Journal article
Warming influenced by the ratio of black carbon to sulphate and the black-carbon source
Nature geoscience, Vol.3(8), pp.542-545
08/2010
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo918
Abstract
Black carbon is generated by fossil-fuel combustion and biomass burning. Black-carbon aerosols absorb solar radiation, and are probably a major source of global warming. However, the extent of black-carbon-induced warming is dependent on the concentration of sulphate and organic aerosols-which reflect solar radiation and cool the surface-and the origin of the black carbon. Here we examined the impact of black-carbon-to-sulphate ratios on net warming in China, using surface and aircraft measurements of aerosol plumes from Beijing, Shanghai and the Yellow Sea. The Beijing plumes had the highest ratio of black carbon to sulphate, and exerted a strong positive influence on the net warming. Compiling all the data, we show that solar-absorption efficiency was positively correlated with the ratio of black carbon to sulphate. Furthermore, we show that fossil-fuel-dominated black-carbon plumes were approximately 100% more efficient warming agents than biomass-burning-dominated plumes. We suggest that climate-change-mitigation policies should aim at reducing fossil-fuel black-carbon emissions, together with the atmospheric ratio of black carbon to sulphate.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Warming influenced by the ratio of black carbon to sulphate and the black-carbon source
- Creators
- S-W Kim - School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National UniversityG. R Carmichael - College of Engineering, University of IowaS-C Yoon - School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National UniversityJ. J Schauer - Environmental Chemistry and Technology Program, University of Wisconsin-MadisonV Ramanathan - Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSDY Feng - Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSDM. V Ramana - Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Nature geoscience, Vol.3(8), pp.542-545
- DOI
- 10.1038/ngeo918
- ISSN
- 1752-0894
- eISSN
- 1752-0908
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/2010
- Academic Unit
- Nursing; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984003963902771
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