Strong constraints on aerosol-cloud interactions from volcanic eruptions

The climate impact of aerosols is highly uncertain owing primarily to their poorly quantified influence on cloud properties. During 2014-15, a fissure eruption in Holuhraun (Iceland) emitted huge quantities of sulphur dioxide, resulting in significant reductions in liquid cloud droplet size. Using s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature
Main Authors: Malavelle, F, Haywood, Jim, Jones, Andy, Gettelman, Andrew, Clarisse, Lieven, Bauduin, Sophie, Allan, Richard P, Karset, Inger Helene H, Kristjánsson, J. E., Oreopoulos, Lazaros, Cho, Nayeong, Lee, Dongmin, Bellouin, Nicolas, Boucher, O., Grosvenor, D. P., Carslaw, K. S., Dhomse, Sandip, Mann, Graham W., Schmidt, A., Coe, Hugh, Hartley, Margaret, Dalvi, Mohit, Hill, Adrian, Johnson, Ben, Johnson, C. E., Knight, J., O'Connor, F. M., Partridge, Daniel G., Stier, Philip, Myhre, Gunnar, Platnick, S., Stephens, Graeme L, Takahashi, Hanii, Thordarson, Thorvaldur
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2017
Subjects:
Holuhraun
Iceland
Online Access:https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/publications/36f85b55-c7f7-4d2d-af2c-56208ecd05b4
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22974
https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/files/56250766/MAIN_TEXT_affiliation_and_aknowledgement_changes_accepted.docx
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Summary:The climate impact of aerosols is highly uncertain owing primarily to their poorly quantified influence on cloud properties. During 2014-15, a fissure eruption in Holuhraun (Iceland) emitted huge quantities of sulphur dioxide, resulting in significant reductions in liquid cloud droplet size. Using satellite observations and detailed modelling, we estimate a global mean radiative forcing from the resulting aerosol-induced cloud brightening for the time of the eruption of around -0.2 W.m -2 . Changes in cloud amount or liquid water path are undetectable, indicating that these aerosol-cloud indirect effects are modest. It supports the idea that cloud systems are well buffered against aerosol changes as only impacts on cloud effective radius appear relevant from a climate perspective, thus providing a strong constraint on aerosol-cloud interactions. This result will reduce uncertainties in future climate projections as we are able to reject the results from climate models with an excessive liquid water path response.

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