Abstract View
Size-Dependent Aerosol Climate Forcing and Chemistry in the Lower Stratosphere
DANIEL MURPHY, Karl D. Froyd, Gregory Schill, Charles Brock, Agnieszka Kupc, Christina Williamson, NOAA ESRL
Abstract Number: 231
Working Group: Aerosols, Clouds and Climate
Abstract
We examine the climate forcing of aerosol particles in the lower stratosphere in the present-day stratosphere as well as the implications for volcanic or intentionally added material. Infrared absorption is more important for aerosol in the lower stratosphere than it is in the lower troposphere. Sulfuric acid particles in the background stratosphere are near the peak efficiency for cooling the Earth. Mixed tropospheric particles that make their way into the stratosphere are less efficient at climate forcing but have significant surface area for possible heterogeneous chemistry that can affect ozone. There is no optimum size for added material that simultaneously minimizes all potential side effects such as heterogeneous chemistry and reduction of direct sunlight. Sulfuric acid particles after the Mount Pinatubo eruption had relatively little surface area compared to their climate impact. Added material could easily have more impact on heterogeneous chemistry than an analogy to volcanic eruptions would suggest.