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Black carbon absorption at the global scale is affected by particle-scale diversity in composition
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2016
Source: Nature Communications 7 (12361)
Details:
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Journal Title:Nature Communications
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Personal Author:
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NOAA Program & Office:
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Description:Atmospheric black carbon (BC) exerts a strong, but uncertain, warming effect on the climate. BC that is coated with non-absorbing material absorbs more strongly than the same amount of BC in an uncoated particle, but the magnitude of this absorption enhancement (E-abs) is not well constrained. Modelling studies and laboratory measurements have found stronger absorption enhancement than has been observed in the atmosphere. Here, using a particle-resolved aerosol model to simulate diverse BC populations, we show that absorption is overestimated by as much as a factor of two if diversity is neglected and population-averaged composition is assumed across all BC-containing particles. If, instead, composition diversity is resolved, we find E-abs=1-1.5 at low relative humidity, consistent with ambient observations. This study offers not only an explanation for the discrepancy between modelled and observed absorption enhancement, but also demonstrates how particle-scale simulations can be used to develop relationships for global-scale models.
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Keywords:
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Source:Nature Communications 7 (12361)
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC5025768
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Document Type:
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Rights Information:CC BY
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Compliance:PMC
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