Aerosols, Climate, and the Hydrological Cycle
Abstract
Human activities are releasing tiny particles (aerosols) into the atmosphere. These human-made aerosols enhance scattering and absorption of solar radiation. They also produce brighter clouds that are less efficient at releasing precipitation. These in turn lead to large reductions in the amount of solar irradiance reaching Earth's surface, a corresponding increase in solar heating of the atmosphere, changes in the atmospheric temperature structure, suppression of rainfall, and less efficient removal of pollutants. These aerosol effects can lead to a weaker hydrological cycle, which connects directly to availability and quality of fresh water, a major environmental issue of the 21st century.
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The link between industrial emissions and surface solar radiation may be direct or may be mediated by aerosol effects on cloud cover and cloud residence time through condensation nuclei and droplet size.
“The link between industrial emissions and surface solar radiation may be direct (Rinke et al ., 2004), or may be mediated by the effects of aerosols on cloud cover and cloud residence time through their impact on condensation nuclei and droplet size (Twomey, 1977; Ramanathan et al ., 2001).”
From Ecological and conceptual consequences of Arctic pollution (2020) · cites this paper as Ramanathan et al., 2001
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“Aerosols and clouds, which are not independent from each other (Ramanathan et al., 2001), have been considered the most likely factors for AD, and it is important to note that aerosols affect clouds in different ways depending on the levels of air pollution.”
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Shi, H., Zhang, J., Zhao, B., Xia, X., Hu, B., Chen, H., Wei, J., Liu, M., Bian, Y., Fu, D., et al. (2021) · Geophysical Research Letters · doi:10.1029/2020gl091105 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Markowicz, K. M., Ritter, C., Lisok, J., Makuch, P., Stachlewska, I. S., Cappelletti, D., Mazzola, M., & Chilinski, M. T. (2017) · Atmospheric Environment · doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.06.014 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
- Authors
- Ramanathan, V., Crutzen, P. J., Kiehl, J. T., & Rosenfeld, D.
- Affiliations
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US)
- NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (US)
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IL)
- Corresponding author
- Ramanathan, V.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2001-12-07
- Volume
- 294
- Issue
- 5549
- Pages
- 2119-2124
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2119744638
- Cited by
- 3,831
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 113 · 2025: 152 · 2024: 187 · 2023: 191 · 2022: 257 · 2021: 205 · 2020: 169 · 2019: 187 · 2018: 173 · 2017: 177 · 2016: 197 · 2015: 179 · 2014: 170 · 2013: 170 · 2012: 179
- FWCI
- 67.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate Change and Geoengineering
- Keywords
- aerosols, climate change, water cycle, cloud brightening, sunlight scattering, precipitation inhibition, solar irradiance, atmospheric heating, atmospheric temperature structure, pollutant removal, freshwater availability
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