Observing the timescales of aerosol–cloud interactions in snapshot satellite images

The response of cloud processes to an aerosol perturbation is one of the largest uncertainties in the anthropogenic forcing of the climate. It occurs at a variety of timescales, from the near-instantaneous Twomey effect to the longer timescales required for cloud adjustments. Understanding the tempo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAtmospheric chemistry and physics Vol. 21; no. 8; pp. 6093 - 6109
Main Authors Gryspeerdt, Edward, Goren, Tom, Smith, Tristan W. P
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Katlenburg-Lindau Copernicus GmbH 26.04.2021
Copernicus Publications
Subjects
Aerosol effects
Aerosol-cloud interactions
Aerosols
Analysis
Anthropogenic factors
Cloud properties
Clouds
Emission
Evolution
Human influences
Meteorological research
Meteorology
Perturbation
Polar orbiting satellites
Properties
Satellite imagery
Satellite tracking
Ships
Spaceborne remote sensing
Time dependence
Tracks (paths)
Water
Weather
Wind fields
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Summary:The response of cloud processes to an aerosol perturbation is one of the largest uncertainties in the anthropogenic forcing of the climate. It occurs at a variety of timescales, from the near-instantaneous Twomey effect to the longer timescales required for cloud adjustments. Understanding the temporal evolution of cloud properties following an aerosol perturbation is necessary to interpret the results of so-called "natural experiments" from a known aerosol source such as a ship or industrial site. This work uses reanalysis wind fields and ship emission information matched to observations of ship tracks to measure the timescales of cloud responses to aerosol in instantaneous (or"snapshot") images taken by polar-orbiting satellites.
ISSN:1680-7324
1680-7316
1680-7324
DOI:10.5194/acp-21-6093-2021