10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Abstract View
Aerosol-Induced Changes to Cloud Radiative Forcing over Indian Subcontinent
ABIN THOMAS, Vijay Kanawade, Chandan Sarangi, S.N. Tripathi, Srilakshmi Sunkara, University of Hyderabad
Abstract Number: 1121 Working Group: Aerosols in Earth System
Abstract Aerosol-cloud interaction is the most considerable uncertainty in the Earth’s radiation budget. The variability of aerosol species and concentration along with the complexity of interaction mechanisms make it hard to quantify the aerosol effect on clouds. The aerosol impact on marine clouds and its changes in the micro- and macro-physical properties are reasonably better understood than its continental counterparts. Here, we investigate the effect of aerosols on the micro- and macro-physical properties of clouds over Indian subcontinent using long-term (2002-2016) satellite (MODIS, CERES, and CLOUDSAT) datasets. We analyzed the aerosol impact on the cloud radiative forcing on instantaneous to seasonal scale.A higher fraction of deep convective and cirrostratus clouds were observed during the monsoon season leading to a higher negative net cloud radiative forcing. The aerosol-induced cloud invigoration is found to enhance the net cooling effect of clouds on the top of atmosphere and surface during Indian summer monsoon season. Overall, the estimated impact of aerosols on the cloud albedo was found to be higher than that on the cloud cover over Indian subcontinent.