I. Global Simulations of Interactions between Aerosols and Future Climate and II. Sensitivity of Multiangle Imaging to the Optical and Microphysical Properties of Biomass Burning Aerosols

Citation

Chen, Wei-Ting (2009) I. Global Simulations of Interactions between Aerosols and Future Climate and II. Sensitivity of Multiangle Imaging to the Optical and Microphysical Properties of Biomass Burning Aerosols. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/0ZWE-9K94. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-12182008-174607

Abstract

To understand the interaction between aerosols and climate, equilibrium simulations with a general circulation model are carried out in Part I to study the effects of future climate change on aerosol distributions, as well as the climate responses to future aerosol changes. The predicted warmer climate induced by carbon dioxide modifies the climate-sensitive emissions, alters the thermodynamic partitioning, and enhances wet removal of the aerosols. The direct radiative perturbations of aerosols, and the modification of clouds by aerosols can potentially change the temperature distribution, the hydrological cycle, and the atmospheric circulation; the pattern of climatic impacts from aerosols are differentiated from those of anthropogenic greenhouse gases. In Part II, the aerosol retrieval algorithm of the remote sensing instrument, the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), is assessed for the retrieval of biomass burning aerosols. By comparisons with coincident ground measurements and theoretical sensitivity tests, specific refinements to particle and mixture properties assumed in the algorithm for biomass burning aerosols are proposed. Representative case studies confirm the theoretical results and underline the key role of surface characterization in the remote sensing of aerosols.

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