Aerosol Cloud Climate Interactions

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Aerosol Cloud Climate Interactions"

Homer Wells
5 years ago
Views:

1 ATMS 591 Aerosol Cloud Climate Interactions Spring Quarter 2015

2 Logistics Class webpage Class meets 1:30 2:50 Mondays and Wednesdays in Room 406, ATG Building Instructor: Prof. Robert Wood [ATG 718, Phone ] Office Hours: flexible Prerequisites: ATM S 535: Cloud Physics and Dynamics, or by specific permission of the instructor. Textbook: No required textbook

3 Class description This graduate special topics class focuses on the general topic of aerosol cloud climate interactions. The class aims to cover many aspects of this topic, including a review of the theoretical arguments linking aerosols and clouds, the use of field and satellite data, and process and climate models to understand the problem, and a consideration of past and future changes in aerosol indirect climate forcing.

4 ATMS 591: Learning Goals: 1. Understand the physical bases for aerosol cloud interactions 2. Awareness of the important literature on the topic of aerosolcloud climate interactions 3. Understand how clouds are affected by aerosols and how cloud processes affect aerosols 4. Gain an appreciation for the concept of aerosol indirect forcing (also known as aerosol forcing by aerosol cloud interactions) 5. Understand how observations and models are used to assess the climatological impacts of anthropogenic and natural aerosols.

5 Useful texts Atmospheric Science, an introductory survey, by J. M. Wallace and P.V.Hobbs (Second Edition), Academic Press. A Short Course in Cloud Physics, by M. K. Yau and R. R. Rogers. Elsevier, Jan 1989, ISBN: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change, 2nd Edition. John H. Seinfeld, Spyros N. Pandis. ISBN: , 1232 pages Physics and Chemistry of Clouds, by Lamb and Verlinde: Cambridge University Press; 1st edition. Copies available in the UW Bookstore Clouds in the Perturbed Climate System: Their relationship to energy balance, atmospheric dynamics, and precipitation. Edited by Jose Heintzenberg and Robert Charlson. MIT Press, Ernst Strungman Forum reports. ISBN

6 Aerosol cloud climate interactions A definition Two way interactions between aerosol particles and clouds that influence regional and global climate Two way interactions: Aerosol particles influencing cloud radiative properties, a.k.a. aerosol indirect effects Clouds influencing the properties of climatically important aerosol particles

7 Class organization Largely reading based We will read and discuss/critique some of the key papers describing: The physical basis for aerosol cloud climate interactions How process models and observations are used to understand aerosol cloud interactions How aerosol cloud interactions are represented in climate models Past and future assessments of climate impacts of anthropogenic aerosols

8 Class organization Projects Each student will carry out a project during the second half of the quarter. The aim is to align this project to make it useful for your own research. Examples might include: Literature review of topic pertinent to your research Use of data from your own research, or from readily obtainable datasets to explore facets of aerosol cloud climate interactions Design simple model experiments to provide insights on physical bases for aerosol cloud climate interactions

9 Aerosol effects on clouds: Ship tracks in low clouds over the Bay of Biscay

10 Cloud impacts on aerosols

11 Myriad processes

12 Myriad aerosol cloud precipitation processes occurring within a climate model gridbox (or not) IPCC AR5, Chapter 7, Fig 7.16

13 IPCC Radiative Forcing Diagram Understand physical bases for, and model representation of, this entry IPCC 5 th Assessment Report (AR5), Summary for Policymakers, Fig. SPM.5, 2013

14 Reading list (first few) Twomey, S., 1977: The Influence of Pollution on the Shortwave Albedo of Clouds. J. Atmos. Sci., 34 (7): Albrecht, B. A., 1989: Aerosols, Cloud Microphysics, and Fractional Cloudiness. Science, 245, Ramanathan, V. Aerosols, Climate, and the Hydrological Cycle. Science 294, no (December 7, 2001): doi: /science Lohmann, U., and J. Feichter. Global Indirect Aerosol Effects: A Review. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 5, no. 3 (2005):

Atmospheric Microphysics Texts

Atmospheric Microphysics Texts Texts for Consultation Atmospheric Physics Fall 2016 As you start to take more advanced Physics courses, it is quite likely you will want to go to sources beyond your textbook, instructor, and classmates