All-sky aerosol direct radiative effects at the ARM SGP site

All-sky aerosol direct radiative effect (DRE) was estimated for the first time at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site using multi-year ground-based observations. The NASA Langley Fu-Liou radiation model was employed. Observed inputs for the radiation model include aeroso...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Main Authors: Balmes, K. A., Fu, Q.
Language:unknown
Published: 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1812312
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1812312
https://doi.org/10.1029/2021jd034933
Description
Summary:All-sky aerosol direct radiative effect (DRE) was estimated for the first time at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site using multi-year ground-based observations. The NASA Langley Fu-Liou radiation model was employed. Observed inputs for the radiation model include aerosol and cloud vertical extinction profile from Raman lidar; spectral aerosol optical depth, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry factor from Aerosol Robotic Network; cloud water content profiles from radars; temperature and water vapor profiles from radiosondes; and surface shortwave spectral albedo from radiometers. A cloudy-sky radiative closure experiment was performed. The relative mean differences between modeled and observed surface downwelling shortwave total fluxes were 6% (7%) for transparent (opaque) cloudy-skies. The estimated annual mean all-sky aerosol DRE is -2.13±0.54W m -2 at the top of atmosphere (TOA) and -5.95±0.87 W m -2 at the surface, compared to -3.00±0.58 W m -2 AND -6.85±1.00 W m -2 , respectively, under clear-sky conditions. The seasonal cycle of all-sky aerosol DRE is similar to that of the clear-sky, except with secondary influences of the clouds: The cloud radiative effect is strongest (most negative) in the spring, which reduces the all-sky aerosol DRE. The relative uncertainties in all-sky aerosol DRE due to measurement errors are generally comparable to those in clear-sky conditions except for the aerosol single-scattering albedo. Finally, the TOA all-sky aerosol DRE relative uncertainty due to aerosol single-scattering albedo uncertainty is larger than that in clear-sky, leading to a larger total relative uncertainty. The measurement errors in cloud properties have small effects on the all-sky aerosol DRE.