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Radiative forcing and climate response due to black carbon in snow and ice

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An Erratum to this article was published on 18 April 2012

Abstract

The radiative forcing and climate response due to black carbon (BC) in snow and/or ice were investigated by integrating observed effects of BC on snow/ice albedo into an atmospheric general circulation model (BCC_AGCM2.0.1) developed by the National Climate Center (NCC) of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). The results show that the global annual mean surface radiative forcing due to BC in snow/ice is +0.042 W m−2, with maximum forcing found over the Tibetan Plateau and regional mean forcing exceeding +2.8 W m−2. The global annual mean surface temperature increased 0.071°C due to BC in snow/ice. Positive surface radiative forcing was clearly shown in winter and spring and increased the surface temperature of snow/ice in the Northern Hemisphere. The surface temperatures of snow-covered areas of Eurasia and North America in winter (spring) increased by 0.83°C (0.6°C) and 0.83°C (0.46°C), respectively. Snowmelt rates also increased greatly, leading to earlier snowmelt and peak runoff times. With the rise of surface temperatures in the Arctic, more water vapor could be released into the atmosphere, allowing easier cloud formation, which could lead to higher thermal emittance in the Arctic. However, the total cloud forcing could decrease due to increasing cloud cover, which will offset some of the positive feedback mechanism of the clouds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Atmosphere Watch and Services, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081, China

    Zhili Wang  (王志立)

  2. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Zhili Wang  (王志立)

  3. National Climate Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081, China

    Zhili Wang  (王志立) & Hua Zhang  (张华)

  4. State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China

    Xueshun Shen  (沈学顺)

Authors
  1. Zhili Wang  (王志立)
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  2. Hua Zhang  (张华)
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  3. Xueshun Shen  (沈学顺)
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Correspondence to Hua Zhang  (张华).

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Wang, Z., Zhang, H. & Shen, X. Radiative forcing and climate response due to black carbon in snow and ice. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 28, 1336–1344 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-011-0117-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-011-0117-5

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