Open AccessEstimating the direct radiative forcing due to haze from the 1997 forest fires in Indonesia
Author(s) -
Davison P. S.,
Roberts D. L.,
Arnold R. T.,
Colvile R. N.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2003jd004264
Subject(s) - haze , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , radiative forcing , radiative transfer , aerosol , forcing (mathematics) , particulates , atmosphere (unit) , shortwave , climatology , radiative flux , meteorology , geography , physics , geology , ecology , quantum mechanics , biology
The El Niño event of 1997–1998 caused a severe reduction of rainfall in Indonesia that promoted the spread of forest fires, leading to a pervasive haze in the region. Here we use fire coverage data from the 1997 World Fire Atlas with a review of other available data and literature to estimate the distribution of particulate emissions from August to November 1997 and the particle size and radiative properties. Our preferred estimate of the total particulate emissions is approximately 41 Tg. The emissions have been used to drive an atmospheric model to simulate the distribution of the haze and its direct radiative effect, with and without allowing for the effects of the smoke on the atmospheric evolution. Model diagnostics of the aerosol and its radiative impact are compared with measurements and output from other models. Large decreases in the incident solar flux at the surface are obtained in the region. The simulated global mean shortwave radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere, averaged over the 4 months, is −0.32 Wm −2 . The accuracy of this calculation is discussed, and the importance of the Indonesian fires in particular and of biomass burning in general is assessed.