Observations of greenhouse gases as climate indicators

Lori Bruhwiler (), Sourish Basu, James H. Butler, Abhishek Chatterjee, Ed Dlugokencky, Melissa A. Kenney, Allison McComiskey, Stephen A. Montzka and Diane Stanitski
Additional contact information
Lori Bruhwiler: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
Sourish Basu: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
James H. Butler: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
Abhishek Chatterjee: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Ed Dlugokencky: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
Melissa A. Kenney: University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment
Allison McComiskey: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Environmental & Climate Sciences Department
Stephen A. Montzka: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
Diane Stanitski: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory

Climatic Change, 2021, vol. 165, issue 1, No 12, 18 pages

Abstract: Abstract Humans have significantly altered the energy balance of the Earth’s climate system mainly not only by extracting and burning fossil fuels but also by altering the biosphere and using halocarbons. The 3rd US National Climate Assessment pointed to a need for a system of indicators of climate and global change based on long-term data that could be used to support assessments and this led to the development of the National Climate Indicators System (NCIS). Here we identify a representative set of key atmospheric indicators of changes in atmospheric radiative forcing due to greenhouse gases (GHGs), and we evaluate atmospheric composition measurements, including non-CO2 GHGs for use as climate change indicators in support of the US National Climate Assessment. GHG abundances and their changes over time can provide valuable information on the success of climate mitigation policies, as well as insights into possible carbon-climate feedback processes that may ultimately affect the success of those policies. To ensure that reliable information for assessing GHG emission changes can be provided on policy-relevant scales, expanded observational efforts are needed. Furthermore, the ability to detect trends resulting from changing emissions requires a commitment to supporting long-term observations. Long-term measurements of greenhouse gases, aerosols, and clouds and related climate indicators used with a dimming/brightening index could provide a foundation for quantifying forcing and its attribution and reducing error in existing indicators that do not account for complicated cloud processes.

Keywords: Greenhouse gases; Radiative forcing; Anthropogenic emissions; Atmospheric composition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1007/s10584-021-03001-7

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