An Observational Constraint on Aviation‐Induced Cirrus From the COVID‐19‐Induced Flight Disruption

Autor: Jason N. S. Cole, Nathan P. Gillett, Adam H. Monahan, Ruth A. R. Digby
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Space Geodetic Surveys
Atmospheric Science
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Aviation
0211 other engineering and technologies
Volcanology
cirrus
Atmospheric Composition and Structure
02 engineering and technology
Biogeosciences
01 natural sciences
Remote Sensing
Evolution of the Earth
COVID‐19
Research Letter
Radiative transfer
Remote Sensing of Volcanoes
Geodesy and Gravity
Global Change
Cirrus cloud
Biosphere/Atmosphere Interactions
021101 geological & geomatics engineering
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Evolution of the Atmosphere
Atmosphere
business.industry
Diurnal temperature variation
Remote Sensing and Disasters
Radiative forcing
Tectonophysics
Geophysics
diurnal temperature range
13. Climate action
Climatology
Atmospheric Processes
aviation
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Environmental science
Satellite
Cirrus
The COVID‐19 pandemic: linking health
society and environment
Hydrology
business
Clouds and Aerosols
Natural Hazards
Coupled Models of the Climate System
Zdroj: Geophysical Research Letters
ISSN: 1944-8007
0094-8276
DOI: 10.1029/2021gl095882
Popis: Global aviation dropped precipitously during the covid‐19 pandemic, providing an unprecedented opportunity to study aviation‐induced cirrus (AIC). AIC is believed to be responsible for over half of aviation‐related radiative forcing, but until now, its radiative impact has only been estimated from simulations. Here, we show that satellite observations of cirrus cloud do not exhibit a detectable global response to the dramatic aviation reductions of spring 2020. These results indicate that previous model‐based estimates may overestimate AIC. In addition, we find no significant response of diurnal surface air temperature range to the 2020 aviation changes, reinforcing the findings of previous studies. Though aviation influences the climate through multiple pathways, our analysis suggests that its warming effect from cirrus changes may be smaller than previously estimated.
Key Points Aviation reductions during COVID‐19 provide an opportunity to test the impact of aviation on cirrus cloud and diurnal temperature rangeNeither variable exhibits a detectable large‐scale response in satellite observationsComparison with previous model analyses of contrail cirrus suggests that warming by aviation‐induced cirrus may have been overestimated
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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