Uncertainties in aerosol direct and indirect effects attributed to uncertainties in convective transport parameterizations

Abstract

Deep convection is an important transport mechanism for aerosol particles, allowing them to be lifted to levels where they are subject to long-range transport from source regions to remote regions. The sensitivity of regional aerosol effects to the rate of entrainment in deep moist convection has been explored in a global modeling framework, and found to be crucial for the radiative balance both at the surface and at the top of the atmosphere. The fact that regions where deep convection is frequent often coincide with regions of particularly high black carbon emissions is found to be an important factor in understanding this sensitivity to entrainment. More entrainment leads to shallower convective plumes and less aerosol transport from the boundary layer to the upper troposphere in source regions. As a result, boundary layer aerosol concentrations are increased in source regions, while upper tropospheric aerosol concentrations are reduced globally. This generally leads to stronger aerosol effects in polluted regions and weaker aerosol effects in remote regions. Because black carbon particles have the ability to absorb solar radiation, reducing their concentration leads to more solar radiation reflected back to space, especially over bright surfaces. Conversely, at the surface more entrainment means more downwelling shortwave radiation everywhere but in source regions. Regions that experience increased aerosol concentrations in the boundary layer in response to increased entrainment observed a stronger aerosol indirect effect, while the opposite was true everywhere else. This study highlights that the relative strengths of the aerosol direct and indirect effects in clean versus polluted regions depend crucially on the rate of entrainment in deep convective clouds, a process that is presently not well understood and quantified. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.