Two graphs showing monthly mean multi-model mean shortwave flux biases over ocean and land.
Monthly mean multi-model mean (MMM) shortwave (SW) flux biases relative to Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF) (solid lines) for 2010 over 60°S–60°N and tropical (E30°S–30°N) ocean (a) and land (b). Over ocean, the dashed lines are the remaining flux bias after accounting for the contributions of aerosol optical depth (AOD) biases to the flux biases. Over land, lines with circles represent flux bias after accounting for the contributions of land surface albedo biases, and dashed lines are the remaining flux bias after accounting for the contributions of both AOD and surface albedo biases to the flux biases. Credit: Su et al. [2021], Figure 4
Editors’ Highlights are summaries of recent papers by AGU’s journal editors.
Source: Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems

Reconciliation of modeled and observed aerosols and radiative fluxes is a major research topic. Su et al. [2021] use radiative kernels to link the model biases in the aerosol optical depth and land surface albedo to the model bias in top-of-atmosphere clear-sky reflected shortwave fluxes. Accounting for the aerosol optical depth and land surface albedo contribution to the shortwave flux reduces the modeled shortwave flux bias by 25 per cent and 70 per cent over ocean and land.

This study highlights the importance of correcting the land surface albedo and constraining the aerosol optical depth in the AeroCom models by using satellite observations. The authors recommend that all models should use observation-based land surface albedo as an input.  

Citation: Su, W., Liang, L., Myhre, G., Thorsen, T. J., Loeb, N. G., Schuster, G. L., et al. [2021]. Understanding top-of-atmosphere flux bias in the AeroCom phase III models: A clear-sky perspective. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 13, e2021MS002584. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021MS002584

—Jiwen Fan, Editor, Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems

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