Dust direct radiative effect including large particles and component minerals

Li, L., Mahowald, N. M., Obiso, V., Kok, J. F., Miller, R. L., et al. (2025). Dust direct radiative effect including large particles and component minerals. Geophysical Research Letters, doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl119383

Title Dust direct radiative effect including large particles and component minerals
Genre Article
Author(s) L. Li, N. M. Mahowald, V. Obiso, J. F. Kok, R. L. Miller, X. Liu, M. Gonçalves Ageitos, C. Pérez García-Pando, Danny M. Leung, Z. Ke, P. G. Brodrick, R. N. Clark, P. Formenti, C. Di Biagio, P. Ginoux, G. S. Okin, B. Zhou, D. R. Thompson, R. O. Green
Abstract The direct radiative effect (DRE) of dust aerosols in Earth system models (ESMs) remains highly uncertain, largely due to inadequate representations of particle size distribution (PSD) and mineral composition. Using NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) soil mineralogy data and observed PSD in an ESM that resolves dust mineral composition and emitted diameters from 0.1 to 70 μm, we find a near-neutral global dust net DRE (−0.057 W m−2), weaker than most previous estimates. Large dust (diameter >10 μm) contributes 30% of the global longwave dust optical depth, providing observational constraints on large-particle abundance, and offsets 20% of the dust shortwave cooling over major source regions. Incorporation of EMIT mineralogy reduces shortwave uncertainty by more than 50%. The remaining uncertainty mainly exists in processes controlling dust abundance, particularly the poorly understood transport of large dust, and longwave optical properties, which require additional observational constraints to more accurately quantify the dust DRE.
Publication Title Geophysical Research Letters
Publication Date Nov 28, 2025
Publisher's Version of Record https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl119383
OpenSky Citable URL https://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7xk8m36
OpenSky Listing View on OpenSky
ACOM Affiliations MODELING

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