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Cited by 140Atmospheric aerosols and cloudsAtmospheric chemistry and aerosolsClimate Change and Geoengineering

Importance of tropospheric volcanic aerosol for indirect radiative forcing of climate

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Schmidt, A., Carslaw, K. S., Mann, G. W., Rap, A., Pringle, K. J., Spracklen, D. V., Wilson, M., Forster, P. M.·2012·Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
DOI 10.5194/acp-12-7321-2012

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Abstract

Abstract. Observations and models have shown that continuously degassing volcanoes have a potentially large effect on the natural background aerosol loading and the radiative state of the atmosphere. We use a global aerosol microphysics model to quantify the impact of these volcanic emissions on the cloud albedo radiative forcing under pre-industrial (PI) and present-day (PD) conditions. We find that volcanic degassing increases global annual mean cloud droplet number concentrations by 40% under PI conditions, but by only 10% under PD conditions. Consequently, volcanic degassing causes a global annual mean cloud albedo effect of −1.06 W m−2 in the PI era but only −0.56 W m−2 in the PD era. This non-equal effect is explained partly by the lower background aerosol concentrations in the PI era, but also because more aerosol particles are produced per unit of volcanic sulphur emission in the PI atmosphere. The higher sensitivity of the PI atmosphere to volcanic emissions has an important consequence for the anthropogenic cloud radiative forcing because the large uncertainty in volcanic emissions translates into an uncertainty in the PI baseline cloud radiative state. Assuming a −50/+100% uncertainty range in the volcanic sulphur flux, we estimate the annual mean anthropogenic cloud albedo forcing to lie between −1.16 W m−2 and −0.86 W m−2. Therefore, the volcanically induced uncertainty in the PI baseline cloud radiative state substantially adds to the already large uncertainty in the magnitude of the indirect radiative forcing of climate.

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  • Little is known about pre-industrial concentrations of tropospheric aerosols, a time when the atmosphere showed greater sensitivity towards tropospheric volcanic aerosol inputs due to the absence of anthropogenic aerosols.

    “Despite the importance of tropospheric aerosols, little is known about pre-industrial concentrations, a time when the atmosphere showed greater sensitivity towards tropospheric volcanic aerosol inputs (e.g., from quiescent degassing) due to the absence of anthropogenic aerosols 54,55 .”

    From Decadal-to-centennial increases of volcanic aerosols from Iceland challenge the concept of a Medieval Quiet Period (2024) · cites this paper as [54]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says pre-industrial background aerosol concentrations were generally lower, and the Discussion (page unavailable) attributes the greater sensitivity of the relatively unpolluted pre-industrial atmosphere to volcanic emissions partly to present-day anthropogenic aerosol pollution. The paper discusses uncertainty in the pre-industrial baseline, but the passages do not establish the broader claim that little is known about pre-industrial tropospheric aerosol concentrations. It also describes anthropogenic sulphur emissions as very low, rather than absent. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Baxter, P. J.: Impacts of eruptions on human health, in: Encyclo- pedia of Volcanoes, edited by: Sigurdsson, H., Houghton, B. F., McNutt, S. R., Rymer, H., and Stix, J., Academic Press, London, UK, 1035-1043, 2000.
  2. Forster, P., Ramaswamy, V., Artaxo, P., Berntsen, T., Betts, R., Fa- hey, D. W., Haywood, J., Lean, J., Lowe, D. C., Myhre, G., Nganga, J., Prinn, R., Raga, G., Schulz, M., and Van Dorland, R.: Changes in atmospheric constituents and in radiative forcing, in: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis, Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Inter- governmental Panel on Climate Change, edited by: Solomon, S., Qin, D., Chen, Z., Manning, M., Marquis, M., Averyt, K. B., Tig- nor, M., and Miller, H. L., Cambridge University Press, Cam- bridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, 129-234, 2007.
  3. Penner, J. E., Andrea, M., Annegarn, H., Barrie, L., Feichter, J., Hegg, D., Jayaraman, A., Leaitch, R., Murphy, D., Nganga, J., Pitari, G., et al.: The Scientific Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in: Climate Change 2001, edited by: Houghton, J. T., Ding, Y., and et al., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, USA, 2001.

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Authors
Schmidt, A., Carslaw, K. S., Mann, G. W., Rap, A., Pringle, K. J., Spracklen, D. V., Wilson, M., & Forster, P. M.
Affiliations
University of Leeds (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Published
2012-08-16
Volume
12
Issue
16
Pages
7321-7339
ISSN
  • 1680-7316 (ISSN-L)
  • 1680-7324
DOI
10.5194/acp-12-7321-2012
OpenAlex
W1967579672
Cited by
140
References
91
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 2
FWCI
12.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Atmospheric chemistry and physics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • University of Leeds
  • Natural Environment Research Council (NE/I015612/1, ncas10009, NE/G005109/1, NE/G015015/1)
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
volcanic aerosols, indirect radiative forcing, cloud albedo, cloud droplet number concentration, background aerosol, pre-industrial baseline, aerosol microphysics, volcanic degassing, radiative forcing uncertainty

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