Abstract
A fundamental determinant of climate and life on our planet is the solar radiation (sunlight) incident at the Earth’s surface. Any change in this precious energy source affects our habitats profoundly. Until recently, for simplicity and lack of better knowledge, the amount of solar radiation received at the Earth surface was assumed to be stable over the years. However, there is increasing observational evidence that this quantity undergoes significant multi-decadal variations, which need to taken into account in discussions of climate change and solar energy generation. Coherent periods and regions with prevailing declines (“dimming”) and inclines (“brightening”) in surface solar radiation have been detected in the worldwide observational networks, often in accord with anthropogenic air pollution patterns. This paper highlights the main characteristics of this phenomenon, and provides a conceptual framework for its causes as well as an overview over potential environmental implications.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alpert P, Kishcha P, Kaufman YJ, Schwarzbard R (2005) Global dimming or local dimming? Effect of urbanization on sunlight availability. Geophys Res Lett 32(17):L17802. doi:10.1029/2005gl023320
Dutton EG, Nelson DW, Stone RS, Longenecker D, Carbaugh G, Harris JM, Wendell J (2006) Decadal variations in surface solar irradiance as observed in a globally remote network. J Geophys Res Atmos 111(D19):D19101. doi:10.1029/2005jd006901
Gilgen H, Wild M, Ohmura A (1998) Means and trends of shortwave irradiance at the surface estimated from global energy balance archive data. J Climate 11(8):2042–2061
Kaufman YJ, Koren I, Remer LA, Rosenfeld D, Rudich Y (2005) The effect of smoke, dust, and pollution aerosol on shallow cloud development over the Atlantic Ocean. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102(32):11207–11212. doi:10.1073/pnas.0505191102
Liepert BG (2002) Observed reductions of surface solar radiation at sites in the United States and worldwide from 1961 to 1990. Geophys Res Lett 29(10):1421. doi:10.1029/2002gl014910
Mercado LM, Bellouin N, Sitch S, Boucher O, Huntingford C, Wild M, Cox PM (2009) Impact of changes in diffuse radiation on the global land carbon sink. Nature 458(7241):U1014–U1087. doi:10.1038/Nature07949
Mishchenko MI, Geogdzhayev IV, Rossow WB, Cairns B, Carlson BE, Lacis AA, Liu L, Travis LD (2007) Long-term satellite record reveals likely recent aerosol trend. Science 315(5818):1543–1543. doi:10.1126/science.1136709
Norris JR, Wild M (2007) Trends in aerosol radiative effects over Europe inferred from observed cloud cover, solar “dimming” and solar “brightening”. J Geophys Res Atmos 112(D8):D08214. doi:10.1029/2006jd007794
Ohmura A (2009) Observed decadal variations in surface solar radiation and their causes. J Geophys Res Atmos 114:D00d05. doi:10.1029/2008jd011290
Ohmura A, Lang H (1989) Secular variations of global radiation in Europe. Paper presented at the IRS’88: current problems in atmospheric radiation, Lille
Ohmura A, Dutton EG, Forgan B, Frohlich C, Gilgen H, Hegner H, Heimo A, Konig-Langlo G, McArthur B, Muller G, Philipona R, Pinker R, Whitlock CH, Dehne K, Wild M (1998) Baseline surface radiation network (BSRN/WCRP): new precision radiometry for climate research. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 79(10):2115–2136
Rosenfeld D, Kaufman YJ, Koren I (2006) Switching cloud cover and dynamical regimes from open to closed Benard cells in response to the suppression of precipitation by aerosols. Atmos Chem Phys 6:2503–2511
Stanhill G, Cohen S (2001) Global dimming: a review of the evidence for a widespread and significant reduction in global radiation with discussion of its probable causes and possible agricultural consequences. Agr Forest Meteorol 107(4):255–278
Stern DI (2006) Reversal of the trend in global anthropogenic sulfur emissions. Glob Environ Change Human Policy Dimens 16(2):207–220. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2006.01.001
Streets DG, Wu Y, Chin M (2006) Two-decadal aerosol trends as a likely explanation of the global dimming/brightening transition. Geophys Res Lett 33(15):L15806. doi:10.1029/2006gl026471
Wild M (2009) Global dimming and brightening: a review. J Geophys Res Atmos 114:D00d16. doi:10.1029/2008jd011470
Wild M (2012) Enlightening global dimming and brightening. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 93(1):27–37. doi:10.1175/Bams-D-11-00074.1
Wild M (2013) Relevance of Decadal Variations in Surface Radiative Fluxes for Climate Change. AIP Conf Proc 1531:728–731. doi: 10.1063/1.4804873
Wild M, Liepert B (2010) The earth radiation balance as driver of the global hydrological cycle. Environ Res Lett 5(2), 025003. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/5/2/025003
Wild M, Ohmura A, Gilgen H, Rosenfeld D (2004) On the consistency of trends in radiation and temperature records and implications for the global hydrological cycle. Geophys Res Lett 31(11):L11201. doi:10.1029/2003gl019188
Wild M, Gilgen H, Roesch A, Ohmura A, Long CN, Dutton EG, Forgan B, Kallis A, Russak V, Tsvetkov A (2005) From dimming to brightening: decadal changes in solar radiation at earth’s surface. Science 308(5723):847–850. doi:10.1126/science.1103215
Wild M, Ohmura A, Makowski K (2007) Impact of global dimming and brightening on global warming. Geophys Res Lett 34(4):L04702. doi:10.1029/2006gl028031
Wild M, Grieser J, Schaer C (2008) Combined surface solar brightening and increasing greenhouse effect support recent intensification of the global land-based hydrological cycle. Geophys Res Lett 35(17):L17706. doi:10.1029/2008gl034842
Wild M, Truessel B, Ohmura A, Long CN, Konig-Langlo G, Dutton EG, Tsvetkov A (2009) Global dimming and brightening: an update beyond 2000. J Geophys Res Atmos 114:D00d13. doi:10.1029/2008jd011382
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Wild, M. (2014). Global Dimming and Brightening. In: Freedman, B. (eds) Global Environmental Change. Handbook of Global Environmental Pollution, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5784-4_27
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5784-4_27
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-5783-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-5784-4
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences