Black Carbon Aerosol Dynamics and Climate Effects
Summary
Black carbon (BC) aerosol originates primarily from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels and biomass. Once emitted, BC particles undergo atmospheric transport, ageing and removal processes that determine their spatial distribution and lifetime. Physico-chemical ageing through coagulation and condensation alters BC’s mixing state and optical properties, influencing its ability to absorb solar radiation. BC exerts a positive radiative forcing both directly, by absorbing incoming and outgoing radiation, and indirectly, by modifying cloud microphysics and reducing surface albedo when deposited on snow and ice. These interactions affect regional temperature gradients, monsoon circulation and cryospheric melt. Heterogeneous processes such as wet scavenging by precipitation govern BC removal, yet uncertainties remain in parameterising in-cloud and below-cloud washout. The interplay between emission patterns, atmospheric dynamics and removal pathways underpins BC’s climate impact and informs mitigation strategies that aim to reduce near-term warming and improve air quality.
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Black Carbon Aerosol Dynamics and Climate Effects publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in black carbon aerosol dynamics and climate effects across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Black carbon (BC): Fine particulate matter produced by incomplete combustion, characterised by strong light absorption.
Radiative forcing: Change in the balance between incoming solar and outgoing terrestrial radiation caused by an agent.
Aerosol optical depth (AOD): Column-integrated extinction of solar radiation by aerosol scattering and absorption.
Wet scavenging: Removal of aerosol particles from the atmosphere by precipitation processes.
Atmospheric lifetime: Average time a particle remains in the atmosphere before removal by deposition or chemistry.
References
- Description and evaluation of a new four-mode version of the Modal Aerosol Module (MAM4) within version 5.3 of the Community Atmosphere Model. Geoscientific Model Development (2016).
- Black carbon vertical profiles strongly affect its radiative forcing uncertainty. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2013).
- Modelled black carbon radiative forcing and atmospheric lifetime in AeroCom Phase II constrained by aircraft observations. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2014).
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