Spatiotemporal gradients in aerosol radiative forcing and heating rate over Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea derived on the basis of optical, physical, and chemical properties

Abstract

Spatiotemporal heterogeneity in aerosol radiative forcing and heating rate have been studied over Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea during premonsoon (March–May 2006) using aerosol optical depth (AOD), total mass, aerosol chemical composition, and radiative transfer model. Mean 0.5 μm AOD over Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea is 0.36 and 0.25, respectively. Water‐soluble aerosols, sea salt, and mineral dust constitute ∼98% of total aerosol mass while black carbon aerosols contribute ≤2% over the two oceanic regions. Sensitivity tests reveal that (1) curvature effect in AOD spectra has insignificant impact in modifying the aerosol radiative forcing and heating rate and (2) the net Earth‐atmosphere energy content shows minor differences when aerosol vertical profiles are used. Over Bay of Bengal the average aerosol forcing is estimated to be −12.0, −22.4, and 10.4 W m−2 at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), at the surface (SFC), and in atmosphere (ATM), respectively. The average aerosol radiative forcing is less negative over Arabian Sea and is −10.5, −15.8, and 5.3 W m−2 at TOA, SFC, and ATM, respectively. Aerosol radiative forcing decreases in magnitude from north to south over Bay of Bengal whereas an opposite trend is noteworthy over Arabian Sea. The average atmospheric heating rate over Bay of Bengal is ∼0.3 K/d, a factor of 2 higher than that over Arabian Sea. Furthermore, ATM warming and associated heating rate are the lowest compared to earlier results as scattering aerosols are dominant during premonsoon (March–May). These results have implications to the assessment of regional and seasonal climate impacts.