Radiative effects of airborne dust on regional energy budgets at the top of the atmosphere

Abstract

Measurements of the ERBE over the oceanic regions indicated that the presence of the dust increased the clear-sky shortwave radiative exitance (SWRE) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) by 40-90W m-2. Over the desert regions the differences in the SWRE between clear and dust-laden regions were difficult to determine from the satellite observations. In contrast, the presence of dust over the ocean decreased the observed longwave radiative existance (LWRE) at the TOA by 5-20W m-2, while over the desert regions its reduction was 20-50W m-2. The major discrepancy between the observations and calculations occurred for the SWRE over the desert. -from Authors