This textbook aims to be a one stop shop for those interested in
aerosols and their impact on the climate system. It starts with some
fundamentals on atmospheric aerosols, atmospheric radiation and cloud
physics, then goes into techniques used for in-situ and remote sensing
measurements of aerosols, data assimilation, and discusses
aerosol-radiation interactions, aerosol-cloud interactions and the
multiple impacts of aerosols on the climate system. The book aims to
engage those interested in aerosols and their impacts on the climate
system: graduate and PhD students, but also post-doctorate fellows who
are new to the field or would like to broaden their knowledge. The book
includes exercises at the end of most chapters.
Atmospheric aerosols are small (microscopic) particles in suspension in
the atmosphere, which play multiple roles in the climate system. They
interact with the energy budget through scattering and absorption of
solar and terrestrial radiation. They also serve as cloud condensation
and ice nuclei with impacts on the formation, evolution and properties
of clouds. Finally aerosols also interact with some biogeochemical
cycles. Anthropogenic emissions of aerosols are responsible for a
cooling effect that has masked part of the warming due to the increased
greenhouse effect since pre-industrial time. Natural aerosols also
respond to climate changes as shown by observations of past climates and
modelling of the future climate.