Climate implications of large warming by elevated aerosol over India

Satheesh, SK and Moorthy, Krishna K and Babu, Suresh S and Vinoj, V and Dutt, CBS (2008) Climate implications of large warming by elevated aerosol over India. In: Geophysical Research Letters, 35 (19).

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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 (similar to 4 K) at atmospheric levels above 2 km. Climate implications of the large elevated warming are discussed.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher:	AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
Additional Information:	Copyright for this article belongs American Geophysical Union.
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Centre for Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Date Deposited:	23 Dec 2008 09:28
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 04:52
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/16419

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