The Open Atmospheric Science Journal 

About: The Open Atmospheric Science Journal is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Climate change & Weather Research and Forecasting Model. It has an ISSN identifier of 1874-2823. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 135 publications have been published receiving 2195 citations.

Target atmospheric CO2: Where should humanity aim?

Abstract: Paleoclimate data show that climate sensitivity is ~3 deg-C for doubled CO2, including only fast feedback processes. Equilibrium sensitivity, including slower surface albedo feedbacks, is ~6 deg-C for doubled CO2 for the range of climate states between glacial conditions and ice-free Antarctica. Decreasing CO2 was the main cause of a cooling trend that began 50 million years ago, large scale glaciation occurring when CO2 fell to 450 +/- 100 ppm, a level that will be exceeded within decades, barring prompt policy changes. If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm. The largest uncertainty in the target arises from possible changes of non-CO2 forcings. An initial 350 ppm CO2 target may be achievable by phasing out coal use except where CO2 is captured and adopting agricultural and forestry practices that sequester carbon. If the present overshoot of this target CO2 is not brief, there is a possibility of seeding irreversible catastrophic effects.

An Automated Quality Assessment and Control Algorithm for Surface Radiation Measurements

Abstract: We present an automated algorithm for testing surface broadband radiation measurements to detect erroneous data. The methodology has been developed using data from the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Meas- urement (ARM) Program. The testing includes physically possible limits as determined by the World Meteorological Or- ganization (WMO) Baseline Surface Radiation Network, as well as user configurable limits based on climatological analysis of data collected at the measurement site. The algorithm can be run in near real time, or more typically on a daily basis. Additionally, longer monthly or yearly runs can be used to assess more subtle tendencies and problems in the data through evaluation of daily summaries of quality flagging.

A review of various strategies for contrail avoidance

Abstract: A review is given of various contrail avoidance strategies that have been developed since the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on Aviation and the Global Atmosphere. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the various options for contrail mitigation, to describe the state of the art, and to indicate future directions for research.

Rainfall and temperature scenario for Bangladesh.

Abstract: A regional climate model named Providing REgional Climates for Impacts Studies (PRECIS) adapted in gener- ating rainfall scenarios for the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region. At first, PRECIS gen- erated rainfall scenario is calibrated with ground-based observed rainfall during baseline period (1961-1990) in Bangla- desh. The regression coefficients obtained through calibration are utilized for validation of PRECIS simulated rainfall dur- ing 2000-2006. PRECIS overestimated rainfall by 12.37%, 1.58%, 10.81%, 4.79 and 13.18% in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006 respectively. It underestimated by 0.64% and 10.84% in 2001 and 2004 respectively. On an average, PRECIS overestimated about 4.47% of surface rainfall. Better performance of PRECIS through validation encourages employing it in rainfall forecasting for Bangladesh. In the second step, rainfall and temperature forecast for Bangladesh is experimen- tally obtained for 2010-2020. This work discloses that the PRECIS simulated rainfall and temperature are not directly use- ful in application purposes. However, after performing calibration, acceptable result is obtained in estimating annual rain- fall in Bangladesh with correlation coefficient is 0.90. Change of rainfall is forecasted from -0.99% (in 2013) to 5.3% (2018) for Bangladesh during 2010 - 2020.

Personal Exposure to Air Pollution for Various Modes of Transport in Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract: This paper investigates the carbon monoxide (CO) doses received while commuting by different modes (car, bus, train, motorcycle, bicycle and running), taking into account the commute time as well as the level of physical activity required. While the participants were constrained to travel at specific peak traffic times and between designated start and end points, they were free to choose a route appropriate for their mode of transport. The results of this study suggest that the lowest exposures (concentrations of pollutants) are experienced by train commuters, largely a reflection of the routes being removed from any significant road traffic. Motorcyclists experienced significantly higher average concentrations as a result of high-concentration and very-short-duration peaks not seen in the traces of car and bus commuters travelling on the same road. Travel by bus along a dedicated busway was also found to be effective in reducing commuter air pollution exposure compared to travel by car on a congested stretch of motorway. The average concentrations to which cyclists and runners were exposed were found to be not significantly different for those travelling by car or bus (except when on dedicated pedestrian/cycleways). However, when the increased physical activity that is required is taken into account (leading to higher volumes of air breathed) along with the increased commuting time (especially in the case of runners), the air pollution doses (as estimated by the product of the concentration, commute time and breathing factor) were found to be significantly higher than for the motorised modes. The results suggest that separate pedestrian/cycleways go some way towards providing healthier options for cyclists and pedestrians.