American Geophysical Union Become an AGU Member
Subscribe to AGU Journals		 AGU Home AGU Publications

Read Full Article (file size: 151944 bytes)    Cited by

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 32, L20812, doi:10.1029/2005GL022897, 2005

Radiative effect of surface albedo change from biomass burning

Gunnar Myhre

Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway


Yves Govaerts

European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), Darmstadt, Germany


Jim M. Haywood

Met Office, Exeter, UK


Terje K. Berntsen

Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway


Alessio Lattanzio

MakaluMedia, Darmstadt, Germany


Abstract

The radiative impact of burn scars from biomass is investigated. Changes in surface albedo derived from satellite observations over the African continent are used as a first order indication of this impact. Because the direct radiative effect of aerosols from biomass burning is dependent on the underlying surface albedo, we investigate the interaction of the direct radiative effect due to biomass burning aerosols with the change in surface reflection due to the burn scars. The radiative effect of reduced surface albedo from burn scars is estimated to be close to 0.1 Wm−2 over a region covering the African continent.

Received 6 March 2005; accepted 13 September 2005; published 26 October 2005.

Index Terms: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906); 0360 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Radiation: transmission and scattering; 1632 Global Change: Land cover change; 3359 Atmospheric Processes: Radiative processes; 3360 Atmospheric Processes: Remote sensing.

Read Full Article (file size: 151944 bytes)    Cited by

Citation: Myhre, G., Y. Govaerts, J. M. Haywood, T. K. Berntsen, and A. Lattanzio (2005), Radiative effect of surface albedo change from biomass burning, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L20812, doi:10.1029/2005GL022897.