Abstract
In this paper, we investigated the possible impact of snow darkening effect (SDE) by light-absorbing aerosols on the regional changes of the hydrological cycle over Eurasia using the NASA GEOS-5 Model with aerosol tracers and a state-of-the-art snow darkening module, the Goddard SnoW Impurity Module (GOSWIM) for the land surface. Two sets of ten-member ensemble experiments for 10 years were carried out forced by prescribed sea surface temperature (2002–2011) with different atmospheric initial conditions, with and without SDE, respectively. Results show that SDE can exert a significant regional influence in partitioning the contributions of evaporative and advective processes on the hydrological cycle, during spring and summer season. Over western Eurasia, SDE-induced rainfall increase during early spring can be largely explained by the increased evaporation from snowmelt. Rainfall, however, decreases in early summer due to the reduced evaporation as well as moisture divergence and atmospheric subsidence associated with the development of an anomalous mid- to upper-tropospheric anticyclonic circulation. On the other hand, in the East Asian monsoon region, moisture advection from the adjacent ocean is a main contributor to rainfall increase in the melting season. A warmer land-surface caused by earlier snowmelt and subsequent drying further increases moisture transport and convergence significantly enhancing rainfall over the region. Our findings suggest that the SDE may play an important role in leading to hotter and drier summers over western Eurasia, through coupled land-atmosphere interaction, while enhancing East Asian summer monsoonal precipitation via enhanced land-ocean thermal contrast and moisture transport due to the SDE-induced warmer Eurasian continent.
Highlights
Light absorbing aerosols (LAAs, e.g., dust, Black Carbon, and Organic Carbon) can affect the energy budgets and hydrological cycle of the atmosphere and land in a variety of ways
This study aims to explore impacts of snow darkening effect (SDE) by light-absorbing aerosols (LAAs) on hydrological cycle focused on possible connection between Western Eurasia (WE) and East Asia (EA), and to analyze the precipitation recycling compare features in two regions to understand precipitation change properties
Based on the global climate model simulation using the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Model Version 5 (GEOS-5), we have examined the possible impact of snow darkening effect (SDE) by light-absorbing aerosols (LAAs) on the regional dependency of the hydrological cycle over Eurasia
Summary
Light absorbing aerosols (LAAs, e.g., dust, Black Carbon, and Organic Carbon) can affect the energy budgets and hydrological cycle of the atmosphere and land in a variety of ways. As presented in previous studies, LAAs absorb and scatter solar radiation in the atmosphere, altering the climate system [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Snow in Eurasia continent plays an important role in regional and global climate system change. Snowfall and snow cover are closely linked to local changes in air temperature and atmospheric circulation [20,21]. Heavy snowfall and widespread snow cover in the winter and spring will cool
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