Climate system
Cloud droplet concentration
Cloud droplet size
Cloud droplets
Cloud properties
Clouds
Droplets
Estimates
Geosciences (General)
Global climate
Global climate models
Observational studies
Optical properties
Proxies
Radiative forcing
Reflectance
Satellites
Uncertainty
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Summary:Atmospheric aerosols and their impact on cloud properties remain the largest uncertainty in the human forcing of the climate system. By increasing the concentration of cloud droplets (Nd), aerosols reduce droplet size and increase the reflectivity of clouds (a negative radiative forcing). Central to this climate impact is the susceptibility of cloud droplet number to aerosol (β), the diversity of which explains much of the variation in the radiative forcing from aerosol–cloud interactions (RFaci) in global climate models. This has made measuring β a key target for developing observational constraints of the aerosol forcing.
ISSN:1680-7316
1680-7324
1680-7324
DOI:10.5194/acp-23-4115-2023