The Influence of Pollution on the Shortwave Albedo of Clouds

1977/07/01 by S. Twomey · 44 citations
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Atmospheric aerosols and clouds #Aeolian processes and effects #Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols

paper · pdf · doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1977)034<1149:tiopot>2.0.co;2

Abstract

By increasing droplet concentration and thereby the optical thickness of a cloud, pollution acts to increase the reflectance (albedo) of clouds; by increasing the absorption coefficient it acts to decrease the reflectance. Calculations suggest that the former effect (brightening of the clouds in reflection, hence climatically a cooling effect) dominates for thin to moderately thick clouds, whereas for sufficiently thick clouds the latter effect (climatically a warming effect) can become dominant.

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