Abstract/Summary

Dust is a major component of atmospheric aerosol, and aerosols in general are a major uncertainty in predicting climate change. Aerosols are crucial too in cloud formation processes and therefore in the hydrologic cycle. As a first step to understanding and quantifying the impact of dust on weather and climate, we must be able to characterise the impact of dust on radiative transfer processes in the atmosphere. In this chapter we consider the impact of dust on the reflection and absorption of both long-wave and short-wave radiation and illustrate the sensitivity of this effect to the size and composition of dust particles. We also consider the impact of dust on satellite retrievals of aerosol and other quantities.