Influence of phytoplankton on the global radiation budget
Open accessAbstract
Oceanic phytoplankton may exert a warming influence on the planet by decreasing surface albedo. Compared with the case of pure seawater, the globally and annually averaged outgoing radiative flux is decreased by a probable value of 0.25 Wm−2. This value corresponds to about 20% of the combined radiative forcing by greenhouse gases and anthropogenic aerosols since preindustrial times, including indirect effects. The relative importance of phytoplankton is greater on regional and seasonal scales, with forcing values reaching −1.5 Wm−2 in coastal zones and high‐latitude regions during summer. The annual amplitude of radiative forcing by phytoplankton is large in subpolar regions, owing to the conjugate action of cloud amount and biomass level. Spatial and temporal variability of the forcing is affected by phytoplankton type, some reflective species increasing the outgoing radiative flux. The effects of space‐ and time‐varying phytoplankton on surface albedo should be taken into account explicitly in the numerical modeling of climate change.
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What ultimately matters to climate mitigation is the total impact on radiative forcing, so changes to non-CO2 greenhouse gas fluxes and albedo should also be considered in OAE efficiency.
“Of course, what ultimately matters to climate mitigation is the total impact on radiative forcing, so changes to non-CO2 greenhouse gas fluxes and albedo should also be considered in OAE efficiency. 87,88”
From A framework for understanding efficiency losses of Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (2026) · cites this paper as [88]
The Abstract and Results and Discussion (§3, ¶18) show that phytoplankton-driven changes in ocean albedo affect radiative forcing, supporting consideration of albedo. The paper does not address OAE efficiency or changes in non-CO2 greenhouse gas fluxes, so it does not support the full attributed claim. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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References 53 · Cited by 37
- Authors
- Frouin, R., & Iacobellis, S. F.
- Affiliations
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Published
- 2002-10-05
- Volume
- 107
- Issue
- D19
- ISSN
- 0148-0227 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2084231380
- Cited by
- 37
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 1.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate variability and models
- Keywords
- phytoplankton, surface albedo, Earth radiation budget, radiative forcing, outgoing longwave radiation, cloud cover, coastal areas, high-latitude regions, subpolar regions, climate modeling, greenhouse gases, aerosols
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