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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 34, L21810, doi:10.1029/2007GL031133, 2007

Observational evidence of solar dimming: Offsetting surface warming over India

B. Padma Kumari

Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, India


A. L. Londhe

Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, India


S. Daniel

India Meteorological Department, Pune, India


D. B. Jadhav

Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, India


Abstract

Monthly mean surface reaching solar radiation (S) measurements under all sky conditions have been evaluated for 12 stations, which are widely distributed over the Indian region, for the period 1981-2004. It is noteworthy that all the stations showed decline in S ranging from −0.17 to −1.44 W/m2 per year. The average solar dimming observed over India for the period 1981–2004 is ∼−0.86 W/m2 per year while during winter, pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons it is ∼−0.94, ∼−1.04 and ∼−0.74 W/m2 per year, respectively. Decadal monthly mean S for the two decades 1981–1990 and 1991–2000 showed strong decline during the second decade with an average reduction of 5% per two decades. Despite the drastic decrease in S, the all India averaged surface maximum and minimum air temperatures have been increasing. But, the change in increase in maximum temperature from the first decade to second decade is only marginal under the present situation of drastic increase in greenhouse gas emissions, while the increase in minimum temperature has been doubled.

Received 28 June 2007; accepted 15 October 2007; published 10 November 2007.

Keywords: solar dimming; surface temperature; India.

Index Terms: 1605 Global Change: Abrupt/rapid climate change (4901, 8408); 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906); 0360 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Radiation: transmission and scattering; 5739 Planetary Sciences: Fluid Planets: Meteorology (3346); 4930 Paleoceanography: Greenhouse gases.

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Citation: Padma Kumari, B., A. L. Londhe, S. Daniel, and D. B. Jadhav (2007), Observational evidence of solar dimming: Offsetting surface warming over India, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L21810, doi:10.1029/2007GL031133.