Publication Abstracts

Li et al. 2024

Li, L., N.M. Mahowald, M. Gonçalves Ageitos, V. Obiso, R.L. Miller, C. Pérez García-Pando, C. Di Biagio, P. Formenti, P.G. Brodrick, R.N. Clark, R.O. Green, R. Kokaly, G. Swayze, and D.R. Thompson, 2024: Improved constraints on hematite refractive index for estimating climatic effects of dust aerosols. Commun. Earth Environ., 5, no. 1, 295, doi:10.1038/s43247-024-01441-4.

Uncertainty in desert dust composition poses a big challenge to understanding Earth's climate across different epochs. Of particular concern is hematite, an iron-oxide mineral dominating the solar absorption by dust particles, for which current estimates of absorption capacity vary by over two orders of magnitude. Here, we show that laboratory measurements of dust composition, absorption, and scattering provide valuable constraints on the absorption potential of hematite, substantially narrowing its range of plausible values. The success of this constraint is supported by results from an atmospheric transport model compared with station-based measurements. Additionally, we identify substantial bias in simulating hematite abundance in dust aerosols with current soil mineralogy descriptions, underscoring the necessity for improved data sources. Encouragingly, the next-generation imaging spectroscopy remote sensing data hold promise for capturing the spatial variability of hematite. These insights have implications for enhancing dust modeling, thus contributing to efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{li07410r,
  author={Li, L. and Mahowald, N. M. and Gonçalves Ageitos, M. and Obiso, V. and Miller, R. L. and Pérez García-Pando, C. and Di Biagio, C. and Formenti, P. and Brodrick, P. G. and Clark, R. N. and Green, R. O. and Kokaly, R. and Swayze, G. and Thompson, D. R.},
  title={Improved constraints on hematite refractive index for estimating climatic effects of dust aerosols},
  year={2024},
  journal={Communications Earth and Environment},
  volume={5},
  number={1},
  pages={295},
  doi={10.1038/s43247-024-01441-4},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - li07410r
AU  - Li, L.
AU  - Mahowald, N. M.
AU  - Gonçalves Ageitos, M.
AU  - Obiso, V.
AU  - Miller, R. L.
AU  - Pérez García-Pando, C.
AU  - Di Biagio, C.
AU  - Formenti, P.
AU  - Brodrick, P. G.
AU  - Clark, R. N.
AU  - Green, R. O.
AU  - Kokaly, R.
AU  - Swayze, G.
AU  - Thompson, D. R.
PY  - 2024
TI  - Improved constraints on hematite refractive index for estimating climatic effects of dust aerosols
JA  - Commun. Earth Environ.
JO  - Communications Earth and Environment
VL  - 5
IS  - 1
SP  - 295
DO  - 10.1038/s43247-024-01441-4
ER  -

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