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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 35, L19809, doi:10.1029/2008GL034944, 2008

Climate implications of large warming by elevated aerosol over India

S. K. Satheesh

Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Laboratory for Atmospheres, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA


K. Krishna Moorthy

Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, India


S. Suresh Babu

Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, India


V. Vinoj

Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India


C. B. S. Dutt

Indian Space Research Organisation, Bangalore, India


Abstract

Wide-ranging multi-platform data from a major field campaign conducted over Indian region was used to estimate the energy absorbed in ten layers of the atmosphere. We found that during pre-monsoon season, most of Indian region is characterized by elevated aerosol layers. Three-fold increase in aerosol extinction coefficient was observed at higher atmospheric layers (>2 km) compared to that near the surface and a substantial fraction (as much as 50 to 70%) of aerosol optical depth was found contributed by aerosols above (reflecting) clouds. Consequent absorption and hence strong warming above clouds was found larger by several degrees (K) compared to that near the surface. The aerosol-induced elevated warming was mostly confined below 2 km over northern Indian Ocean while found up to 4 km over central India, thus exhibiting strong meridional gradients (∼4 K) at atmospheric levels above 2 km. Climate implications of the large elevated warming are discussed.

Received 6 June 2008; accepted 26 August 2008; published 4 October 2008.

Keywords: aerosols.

Index Terms: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906); 0345 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Pollution: urban and regional (0305, 0478, 4251); 0360 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Radiation: transmission and scattering.

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Citation: Satheesh, S. K., K. K. Moorthy, S. S. Babu, V. Vinoj, and C. B. S. Dutt (2008), Climate implications of large warming by elevated aerosol over India, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L19809, doi:10.1029/2008GL034944.