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2013 | Buch

Modelling Tropospheric Volcanic Aerosol

From Aerosol Microphysical Processes to Earth System Impacts

verfasst von: Anja Schmidt

Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Buchreihe : Springer Theses

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SUCHEN

Über dieses Buch

Anja Schmidt's thesis is a unique and comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of tropospheric volcanic aerosol on the atmosphere, climate, air quality and human health. Using a state-of-the-art global microphysics model, the thesis describes and quantifies the impact of volcanic sulphur emissions on global aerosol, clouds and the radiative forcing of climate. The advanced model enables the first ever estimate of the impact of the emissions on aerosol microphysical properties such as particle number concentrations and sizes, and therefore a considerably improved ability to quantify the climate and air quality effects.

There are several important discoveries in this thesis. Firstly, it is shown that continuously degassing volcanoes exert a major effect on global clouds and climate. Secondly, the impact of the 1783 Laki eruption in Iceland is re-examined to show that this long-lasting flood lava eruption would have had major effects on clouds and climate. Thirdly, by combining her research on volcanism, atmospheric science and epidemiology, she shows that a present-day Laki-like eruption would seriously affect European air quality and cause over 100000 premature deaths in the first year.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Motivation and Background
Abstract
In summer 1783 the French naturalist M. Mourgue de Montredon was the first to link the presence of a sulphurous aerosol cloud in the atmosphere over Europe to volcanic activity in Iceland. Shortly thereafter B. Franklin, J. L. Christ and C. G. Kratzenstein drew similar conclusions independently from each other (Thordarson and Self 2003, and references therein). Meanwhile, the Icelandic priest Jón Steingrímsson documented the eruption in question—the 1783–1784  AD Laki eruption—in extensive detail (Steingrímsson 1788, 1998). Modern “Volcanology” itself is a young science with the atmospheric phenomena observed during the summer of 1783 being considered as the starting point for scientific documentation of the effects of volcanic activity on atmospheric composition, climate and society.
Anja Schmidt
Chapter 2. GLOMAP-Mode Overview
Abstract
The GLObal Model of Aerosol Processes (GLOMAP) is a comprehensive size-resolving global aerosol model which is embedded in the Toulouse Offline Model of Chemistry and Transport (TOMCAT, Stockwell & Chipperfied 1999; Chipperfield 2006). Mann et al. (2010) presented a full description and evaluation of a version of GLOMAP that uses a two-moment modal scheme (GLOMAP-mode). GLOMAP-mode treats the same aerosol microphysical processes as GLOMAP-bin but at greatly reduced computational cost. Throughout this thesis GLOMAP-mode has been used. GLOMAP-mode treats microphysical processes such as binary homogeneous nucleation, hygroscopic growth, coagulation, condensation, cloud processing (oxidation of dissolved sulphur dioxide to sulphate in cloud droplets), as well as dry and wet deposition.
Anja Schmidt
Chapter 3. The Role of Time-Averaged Volcanic Sulphur Emissions in the Pre-industrial Era
Abstract
Observations and models have shown that continuously degassing and sporadically erupting volcanoes have a potentially large effect on the natural background aerosol loading and the radiative state of the atmosphere. For this chapter a global aerosol microphysics model (GLOMAP-mode) has been used to quantify the impact of these volcanic emissions on the cloud albedo radiative forcing under pre-industrial atmospheric conditions.
Anja Schmidt
Chapter 4. Impact of the 1783–1784 AD Laki Eruption on Global Aerosol Formation Processes and Cloud Condensation Nuclei
Abstract
Chapter 3 dealt with moderate volcanic perturbations to the sulphur cycle, whereas the chapter presented here investigates the impact of the long-lasting, 1783-1784 AD Laki eruption, which is considered a volcanic ?signature event? in recent history. Previous Laki studies have been conducted using general circulation models with varying degrees of realism of the sulphur dioxide emission scenario and the treatment of the aerosol processes. For this chapter, GLOMAP-mode has been used to examine the impact of the Laki eruption on chemical and microphysical processes and on the global cloud condensation nuclei budget.
Anja Schmidt
Chapter 5. Impact of the 1783–1784   AD Laki Eruption on Cloud Drop Number Concentrations and the First Aerosol Indirect Effect
Abstract
Low-level clouds have long been recognised as playing a major role in modulating the Earth’s radiation budget (e.g., Klein and Hartman 1993). Thus, fully understanding the impact of volcanic eruptions on the climate system requires the assessment of how volcanic aerosol might affect the microphyscial properties of low-level clouds, which can subsequently mediate a cloud-radiative effect. The chapter presented here aims to assess the impact of the 1783–1784 AD Laki eruption on changes in cloud drop number concentration (CDNC) at low-level cloud altitude in order to quantify the magnitude of the first aerosol indirect effect (AIE).
Anja Schmidt
Chapter 6. What if a Laki-Style Eruption were to Happen Tomorrow?
Abstract
Historical records show that the 1783-1784 AD Laki eruption caused severe environmental stress and posed a health hazard far beyond the borders of Iceland. Given the reasonable likelihood of a recurrence of such a ‘low-probability, high-impact’ event it is important to assess the scale on which a future eruption could impact society. For this chapter, GLOMAP-mode has been used to explore the potential impact of a future Laki-style eruption on air pollution and mortality in Europe.
Anja Schmidt
Chapter 7. Conclusions
Abstract
A comprehensive size-resolving global aerosol model (GLOMAP-mode) has been used to investigate the impact of the 1783–1784 AD Laki eruption on atmospheric chemistry, microphysical processes and the Earth’s climate system. The study presented is the first to investigate the impact of the eruption on microphysical processes and the global cloud condensation nuclei budget. Moreover, in this thesis the potential impact of a future Laki-style eruption has, for the first time, been put quantitatively into a modern societal context. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the global pre-industrial CCN budget to time-averaged volcanic sulphur emissions has been investigated using GLOMAP-mode, which allowed identification of the key chemical and microphysical processes determining the subsequent cloud-radiative effect.
Anja Schmidt
Backmatter
Metadaten
Titel
Modelling Tropospheric Volcanic Aerosol
verfasst von
Anja Schmidt
Copyright-Jahr
2013
Verlag
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Electronic ISBN
978-3-642-34839-6
Print ISBN
978-3-642-34838-9
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34839-6