A scaling theory for the size distribution of emitted dust aerosols suggests climate models underestimate the size of the global dust cycle.

ABSTRACT: Mineral dust aerosols impact Earth's radiation budget through interactions with clouds, ecosystems, and radiation, which constitutes a substantial uncertainty in understanding past and predicting future climate changes. One of the causes of this large uncertainty is that the size distribution of emitted dust aerosols is poorly understood. The present study shows that regional and global circulation models (GCMs) overestimate the emitted fraction of clay aerosols (< 2 μm diameter) by a factor of ∼2-8 relative to measurements. This discrepancy is resolved by deriving a simple theoretical expression of the emitted dust size distribution that is in excellent agreement with measurements. This expression is based on the physics of the scale-invariant fragmentation of brittle materials, which is

SUBMITTER: Kok JF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3024662 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature