Influence of oceanic whitecaps on the global radiation budget

Abstract

Oceanic whitecaps may exert a cooling influence on the planet by increasing surface albedo. The direct, globally averaged radiative forcing due to whitecaps lies in the range 0-0.14 Wm-2 with a probable value of 0.03 Wm-2. Though small, this global value is not negligible compared with the forcing due to some greenhouse gases and anthropogenic aerosols since pre-industrial times. The relative importance of whitecaps may be greater on regional and seasonal scales, with radiative forcing values reaching 0.7 Wm-2 in the Indian Ocean during summer. Whitecap effects on surface albedo should be taken into account explicitly in the numerical modeling and analysis of climate change.