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Cited by 132Advanced Aircraft Design and TechnologiesAtmospheric aerosols and cloudsAtmospheric chemistry and aerosols

The climate impact of aviation aerosols

Open access
Gettelman, A., Chen, C.·2013·Geophysical Research Letters
DOI 10.1002/grl.50520
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Abstract

A comprehensive general circulation model (GCM) is used to estimate the climate impact of aviation emissions of black carbon (BC) and sulfate (SO 4 ) aerosols. Aviation BC is found not to exert significant radiative forcing impacts, when BC nucleating efficiencies in line with observations are used. Sulfate emissions from aircraft are found to alter liquid clouds at altitudes below emission (∼200 hPa); contributing to shortwave cloud brightening through enhanced liquid water path and drop number concentration in major flight corridors, particularly in the N. Atlantic. Global averaged sulfate direct and indirect effects on liquid clouds of 46 mWm −2 are larger than the warming effect of aviation induced cloudiness of 16 mWm −2 . The net result of including contrail cirrus and aerosol effects is a global averaged cooling of −21±11 mWm −2 . These aerosol forcings should be considered with contrails in evaluating the total global impact of aviation on climate.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/grl.50520

Cites

2 of 2 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • RF values of about 11-13 mW m−2 (normalized to 2018 emissions) are calculated in some studies for moderate ice-nucleating efficiencies.

    “RF values of about 11 -13 mW m 2 (normalized to 2018 emissions) are calculated in some studies for moderate ice-nucleating efficiencies (Pitari et al., 2015; Gettelman and Chen, 2013).”

    From The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018 (2021) · cites this paper as Gettelman and Chen, 2013

    Table 2 reports 8 mW m−2 for the 0.1% ice-nucleation-efficiency case and −2 mW m−2 for the 2% case, not about 11–13 mW m−2. The Results (§3, paragraph 13) say neither effect is statistically significant. Our copy does not report normalization to 2018 emissions. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • Other studies predict decreases in cirrus number for smaller numbers of larger soot particles, resulting in a slight warming.

    “Other studies predict decreases in cirrus number for smaller numbers of larger soot particles (Hendricks et al., 2011), resulting in a slight warming (Gettelman and Chen, 2013).”

    From The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018 (2021) · cites this paper as Gettelman and Chen, 2013

    The Results (§3, [17]) report a small warming from aviation black carbon (8 mW m⁻²), supporting the warming portion attached to this citation. But the Results (§3, [13]) find no significant change in ice number from black carbon, so the paper does not support attributing that warming to a decrease in cirrus number caused by fewer, larger soot particles. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Two studies find moderate effects of soot aerosol on ice clouds, depending on the ice nucleating efficiency and the size distribution.

    “Two studies find moderate effects of soot aerosol on ice clouds, depending on the ice nucleating efficiency and the size distribution.”

    From The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018 (2021) · cites this paper as Gettelman and Chen, 2013

    The Results (§3, paragraph 13) show that black-carbon effects depend on ice-nucleating efficiency and particle size. But the typical-efficiency case produced no significant change in ice-cloud number, and the significant effects at small particle sizes arose from liquid clouds, not ice clouds. The paper therefore does not establish the claimed moderate effects on ice clouds. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Two integrated model simulations found large impacts on liquid clouds from aviation sulfate aerosol transported to liquid clouds at lower altitudes over oceans, which have low albedo.

    “Two integrated model simulations (Kapadia et al., 2016; Get­ telman and Chen, 2013) found large impacts on liquid clouds from aviation sulfate aerosol that is transported to liquid clouds at lower al­ titudes over oceans, which have low albedo.”

    From The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018 (2021) · cites this paper as Gettelman and Chen, 2013

    The Results (§3, paragraphs 14 and 20) report that aviation sulfate reaches liquid clouds below emission altitude, changes their properties, and produces cooling over the North Atlantic. The paper does not state that the oceans in question have low albedo. It describes its own model simulation; the claim’s count of two simulations also includes the separately cited Kapadia et al. study, which this source cannot establish. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The RF could be significantly smaller (less negative) if additional ice-forming particles, such as secondary organic aerosol (SOA), are already present in the background atmosphere.

