The coupled land-atmosphere-ocean system encompassing the smoky, cloudy southeast Atlantic (Core Science Keynote)

The past decade has witnessed multiple field campaigns over the southeast Atlantic. These have encouraged new talent while revealing underappreciated aspects of the region’s climate system. Examples of the latter include 1) the significant contribution, both micro physically and radiatively, of biomass-burning aerosol within the boundary layer to the properties of the overlying stratocumulus; 2) the disproportionate ability of southern African smoke to absorb sunlight as a function of both burning conditions and oxidation during transport; 3) long-range transport capable of bringing smoke to south America; and 4) distinct impacts from the seasonal evolution in aerosol-cloud vertical locations that can be linked to coincidences in fire locations, aerosol transport, and boundary layer meteorology. These better-articulated aspects of the climate system establish metrics for model assessment and improvement that can ultimately support more confidence in prediction of future regional climate. This presentation will attempt to summarize new knowledge, and, try to elucidate what still remains to be done.