A. T. Evan et al., Science 324, The role of aerosols in the evolution of tropical North Atlantic Ocean temperature anomalies

Science (8 May 2009), Vol. 324, No. 5928, pp. 778-781; DOI: 10.1126/science.1167404

The role of aerosols in the evolution of tropical North Atlantic Ocean temperature anomalies

Amato T. Evan* (Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, and Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, U.S.A.), Daniel J. Vimont (Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, U.S.A.), Andrew K. Heidinger (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service; and Center for Satellite Applications and Research, 1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706, U.S.A.), James P. Kossin (NOAA/NESDIS/National Climatic Data Center, Madison, WI 53706, U.S.A.) and Ralf Bennartz (Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, U.S.A.)

Abstract

Observations and models show that northern tropical Atlantic surface temperatures are sensitive to regional changes in stratospheric volcanic and tropospheric mineral aerosols. However, it is unknown whether the temporal variability of these aerosols is a key factor in the evolution of ocean temperature anomalies. We used a simple physical model, incorporating 26 years of satellite data, to estimate the temperature response of the ocean mixed layer to changes in aerosol loadings. Our results suggest that the mixed layer’s response to regional variability in aerosols accounts for 69% of the recent upward trend, and 67% of the detrended and 5-year low pass–filtered variance, in northern tropical Atlantic Ocean temperatures.

*e-mail: atevan@wisc.edu

Link to abstract:  http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/324/5928/778