    “The RF could be significantly smaller (less negative) if additional ice-forming particles, such as secondary organic aerosol (SOA), are already present in the background atmosphere (Penner et al., 2018; Gettelman and Chen, 2013).”

    From The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018 (2021) · cites this paper as Gettelman and Chen, 2013

    The Results (§3, ¶15) report less cooling when emitted aviation sulfate particles are larger and note sensitivity to the balance of ice-nucleation processes. Neither that passage nor the model description (§2.1, ¶¶6–8) addresses whether pre-existing background ice-forming particles, such as SOA, make radiative forcing less negative. Searched for SOA, background particles, and that proposed effect. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 12

  1. Chen, C. C., A. Gettelman, C. Craig, P. Minnis, and D. P. Duda (2012), Global contrail coverage simulated by CAM5 with the inventory of 2006 global aircraft emissions, J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 4, M04003, doi:10.1029/2011MS000105. · DOI
  2. DeMott, P. J., M. D. Peters, A. J. Prenni, C. M. Carrico, S. M. Kreidenweis, J. L. Collett Jr., and H. Moosmüller (2009), Ice nucle- ation behavior of biomass combustion particles at cirrus temperatures, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D16205, doi:10.1029/2009JD012036. · DOI
  3. DeMott, P. J., et al. (2010), Predicting global atmospheric ice nuclei dis- tributions and their impacts on climate, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 107(25), 11,217-11,222.
  4. Gettelman, A., J. E. Kay, and K. M. Shell (2012), The evolution of cli- mate feedbacks in the community atmosphere model, J. Clim., 25 (5), 1453-1469, doi:10.1075/JCLI-D-11-00197. · DOI
  5. Gettelman, A., et al. (2010), Global simulations of ice nucleation and ice supersaturation with an improved cloud scheme in the community atmosphere model, J. Geophys. Res., 115, D18216, doi:10.1029/2009JD013797. · DOI
  6. Hendricks, H., B. Kärcher, U. Lohmann, and M. Ponater (2005), Do aircraft black carbon emissions affect cirrus clouds on the global scale? Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L12814, doi:10.1029/2005GL022740. · DOI
  7. Hendricks, J., B. Kärcher, and U. Lohmann (2011), Effects of ice nuclei on cirrus clouds in a global climate model, J. Geophys. Res., 116, D18206, doi:10.1029/2010JD015302. · DOI · Paper page
  8. IPCC (1999), Aviation and the Global Atmosphere, edited by J. E. Penner, D. H. Lister, D. J. Griggs, D. J. Dokken, and M. McFarland, 373 p., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
  9. Lee, D. S., D. W. Fahey, P. M. Forster, P. J. Newton, R. C. N. Wit, L. L. Lim, B. Owen, and R. Sausen (2009), Aviation and global climate change in the 21st century, Atmos. Env., 43, 3520-3537, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.04.024. · DOI · Paper page
  10. Liu, X., et al. (2012), Towards a minimal representation of aerosol direct and indirect effects: Model description and evaluation, Geosci. Model Dev., 5, 709-735, doi:10.5194/gmd-4-709-2012. · DOI
  11. Morrison, H., and A. Gettelman (2008), A new two-moment bulk strati- form cloud microphysics scheme in the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model (CAM3), Part I: Description and numerical tests, J. Clim., 21(15), 3642-3659.
  12. Twomey, S. (1977), The influence of pollution on the shortwave albedo of clouds, J. Atmos. Sci., 34(7), 1149-1152.

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Authors
Gettelman, A., & Chen, C.
Affiliations
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (US)
Corresponding author
Gettelman, A.
ORCID
Venue
Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Published
2013-06-06
Volume
40
Issue
11
Pages
2785-2789
ISSN
  • 0094-8276 (ISSN-L)
  • 1944-8007
DOI
10.1002/grl.50520
OpenAlex
W1556322205
Cited by
132
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1
FWCI
5.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
Geophysical Research Letters (publishedVersion)
Funders
Aviation Climate Change Research Initiative (ACCRI) (DTRT57-10-C-10012)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Advanced Aircraft Design and Technologies
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
Keywords
aviation emissions, black carbon, sulfate aerosols, radiative forcing, cloud brightening, water clouds, contrails, cirrus clouds, aerosol indirect effect, cloud microphysics, North Atlantic, global climate models

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