Testing Cloud Adjustment Hypotheses for the Maintenance of Earth's Hemispheric Albedo Symmetry With Natural Experiments

Diamond, Michael S.; Gristey, Jake J.; Feingold, Graham

doi:10.1029/2024gl111733

i

Testing Cloud Adjustment Hypotheses for the Maintenance of Earth's Hemispheric Albedo Symmetry With Natural Experiments

2024
By Diamond, Michael S. ; Gristey, Jake J. ; Feingold, Graham

Details

Journal Title:

Geophysical Research Letters
Personal Author:

Diamond, Michael S. ; Gristey, Jake J. ; Feingold, Graham
NOAA Program & Office:

OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) ; CSL (Chemical Sciences Laboratory)
Description:

Earth's Northern and Southern Hemispheres reflect essentially equal amounts of sunlight. How—and whether—this hemispheric albedo symmetry is maintained remains a mystery. We decompose Earth's hemispheric albedo symmetry into components associated with the surface, clear‐sky atmosphere, and different cloud types as defined by cloud effective pressure and optical thickness. Climatologically, greater reflection by the surface, aerosols, and high clouds in the Northern Hemisphere is balanced by greater low and mid‐level cloudiness in the Southern Hemisphere. Both hemispheres have darkened at similar rates over the past two decades; whether the darkening from more rapidly declining aerosol in the Northern Hemisphere is causing a departure from all‐sky symmetry remains uncertain. Natural experiments including long‐term trends, sea ice loss, and volcanic eruptions provide strong evidence against the hypothesis that extratropical low clouds compensate changing clear‐sky asymmetries on annual‐to‐decadal timescales but some evidence that tropical high cloud shifts may do so.
Source:

Geophysical Research Letters, 51(20)
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl111733
ISSN:

0094-8276 ; 1944-8007
Format:

pdf
Publisher:

American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Document Type:

Journal Article
Funding:

Grant no. NA17OAR4320101 ; Grant no. NA22OAR4320151 ; Grant no. NA23OAR4310297
License:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

Library
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:b061fe767845d141aa5a69e3c18504455264784e76d8806198fdfb75393eb119da6da7ba65ee55c64190ed0438e9a65a72263669707035158f08b37cdcdcd783
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/67771/noaa_67771_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 1.74 MB ]

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