AbstractsEarth & Environmental Science

Arctic Climate Response to Light-Absorbing Particles in Snow and Sea Ice in the Community Earth System Model

by Naomi Goldenson




Institution: University of Washington
Department:
Year: 2012
Keywords: ; Atmospheric sciences
Record ID: 1965922
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/1773/20215


Abstract

The presence of light-absorbing aerosol particles deposited on arctic snow and sea ice influences the surface albedo, causing greater shortwave absorption, warming, and loss of snow and sea ice, lowering the albedo further. The Community Earth System Model version 1 (CESM1) now includes the radiative effects of light-absorbing particles in snow on land and sea ice and in sea ice itself. We investigate the model response to the deposition of black carbon and dust to both snow and sea ice. For these purposes we employ a slab ocean version of CESM1, using the Community Atmosphere Model version 4 (CAM4), run to equilibrium for year 2000 levels of CO<sub>2</sub> and fixed aerosol deposition. The year 2000 deposition fluxes of both dust and black carbon cause 1-2°C of surface warming over large areas of the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas in autumn and winter and in patches of Northern land in every season. Atmospheric circulation changes are a key component of the surface-warming pattern. Arctic sea ice thins by on average about 30cm. Simulations with year 1850 aerosol deposition are not substantially different from those with year 2000 deposition, given constant levels of CO<sub>2</sub>. The climatic impact of particulate impurities deposited over land exceeds that of particles deposited over sea ice. Even the surface warming over the sea ice and sea ice thinning depends more upon light-absorbing particles deposited over land. For CO<sub>2</sub> doubled relative to year 2000 levels, the climate impact of particulate impurities in snow and sea ice is substantially lower than for the year 2000 equilibrium simulation.