Impact of sulfate aerosols on albedo and lifetime of clouds: A sensitivity study with the ECHAM4

Abstract. A coupled sulfur chemistry-cloud microphysics cheme (COUPL) is used to study the impact of sulfate aerosols on cloud lifetime and albedo. The cloud microphysics cheme in-cludes precipitation formation, which depends on the cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and on the liquid water content. On the basis of different observational data sets, CDNC is proportional to the sulfate aerosol mass, which is calculated by the model. Cloud cov-er is a function of relative humidity only. Additional sensitivity experiments with another cloud cover parameterization (COUPL-CC), which also depends on cloud water, and with a different autoconversion rate of cloud droplets (COUPL-CC-Aut) are conducted to investigate the range of the indirect effect due to uncertainties in cloud physics. For each experiment, two simula-tions, one using present-day and one using preindustrial sulfur emissions are carried out. The increase in liquid water path, cloud cover, and shortwave cloud forcing due to anthropogenic sulfur emissions depends crucially upon the parameterization of cloud cover and autoconver-sion of cloud droplets. In COUPL the liquid water path increases by 17 % and cloud cover in-creases by 1 % because of anthropogenic sulfur emissions, yielding an increase in shortwave W m-. In COUPL-CC the liquid water path increases by 32%, cloud cover cloud forcing of- 1.4 2 increases by 3 % and thus hortwave cloud forcing increases by-4.8 W m-2. This large ffect is caused by the strong dependence of cloud cover on cloud water and of the autoconversion rate on CDNC, cloud water, and cloud cover. Choosing a different autoconversion rate (COUPL-CC-Aut) with a reduced dependence on CDNC and cloud water results in an increase of liquid water path by only 11 % and of cloud cover by 1%, and the increase in shortwave cloud forcing amounts to-2.2 W m-2. These results clearly show that he uncertainties linked to the indirect aerosol effect are higher than was previously suggested. 1