| 1. |
- Ahlm, Lars, et al.
(author)
-
Marine cloud brightening - as effective without clouds
- 2017
-
In: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 17:21, s. 13071-13087
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Marine cloud brightening through sea spray injection has been proposed as a climate engineering method for avoiding the most severe consequences of global warming. A limitation of most of the previous modelling studies on marine cloud brightening is that they have either considered individual models or only investigated the effects of a specific increase in the number of cloud droplets. Here we present results from coordinated simulations with three Earth system models (ESMs) participating in the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) G4sea-salt experiment. Injection rates of accumulation-mode sea spray aerosol particles over ocean between 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S are set in each model to generate a global-mean effective radiative forcing (ERF) of -2.0 W m(-2) at the top of the atmosphere. We find that the injection increases the cloud droplet number concentration in lower layers, reduces the cloud-top effective droplet radius, and increases the cloud optical depth over the injection area. We also find, however, that the global-mean clear-sky ERF by the injected particles is as large as the corresponding total ERF in all three ESMs, indicating a large potential of the aerosol direct effect in regions of low cloudiness. The largest enhancement in ERF due to the presence of clouds occur as expected in the subtropical stratocumulus regions off the west coasts of the American and African continents. However, outside these regions, the ERF is in general equally large in cloudy and clear-sky conditions. These findings suggest a more important role of the aerosol direct effect in sea spray climate engineering than previously thought.
|
|
| 2. |
- Stjern, Camilla W., et al.
(author)
-
Response to marine cloud brightening in a multi-model ensemble
- 2018
-
In: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 18:2, s. 621-634
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Here we show results from Earth system model simulations from the marine cloud brightening experiment G4cdnc of the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP). The nine contributing models prescribe a 50% increase in the cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) of low clouds over the global oceans in an experiment dubbed G4cdnc, with the purpose of counteracting the radiative forcing due to anthropogenic greenhouse gases under the RCP4.5 scenario. The model ensemble median effective radiative forcing (ERF) amounts to -1.9W m(-2), with a substantial inter-model spread of -0.6 to -2.5W m(-2). The large spread is partly related to the considerable differences in clouds and their representation between the models, with an underestimation of low clouds in several of the models. All models predict a statistically significant temperature decrease with a median of (for years 2020-2069) 0.96 [-0.17 to -1.21] K relative to the RCP4.5 scenario, with particularly strong cooling over low-latitude continents. Globally aver-aged there is a weak but significant precipitation decrease of -2.35 [-0.57 to -2.96]% due to a colder climate, but at low latitudes there is a 1.19% increase over land. This increase is part of a circulation change where a strong negative top-of-atmosphere (TOA) shortwave forcing over subtropical oceans, caused by increased albedo associated with the increasing CDNC, is compensated for by rising motion and positive TOA longwave signals over adjacent land regions.
|
|
