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Exploiting the weekly cycle as observed over Europe to analyse aerosol indirect effects in two climate models

A weekly cycle in aerosol pollution and some meteorological quantities is observed over Europe. In the present study we exploit this effect to analyse aerosol-cloudradiation interactions. A weekly cycle is imposed on anthropogenic emissions in two general circulation models that include
parameterizations of aerosol processes and cloud microphysics. It is found that the simulated weekly cycles in sulfur dioxide, sulfate, and aerosol optical depth in both models agree reasonably well with those observed indicating model skill in simulating the aerosol cycle. A distinct weekly
cycle in cloud droplet number concentration is demonstrated in both observations and models. For other variables, such as cloud liquid water path, cloud cover, top-of-the-atmosphere radiation fluxes, precipitation, and surface temperature, large variability and contradictory results between observations, model simulations, and model control simulations without a weekly cycle in emissions prevent us from reaching any firm
conclusions about the potential aerosol impact on meteorology or the realism of the modelled second aerosol indirect effects.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa.de:bsz:15-qucosa-186257
Date30 October 2015
CreatorsQuaas, Johannes, Boucher, Olivier, Jones, A., Weedon, Graham P., Kieser, Jens, Joos, Hanna
ContributorsMax-Plack-Institut für Meteorologie,, Met Office Hadley Centre,, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, Copernicus Publications,
PublisherUniversitätsbibliothek Leipzig
Source SetsHochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typedoc-type:article
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceAtmospheric chemistry and physics (2009) 9, S. 8493-8501

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