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Black Carbon Absorption at the Global Scale Is Affected by Particle-Scale Diversity in CompositionAtmospheric black carbon (BC) exerts a strong, but uncertain, warming effect on the climate. BC that is coated with non-absorbing material absorbs more strongly than the same amount of BC in an uncoated particle, but the magnitude of this absorption enhancement (E(sub abs)) is not well constrained. Modelling studies and laboratory measurements have found stronger absorption enhancement than has been observed in the atmosphere. Here, using a particle-resolved aerosol model to simulate diverse BC populations, we show that absorption is overestimated by as much as a factor of two if diversity is neglected and population-averaged composition is assumed across all BC-containing particles. If, instead, composition diversity is resolved, we find E(sub abs) = 1 - 1.5 at low relative humidity, consistent with ambient observations. This study offers not only an explanation for the discrepancy between modelled and observed absorption enhancement, but also demonstrates how particle-scale simulations can be used to develop relationships for global-scale models.
Document ID
20160011403
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Fierce, Laura
(Brookhaven National Lab. Upton, NY, United States)
Bond, Tami C.
(Illinois Univ. Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States)
Bauer, Susanne E.
(Columbia Univ. New York, NY, United States)
Mena, Francisco
(Illinois Univ. Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States)
Riemer, Nicole
(Illinois Univ. Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States)
Date Acquired
September 21, 2016
Publication Date
September 1, 2016
Publication Information
Publication: Nature Communications
Publisher: Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature
Volume: 7
Issue: 12361
e-ISSN: 2041-1723
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN35779
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX14AB99A
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Climate models
Atmospheric chemistry
Atmospheric black carbon

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