| Session Details | |
| Section | AS - Atmospheric Sciences |
| Session Title | Climatic Effects of Aerosols Over Asia, Oceania and the Surrounding Oceans |
| Main Convener | Dr. Leon Rotstayn (The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Xiaohong Liu (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, United States) Dr. Yi Ming (NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, United States) Prof. John Chiang (University of California, United States) Mr. Tim Cowan (CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Australia) |
| Session Description | In recent decades there has been a substantial increase of aerosol concentrations in the Asian region. There is now ample evidence that these exert strong effects on regional and global climate. In addition, the globally inter-connected nature of atmospheric and oceanic circulation means that Oceania can also be profoundly affected by changes in anthropogenic and natural aerosols. A crucial aspect of aerosol-climate interaction is the large uncertainty, which is one of the major barriers to achieving a quantitative understanding of recent and future climate change. This uncertainty spans most aspects of the aerosol-climate puzzle; some notable examples are emissions, direct radiative effects (especially for absorbing aerosols), semi-direct effects and aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions. More broadly, it is even more challenging to untangle the climatic effects of aerosols from those of natural variability and other forcing agents. In this session, we solicit modeling and observational studies of the impacts of aerosols on cloud, precipitation and climate throughout Asia and Oceania, including the Southern Hemisphere. Submissions are encouraged that address regional-scale climatic effects of anthropogenic and natural aerosols, and the large-scale impacts of aerosols (from Asia or elsewhere) on Asia and Oceania. Process-scale studies are also encouraged, with preference given to those with a link to regional or large-scale climate. |