Evidence for the predictability of changes in the stratospheric aerosol size following volcanic eruptions of diverse magnitudes using space-based instruments

An analysis of multiwavelength stratospheric aerosol extinction coefficient data from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II and III/ISS instruments is used to demonstrate a coherent relationship between the perturbation in extinction coefficient in an eruption's main aerosol layer and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmospheric chemistry and physics 2021-01, Vol.21 (2), p.1143-1158
Main Authors: Thomason, Larry W, Kovilakam, Mahesh, Schmidt, Anja, von Savigny, Christian, Knepp, Travis, Rieger, Landon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosol extinction
Aerosol models
Aerosol size distribution
Aerosols
Algorithms
Astronomical instruments
Climate
Climate models
Coefficients
Datasets
Extinction coefficient
Global aerosols
Global climate
Global climate models
Instruments
Ozone
Particle size distribution
Perturbation
SAGE satellite
Size distribution
Stratosphere
Sulfuric acid
Sulphuric acid
Volcanic aerosols
Volcanic eruption effects
Volcanic eruptions
Wavelength
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Summary:An analysis of multiwavelength stratospheric aerosol extinction coefficient data from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II and III/ISS instruments is used to demonstrate a coherent relationship between the perturbation in extinction coefficient in an eruption's main aerosol layer and the wavelength dependence of that perturbation. This relationship spans multiple orders of magnitude in the aerosol extinction coefficient of stratospheric impact of volcanic events. The relationship is measurement-based and does not rely on assumptions about the aerosol size distribution. We note limitations on this analysis including that the presence of significant amounts of ash in the main sulfuric acid aerosol layer and other factors may significantly modulate these results. Despite these limitations, the findings suggest an avenue for improving aerosol extinction coefficient measurements from single-channel observations such as the Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System as they rely on a prior assumptions about particle size. They may also represent a distinct avenue for the comparison of observations with interactive aerosol models used in global climate models and Earth system models.
ISSN:1680-7324
1680-7316
1680-7324
DOI:10.5194/acp-21-1143-2021