Sensitivity of Aerosol Forcing to Observed Variation in Aerosol Properties at Bondville
IPCC (1995) temperature change predictions used a single value and considered only scattering.
Forcing per unit optical depth (W m-2)
Notes:
- Given the observed variation in aerosol optical properties over the past 15 months at Bondville
what would the corresponding variation in TOA forcing be?
- Forcing per unit optical depth on x-axis, frequency that value was observed on the y
- If considering scattering aerosol only (w0 = 1.0), the peak in the frequency distribution represents a net TOA forcing of ~ -32 W m-2 per unit AOD
- If observed absorption is considered, the distribution broadens considerably and the peak shifts to the right (lessens the negative TOA forcing)