Science paper examines role of aerosols in climate change

by Amy Judd | September 5, 2008 at 02:26 pm

1892 views | 39 Recommendations | 68 comments

Scientists from the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) are putting forward a new way of looking at the effects of aerosols on precipitation.

The increase in atmospheric concentrations of man-made aerosols—tiny particles suspended in the air—from such sources as transportation, industry, agriculture, and urban land use not only poses serious problems to human health, but also has an effect on weather and climate.

Recent studies suggest that increased aerosol loading may have changed the energy balance in the atmosphere and at the Earth's surface, and altered the global water cycle in ways that make the climate system more prone to precipitation extremes.

It appears that aerosol effects on clouds can induce large changes in precipitation patterns, which in turn may change not only regional water resources, but also may change the regional and global circulation systems that constitute the Earth's climate.

The proposed framework improves scientists' ability to simulate present and future climates by integrating, for the first time, the radiative and microphysical effects of aerosols on clouds. The radiative effects of aerosols on clouds mostly act to suppress precipitation, because they decrease the amount of solar radiation that reaches the land surface, and therefore cause less heat to be available for evaporating water and energizing convective rain clouds. Microphysical effects of aerosols can slow down the conversion of cloud drops into raindrops, which shuts off precipitation from very shallow and short-lived clouds.

Model simulations suggest that this delay of early rain causes greater amounts of cloud water and rain intensities later in the life cycle of the cloud. This suggests that rain patterns are shifting, leading to possible drought in one area and flooding downwind in another area. In addition, greater cooling below and heating above leads to enhanced upward heat transport. Model simulations have shown that greater heating in the troposphere enhances the atmospheric circulation system, shifting weather patterns due to changes convective activity.

The sceintists also want to look at the connections between aerosols, clouds, precipitation and climate. This will bring together scientists from all over the world to help them figure out what is happening between of those factors.

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mchawk

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 14:33 on September 5th, 2008

amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Mayhem Arts

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 20:38 on September 5th, 2008

amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Barry ORegan

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 21:03 on September 5th, 2008

amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Emilio Lizardo

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 21:48 on September 5th, 2008

amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.

harrydirty

at 23:07 on September 5th, 2008

Sun set in Roses, North Spain.

harrydirty has contributed a photo to this story.

endelwar

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 23:11 on September 5th, 2008

amyjudd, I like this story. It makes me think about all the damage we are creating to our planet...

No end insight

at 23:28 on September 5th, 2008

Its the little things which count. We are now seeing the affects of out lifestyle on the environment. The answer? More research to examine these affects and understand our role in them. If changes need to be made, we need to act quickly. The Earth is a strong mother and can recover from a multitude of ill effects given time....

No end insight has contributed a photo to this story.

Uwe Paschen

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 23:44 on September 5th, 2008

amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Europe outlawed those some 25 years ago all ready.

Messiaen

at 00:02 on September 6th, 2008

It's impossible to disagree that humans are affecting the climate in profound ways. Living in a temporate climate and being a lover of extreme weathers, though in the UK we need little more rain, it's quite exciting in a cold-hearted way. The most needful challenge is to help those who are adversely affected, because changing the way society works is more difficult.

Messiaen has contributed a photo to this story.

vidyavi

at 00:34 on September 6th, 2008

Amyjudd, I think its very important that people know how much of damage they are creating to the planet and this is a very good way to make people realize that they should start working towards saving the planet.

vidyavi has contributed a photo to this story.

pgann

at 00:47 on September 6th, 2008

amyjudd, anything that helps understand the impact of modern life on the climate is valuable for future generations. This sounds like a great initiative by these scientists.

pgann has contributed a photo to this story.

pdam2

at 01:04 on September 6th, 2008

Interesting comment, I assume on the 5th Sept Nature paper? I'll be interesting to get further information from this model over time - for instance as atmospheric particulate pollution in urban areas has a known profile, building to it's highest level mid week - does this mean we'll all get wet weekends in future? Also if there is greater upward heat transport in larger clouds - this means more lightning storms, right?

Talon Karrde

at 01:23 on September 6th, 2008

This was taken at Hay Torre on Dartmoor in Devon, England. I took this photo because i was astounded at the beauty of this phenomenon of light piercing the clouds in almost heavenly rays.

Talon Karrde has contributed a photo to this story.

