Articles | Volume 10, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-10-885-2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-10-885-2019
Research article
 | 
13 Dec 2019
Research article |  | 13 Dec 2019

Climate system response to stratospheric sulfate aerosols: sensitivity to altitude of aerosol layer

Krishna-Pillai Sukumara-Pillai Krishnamohan, Govindasamy Bala, Long Cao, Lei Duan, and Ken Caldeira

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AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (20 Aug 2019) by Axel Kleidon
AR by KS Krishnamohan on behalf of the Authors (22 Aug 2019)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (12 Sep 2019) by Axel Kleidon
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (17 Oct 2019)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (19 Oct 2019) by Axel Kleidon
AR by KS Krishnamohan on behalf of the Authors (24 Oct 2019)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Publish as is (08 Nov 2019) by Axel Kleidon
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Short summary
We find that sulfate aerosols are more effective in cooling the climate system when they reside higher in the stratosphere. We explain this sensitivity in terms of radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere. Sulfate aerosols heat the stratospheric layers, causing an increase in stratospheric water vapor content and a reduction in high clouds. These changes are larger when aerosols are prescribed near the tropopause, offsetting part of the aerosol-induced negative radiative forcing/cooling.
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