Stratospheric Sulfate Aerosol Cooling Estimator
Screen sulfate optical depth, signed forcing and equilibrium temperature-response scenario with supplied yield/lifetime/area/calibration; not a transient climate forecast, global default coefficient or geoengineering recommendation.
Description
Sulfate aerosols can alter radiative forcing after volcanic SO₂ reaches the stratosphere.
Sulfate aerosols can alter radiative forcing after volcanic SO₂ reaches the stratosphere. Optical depth and equilibrium temperature response are separate modeled stages.
Screen sulfate optical depth, signed forcing and equilibrium temperature-response scenario with supplied yield/lifetime/area/calibration; not a transient climate forecast, global default coefficient or geoengineering recommendation.
When to use Stratospheric Sulfate Aerosol Cooling Estimator
Use this tool to screen sulfate optical depth, signed forcing and equilibrium temperature-response scenario with supplied yield/lifetime/area/calibration; not a transient climate forecast, global default coefficient or geoengineering recommendation.
Gather the relevant observations and fitted model parameters. Use the stated units and time basis; keep paired observations aligned.
How to use Stratospheric Sulfate Aerosol Cooling Estimator and understand its results
- Gather the relevant observations and fitted model parameters. Use the stated units and time basis; keep paired observations aligned.
- Enter stratosphericSo2MassKg, sulfateMassYieldPerSo2Mass, aerosolMassExtinctionM2PerKg, representedAtmosphericAreaM2, elapsedDays, aerosolEFoldingLifetimeDays, forcingWattsPerM2PerOpticalDepth, temperatureResponseKPerWattsM2 using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
- Read modelAerosolOpticalDepth, modelRadiativeForcingWattsPerM2, equilibriumResponseScenarioK. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
- If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.
| Input field | Meaning | Value type; see rules below | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| stratosphericSo2MassKg | Stratospheric so2 mass kg | number | Required |
| sulfateMassYieldPerSo2Mass | Sulfate mass yield per so2 mass | number | Required |
| aerosolMassExtinctionM2PerKg | Aerosol mass extinction m2 per kg | number | Required |
| representedAtmosphericAreaM2 | Represented atmospheric area m2 | number | Required |
| elapsedDays | Elapsed days | number | Required |
| aerosolEFoldingLifetimeDays | Aerosol e folding lifetime days | number | Required |
| forcingWattsPerM2PerOpticalDepth | Forcing watts per m2 per optical depth | number | Required |
| temperatureResponseKPerWattsM2 | Temperature response k per watts m2 | number | Required |
Use positive yield, extinction, area and lifetime, nonnegative SO₂ mass, elapsed days and response factor. Multiply optical depth by the signed forcing coefficient, then by the temperature-response factor. Negative forcing produces a negative temperature scenario.1
optical depth = mass × yield × extinction/area × exp(−time/lifetime) Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.
| Output field | Meaning | Value type |
|---|---|---|
| modelAerosolOpticalDepth | Model aerosol optical depth | number |
| modelRadiativeForcingWattsPerM2 | Model radiative forcing watts per m2 | number |
| equilibriumResponseScenarioK | Equilibrium response scenario k | number |
{
"input": {
"stratosphericSo2MassKg": 1000,
"sulfateMassYieldPerSo2Mass": 1.5,
"aerosolMassExtinctionM2PerKg": 100,
"representedAtmosphericAreaM2": 1000000,
"elapsedDays": 10,
"aerosolEFoldingLifetimeDays": 10,
"forcingWattsPerM2PerOpticalDepth": -20,
"temperatureResponseKPerWattsM2": 0.5
},
"output": {
"modelAerosolOpticalDepth": 0.05518191617571635,
"modelRadiativeForcingWattsPerM2": -1.103638323514327,
"equilibriumResponseScenarioK": -0.5518191617571635
}
}Limitations and assumptions
Supplied calibration and exponential decay exclude transient climate dynamics and aerosol microphysics.
Numbers and computed results must be finite; overflow produces an error. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use SO2 Mass Flux Tonnes Day: Integrate blank-corrected SO2 cross-plume column mass and multiply by signed normal plume speed; negative nondetections/transport remain signed, with no eruption-alert threshold or wind-direction inference. For a complementary task, use Plume Mass Flux Buoyancy Estimate: Estimate signed heat-derived plume buoyancy flux using supplied source/ambient heat properties; neglects particle loading, moisture and momentum, retaining negatively buoyant thermal scenarios.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- SO2 Mass Flux Tonnes Day
Integrate blank-corrected SO2 cross-plume column mass and multiply by signed normal plume speed; negative nondetections/transport remain signed, with no eruption-alert threshold or wind-direction inference.
- Plume Mass Flux Buoyancy Estimate
Estimate signed heat-derived plume buoyancy flux using supplied source/ambient heat properties; neglects particle loading, moisture and momentum, retaining negatively buoyant thermal scenarios.