Natural Aerosols and Climate Feedbacks over Coral Reefs

Dear Colleagues,

New research suggests that several climate feedbacks occur over the Pacific Ocean. In the Northeast Pacific Ocean a low level climate feedback occurs over decadal time scales and involves phytoplankton and variation in the amount of low level clouds that affect sea surface temperatures. In the western Pacific warm pool where the greatest biomass of coral reefs occur an ocean thermostat has been identified that suppresses ocean warming and decreases the incidence of coral bleaching. Research in the Great Barrier Reef has shown that hard corals contain exceptionally high concentrations of a natural sulphur substance called dimethylsulphoniopropionate or DMSP which can produce a volatile sulphur aerosol substance called dimethylsulphide or DMS and other non-DMS biogenic volatile organic compounds. Oxidation of atmospheric DMS produces a sulphate aerosol which can potentially form cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) leading to low level cloud development.  This special issue examines the evidence for phytoplankton and coral reef aerosol production in the western Pacific Ocean and the links between sulphate aerosol formation, CCN, low level cloud formation, sea surface temperatures and hence regional climate. In coral reef regions of the western Pacific coral bleaching has been increasing over the last few decades as SSTs increase. How will this stress affect DMS and DMSP production from corals and how will this temperature stress affect this coral reef climate feedback? Is there a link between ENSO events and tropical cyclone activity in the western Pacific (including the Great Barrier Reef) and DMS production from coral reefs? Is there a link between coral bleaching events, coral derived aerosols, solar radiation, low tides and tropical rainfall? This special issue invites contributions from researchers who are researching organic sulphur substances and natural aerosol production from corals and coral reefs, and links between the severity and frequency of coral bleaching events in the western Pacific and low level cloud formation, solar radiation, sea surface temperatures and regional climate.

Associate Professor Graham Jones
Guest Editor

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• Natural aerosol production
• Organosulphur compound production
• Coral reef aerosol production
• Aerosol optical depth
• CCN and low cloud formation
• Climate feedbacks
• Pacific Ocean
• Solar radiation
• Sea surface temperatures
• Coral bleaching
• Cloud albedo
• ENSO events
• Coral reefs and recent tropical cyclones
• Effect of global warming on reefs