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Direct Radiative Effects of Aerosols Over South Asia From Observations and ModelingQuantitative assessment of the seasonal variations in the direct radiative effect (DRE) of composite aerosols as well as the constituent species over the Indian sub continent has been carried out using a synergy of observations from a dense network of ground based aerosol observatories and modeling based on chemical transport model simulations. Seasonal variation of aerosol constituents depict significant influence of anthropogenic aerosol sources in winter and the dominance of natural sources in spring, even though the aerosol optical depth doesn't change significantly between these two seasons. A significant increase in the surface cooling and atmospheric warming has been observed as season changes from winter DRE(sub SUR) = −28 +/- 12 W m(exp −2) and DRE(sub ATM) = +19.6 +/- 9 W m(exp −2) to spring DRE(sub SUR) = −33.7 +/- 12 W m(exp −2) and DRE(sub ATM) = +27 +/- 9 W m(exp−2). Interestingly, springtime aerosols are more absorptive in nature compared to winter and consequently the aerosol induced diabatic heating of the atmosphere goes as high as approximately 1 K day(exp -1) during spring, especially over eastern India. The atmospheric DRE due to dust aerosols (+14 +/- 7 W m(exp 2) during spring overwhelms that of black carbon DRE (+11.8 +/- 6 W m(exp -2) during winter. The DRE at the top of the atmosphere is mostly governed by the anthropogenic aerosols during all the seasons. The columnar aerosol loading, its anthropogenic fraction and radiative effects shows a steady increase with latitude across Indian mainland leading to a larger aerosol-induced atmospheric warming during spring than in winter.
Document ID
20170003437
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Nair, Vijayakumar S.
(Indian Space Research Organization Trivandrum, India)
Babu, S. Suresh
(Indian Space Research Organization Trivandrum, India)
Manoj, M. R.
(Indian Space Research Organization Trivandrum, India)
Moorthy, Krishna K.
(ISRO Satellite Centre, Peenya Bangalore, India)
Chin, Mian
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Date Acquired
April 14, 2017
Publication Date
October 13, 2016
Publication Information
Publication: Climate Dynamics
Publisher: Climate Dynamics
Issue: 18
ISSN: 0930-7575
e-ISSN: 1432-0894
Subject Category
Geosciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN41571
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
dust aerosols
anthropogenic aerosols
aerosol induced diabatic heating

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