Invited Presentation: Volcanic aerosol contributions to the decadal stratospheric aerosol trend

We investigate the volcanic contributions to sulfate aerosol in the stratosphere through modeling and analysis of Aura data. We use a global model GOCART to simulate SO2 and sulfate aerosol in the period of 2000 to 2009, during which a numerous volcanic eruption occurred although nothing like the magnitudes of El Chichon or Pinatubo. We will compare the model results with the column SO2 data from OMI and stratospheric SO2 data from MLS instrument on Aura satellite and the aerosol vertical profiles from the CALIOP instrument on CALIPSO satellite. Finally, we will assess the relative contributions of volcanic aerosols vs. anthropogenic aerosols to the observed decadal stratospheric aerosol trends.