Fiorenzo

at 01:29 on September 6th, 2008

good story!

crescent☆monologue

at 01:36 on September 6th, 2008

I took this photo at Yokohama (Japan) 31th August.
I felt "awe" more than "beautiful".
Don't you feel it looks like explosion?

crescent☆monologue has contributed a photo to this story.

herberto07

at 01:53 on September 6th, 2008

THUNDERHEADS FORM OVER NEW CASTLE NH>
VIEW MORE @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/steelheadwill/

steelheadwill has contributed a photo to this story.

Sputnic

at 02:38 on September 6th, 2008

Good stuff

Ken Blackwell

at 02:53 on September 6th, 2008

My photo: A summer's sunset at a small lake/pond at Enterprise, AL in a low populated area about 80 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.

Ken Blackwell has contributed a photo to this story.

donapatrick

at 03:27 on September 6th, 2008

Taken near Doonbeg, County Clare, Ireland. July 2008

donapatrick has contributed a photo to this story.

Des Gold

at 03:44 on September 6th, 2008

This shot was taken at just below 80degrees north. You can't go much further. It is here that the effects of global warming are really being seen and felt. August was unseasonably cold this year, with snow on Nordauslandet, the island closest to this. Nordauslandet is officially a polar desert! And yet we have still seen massive glacial retreats, and the wrong type of records are still being broken. Second largest summer ice melt in History.
In February a French team reported that we could be out of summer ice in the Arctic by 2015. I asked at the world famous Scott Polar Institute, part of Cambridge University in the UK, if this was plausible. They thought not, until a US report came up with similar conclusions in the early summer.Things are moving really fast in the Arctic. Is our understanding keeping up? All the while politicians play their games and do nothing.

Des Gold has contributed a photo to this story.

sufined

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 03:47 on September 6th, 2008

amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff. and you should also try to show some ways how one can save our planet earth from all such disasters atleast one can make and small effort i m sure a tiny lil thing can also make a huge difference

thanks

Paul Shine

at 04:32 on September 6th, 2008

I took this photo while watching an air show in Cosford England, it just struck me the contrast in the clouds and it was only about 13:00pm!!

Paul Shine has contributed a photo to this story.

heecham

at 05:10 on September 6th, 2008

took it during a vacation, my amazing sunset, tell me what you think of it, u can see more of my photos on www.flickr.com/photos/hichamsaad

rumana husain

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 05:36 on September 6th, 2008

amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Ejaz_greenechos

at 05:37 on September 6th, 2008

I took the shot with an ordinary samsung camera fone (1.3 Mp) and tried to capture as much detail as possilbe,in words the clouds that hung below the blueness of the sky looked like several gigantic clusters,changing their shape oftenly and heavily concentrated.

Ejaz_greenechos has contributed a photo to this story.

boyrichard

at 05:48 on September 6th, 2008

hi, this photograph was taken near my home in Norfolk ,UK. a very flat land scape. Usual weather is very dry Ideal farming land. This is one of many storms we have had this year. The wetest on record.. As we are flat and have many rivers and marsh land flooding has been minimal not so in other parts of UK where the hills and mountains have the highest rain fall usually protecting the eastern region. Winter storms are where the flooding occurs in this region and till now man made defences have held well, now with increasing sea levels and fiercer storms our coast (where I live) is in danger of heavy errosion. It will take only slight increase in sea level to see much of London floded with out the man made flood barrier.Which is now used many more times than expected when first built.
more photos www.flickr.com/photos/boyrichard
boyrichard has contributed a photo to this story.

FragileDustyFrames

at 05:41 on September 6th, 2008

I spent a beautiful day on Big Cedar Lake in southeast Wisconsin. The sky and clouds were amazing and I couldn't pass up the chance to capture them.

FragileDustyFrames has contributed a photo to this story.

ckay

at 06:45 on September 6th, 2008

This is the north east end of Lake Michigan at Glen Arbor after a major cold front came through, in mid August, The winds were gusting 25 to 30 miles per hour. It had been 90 degrees the day before, and it was about 68 degrees when I took this.

ckay has contributed a photo to this story.

ShuYun08

at 07:05 on September 6th, 2008

This photo was taken in Berlin during a trip across Europe this summer.
The sky was really wonderful with some nice clouds.
A few hours later, it was the worst weather we ever had in our journey.

ShuYun08 has contributed a photo to this story.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shuyun08/

calong67usmc

at 07:32 on September 6th, 2008

We were coming home from dinner on night, and i seen the clouds forming in the west. As we stopped to take photos, the sky changed into a darkness, and the sun was still behind them.
The way the sun shown through the cloud formation, it was an awesome sight. a thunderstorm resulted from that formation.

calong67usmc has contributed a photo to this story.