Aerosol Effects on Climate: Calculations with Time-Dependent and Steady-State Radiative-Convective Models

Abstract

Three radiative-convective climate models are used to investigate the temperature changes caused by the presence of aerosol. One uses meridional heat transport (obtained from another model) and heat storage, in addition to solar and infrared radiation, to simulate the climatic effect of aerosols at selected latitude belts on a monthly, time-marching basis. A second neglects heat storage and calculates an annually averaged steady-state temperature distribution at a particular latitude belt. The third is the usual globally averaged radiative-convective model, which employs radiation as the only energy source/sink. A highly modified form of the adding radiative-transfer scheme, which splits incoming beams into either direct or diffuse streams, is used to calculate aerosol effects in solar wavelengths. The present atmospheric aerosol induces roughly comparable cooling in all three models.