Response of the climatic temperature to dust forcing, inferred from total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS) aerosol index and the NASA assimilation model

Alpert, Pinhas; Herman, J. R.; Kaufman, Yoram J.; Carmona, I.

doi:10.1016/s0169-8095(99)00047-2

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Despite the successful application of the TOMS AI in the research of many aspects of dust in the climate system [e.g., Alpert et al , 2000; Barkan et al , 2004; Borbely‐Kiss et al , 2004; Chiapello and Moulin , 2002; Israelevich et al , 2002; Prospero et al , 2002; Washington et al , 2003] the data set has some limitations. There is an ongoing debate about how well the TOMS AI is able to capture dust near the surface below about 1.5 km.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mineral aerosols from the world's desert regions have the potential to impact the climate system by altering the Earth's radiation budget [ Alpert et al , 2000; Andreae et al , 2005; Kaufman et al , 2002] by scattering and absorbing incoming solar radiation, absorbing terrestrial radiation and changing the physical properties of clouds, such as brightness, spatial extent, lifetime or their ability to produce rainfall [ Levin et al , 1996; Rosenfeld et al , 2001; Wurzler et al , 2000]. The magnitude of the radiative forcing and even the sign (whether the dust forcing will result in a cooling or warming of the Earth's surface) are highly uncertain with estimates ranging from −0.6 to +0.4 Wm −2 [ Ramaswamy et al , 2001].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Atmospheric controls on the annual cycle of North African dust

2007

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[1] Dust emitted from desert regions and transported in the atmosphere has been recognized for its potential to alter the Earth's climate and environments. Satellite data show that the largest source regions of dust (i.e., hot spots) are located in dry, nonvegetated areas of West Africa and central Chad. Dust emissions from these sources follow a distinct seasonal cycle. Whereas our understanding of processes controlling the dust cycle of the Chad dust source has been improved through recent studies, our understanding of the West African sources is limited because of the remoteness of the sources and lack of surface observations. Using a satellite-derived dust index and reanalysis atmospheric fields, we show that the annual dust cycle at the West African dust hot spots is not related to changes in mean surface wind strength but is linked to small-scale high-wind events. We find that the annual dust cycle correlates well with changes in near-surface convergence associated with the annual north-south movement of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Dust emissions in West Africa are highest in June coinciding with the crossing of the convergence zone on its northward bound over the dust hot spots. The increase in convergence leads to enhanced surface gustiness suggesting that dry convection associated with an increase in the occurrence of small-scale high-wind events and vertical velocity are the main processes controlling the annual dust cycle at the West African dust sources.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric controls on the annual cycle of North African dust

2007

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“…An obvious climatological effect of dust is the attenuation of sunlight by scattering and/or absorbing incoming solar radiation. Alpert et al (2000), in their study of tropospheric temperature responses to dust, found that for an average dust event over the Atlantic, dust-induced heating of the lower troposphere (850-700 hPa) was approximately 0.2 K day − 1 , which corresponds to an annual rate of 6 K year − 1 . This heating may be an important source of error in numerical weather predictions for the Atlantic Ocean.…”

Section: Dust and Global Climate Change: An Emerging Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

The role of aeolian dust in ecosystems

2007

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“…Although no official definition of dust exists, McTainsh and Strong (2007) suggest that it may be defined as terrestrial sediment, sized b100 μm, transported in aeolian suspension. In the atmosphere, dust particles can affect climate by modifying the radiative balance and atmospheric chemistry (Andreae, 1996;Alpert et al, 2000). Once deposited dust can significantly impact the development of ecosystems through fertilization (Reheis et al, 1995;Littman, 1997;Boyd et al, 2000;Reynolds et al, 2001;Goudie and Middleton, 2006), addition of microbiota (Kellog and Griffin, 2006), and by altering biogeochemical cycles (Tiessen et al, 1991;Swap et al, 1992;Stoorvogel et al, 1997;Reynolds et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%