Impact of sulfate aerosols on albedo and lifetime of clouds: A sensitivity study with the ECHAM4 GCM

Abstract

A coupled sulfur chemistry‐cloud microphysics scheme (COUPL) is used to study the impact of sulfate aerosols on cloud lifetime and albedo. The cloud microphysics scheme includes precipitation formation, which depends on the cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and on the liquid water content. On the basis of different observational data sets, CDNC is proportional to the sulfate aerosol mass, which is calculated by the model. Cloud cover is a function of relative humidity only. Additional sensitivity experiments with another cloud cover parameterization (COUPL‐CC), which also depends on cloud water, and with a different autoconversion rate of cloud droplets (COUPL‐CC‐Aut) are conducted to investigate the range of the indirect effect due to uncertainties in cloud physics. For each experiment, two simulations, one using present‐day and one using preindustrial sulfur emissions are carried out. The increase in liquid water path, cloud cover, and shortwave cloud forcing due to anthropogenic sulfur emissions depends crucially upon the parameterization of cloud cover and autoconversion of cloud droplets. In COUPL the liquid water path increases by 17% and cloud cover increases by 1% because of anthropogenic sulfur emissions, yielding an increase in shortwave cloud forcing of −1.4 W m−2. In COUPL‐CC the liquid water path increases by 32%, cloud cover increases by 3% and thus shortwave cloud forcing increases by −4.8 W m−2. This large effect is caused by the strong dependence of cloud cover on cloud water and of the autoconversion rate on CDNC, cloud water, and cloud cover. Choosing a different autoconversion rate (COUPL‐CC‐Aut) with a reduced dependence on CDNC and cloud water results in an increase of liquid water path by only 11% and of cloud cover by 1%, and the increase in shortwave cloud forcing amounts to −2.2 W m−2. These results clearly show that the uncertainties linked to the indirect aerosol effect are higher than was previously suggested.