Impact of Aerosol Vertical Distribution on their Radiative Effects
From over a decade of aerosol research, it is now a well established fact that atmospheric aerosols play a crucial role in altering the earth's radiation budget [ IPCC 2007]. Toa large extent, the effect on aerosols on the top-of-atmosphere radiation balance has been addressed using both observations and global models. A close review of literature suggests the imperative need to address the vertical distribution of aerosols in the atmosphere [ Gadhavi et al., 2006 ] and that is exactly what aerosol science is gearing towards. Recently, there have been many research studies that have begun to address this question. One interesting paper by Johnson et al., appeared in JGR last week that talks about this very issue. This paper provides very good insights into this topic by using ground and aircraft based lidar observations during DABEX field campaign. 'In general, mineral dust was observed at low altitudes (up to 2 km), and a mixture of biomass burning aerosol and dust was obser...