Stratospheric Aerosol Optical Depth (SAOD) Visualization App

This app was created to visualize Stratospheric Aerosol reconstructions. The github repository containing all the code and data used to create this page can be accessed here.

How to use:

Global Mean SAOD tab:

• Use the top buttons to select the active datasets.
• Use the smaller plot to select the active time range. The zoom tools in the toolbar on the right may be useful.
• Hover over any datapoint to get its exact value and coordinates.

Zonal Mean SAOD tab:

• Use the scroll wheel to zoom on the x axis of each plot, and the mouse to pan.
• Hover over any point to see its exact value and coordinates.
• Use the tabs at the top to change which page of datasets you are viewing.

Data descriptions:

GISS:

• Reference: Sato, M., Hansen, J. E., McCormick, M. P. and Pollack, J. B.: Stratospheric Aerosol Optical Depths, 1850–1990, J. Geophys. Res., 98(D12), 22987–22994, doi:10.1029/93JD02553, 1993.
• Source: https://data.giss.nasa.gov/modelforce/strataer/.
• Short description: Based on satellite data from 1979-2012, including data from SAGE II. From 2001, data is from the OSIRIS instrument. Before 1979, eruption timings and magnitudes based on ground-based observations and eye-witness accounts.

Ammann:

• Reference: Ammann, C. M., Meehl, G. A., Washington, W. M. and Zender, C. S.: A monthly and latitudinally varying volcanic forcing dataset in simulations of 20th century climate, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(12), 59–1, doi:10.1029/2003GL016875, 2003.
• Source: https://data.noaa.gov/dataset/dataset/noaa-wds-paleoclimatology-ammann-et-al-2003-monthly-volcanic-forcing-data-for-climat-1890-1999
• Short Description: SAOD derived from ice cores.

IVI2:

• Reference: Gao, C., Robock, A. and Ammann, C.: Volcanic forcing of climate over the past 1500 years: An improved ice core-based index for climate models, J. Geophys. Res., 113, D23111, doi:10.1029/2008JD010239, 2008.
• Source: http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/IVI2/
• Short description: Provides estimates of sulfate aerosol injection mass, and spatial evolution of sulfate aerosol mass. Based on bipolar ice core data, with recent eruptions from satellite observations. Conversion to SAOD is based on a linear scaling.

ICI5:

• Reference: Crowley, T. J. and Unterman, M. B.: Technical details concerning development of a 1200 yr proxy index for global volcanism, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 5(1), 187–197, doi:10.5194/essd-5-187-2013, 2013.
• Source: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo-search/study/14168
• Short description: Provides estimates of SAOD from bipolar ice cores. SAOD given in 4 equal area latitude bands (90S-30S, 30S-0N, 0N-30N, 30N-90N).

CMIP6:

• Reference: Thomason, L. W., Ernest, N., Millán, L., Rieger, L., Bourassa, A., Vernier, J.-P., Manney, G., Luo, B., Arfeuille, F. and Peter, T.: A global space-based stratospheric aerosol climatology: 1979–2016, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10(1), 469–492, doi:10.5194/essd-10-469-2018, 2018.
• Source: ftp://iacftp.ethz.ch/pub_read/luo/CMIP6 (Requires ftp capability. Can also use: [Direct NC file Download])
• Short description: Recommended forcing for CMIP6 historical (1850-present) simulations. Based on the GloSSAC observation-based reconstruction from 1979-present (Thomason et al., 2018).

eVolv2k:

• Reference: Toohey, M. and Sigl, M.: Volcanic stratospheric sulfur injections and aerosol optical depth from 500 BCE to 1900 CE, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9(2), 809–831, doi:10.5194/essd-9-809-2017, 2017.
• Source: https://cera-www.dkrz.de/WDCC/ui/cerasearch/entry?acronym=eVolv2k_v3
• Short description: SAOD estimated from newly synchronized bipolar ice core arrays. Spatial structure based on parameterized EVA following satellite observations of Pinatubo aerosol. Recommended forcing for past1000 and past2k experiments for CMIP6/PMIP4.