ngao Xia

Aerosol optical properties and their radiative effects in northern China

[1] As a fast developing country covering a large territory, China is experiencing rapid environmental changes. High concentrations of aerosols with diverse properties are emitted in the region, providing a unique opportunity for understanding the impact of environmental changes on climate. Until very recently, few observational studies were conducted in the source regions. The East Asian Study of Tropospheric Aerosols: An International Regional Experiment (EAST-AIRE) attempts to characterize the physical, optical and chemical properties of the aerosols and their effects on climate over China. This study presents some preliminary results using continuous high-quality measurements of aerosol, cloud and radiative quantities made at the first EAST-AIRE baseline station at Xianghe, about 70 km east of Beijing over a period of one year (September 2004 to September 2005). It was found that the region is often covered by a thick layer of haze (with a yearly mean aerosol optical depth equal to 0.82 at 500 nm and maximum greater than 4) due primarily to anthropogenic emissions. An abrupt ‘‘cleanup’’ of the haze often took place in a matter of one day or less because of the passage of cold fronts. The mean single scattering albedo is approximately 0.9 but has strong day-to-day variations with maximum monthly averages occurring during the summer. Large aerosol loading and strong absorption lead to a very large aerosol radiative effect at the surface (the annual 24-hour mean values equals 24 W m � 2 ), but a much smaller aerosol radiative effect at the top of the atmosphere (one tenth of the surface value). The boundary atmosphere is thus heated dramatically during the daytime, which may affect atmospheric stability and cloud formation. In comparison, the cloud radiative effect at the surface is only moderately higher (� 41 W m � 2 ) than the aerosol radiative effect at the surface.

Aerosol and Monsoon Climate Interactions over Asia

The increasing severity of droughts/floods and worsening air quality from increasing aerosols in Asia monsoon regions are the two gravest threats facing over 60% of the world population living in Asian monsoon regions. These dual threats have fueled a large body of research in the last decade on the roles of aerosols in impacting Asian monsoon weather and climate. This paper provides a comprehensive review of studies on Asian aerosols, monsoons, and their interactions. The Asian monsoon region is a primary source of emissions of diverse species of aerosols from both anthropogenic and natural origins. The distributions of aerosol loading are strongly influenced by distinct weather and climatic regimes, which are, in turn, modulated by aerosol effects. On a continental scale, aerosols reduce surface insolation and weaken the land-ocean thermal contrast, thus inhibiting the development of monsoons. Locally, aerosol radiative effects alter the thermodynamic stability and convective potential of the lower atmosphere leading to reduced temperatures, increased atmospheric stability, and weakened wind and atmospheric circulations. The atmospheric thermodynamic state, which determines the formation of clouds, convection, and precipitation, may also be altered by aerosols serving as cloud condensation nuclei or ice nuclei. Absorbing aerosols such as black carbon and desert dust in Asian monsoon regions may also induce dynamical feedback processes, leading to a strengthening of the early monsoon and affecting the subsequent evolution of the monsoon. Many mechanisms have been put forth regarding how aerosols modulate the amplitude, frequency, intensity, and phase of different monsoon climate variables. A wide range of theoretical, observational, and modeling findings on the Asian monsoon, aerosols, and their interactions are synthesized. A new paradigm is proposed on investigating aerosol-monsoon interactions, in which natural aerosols such as desert dust, black carbon from biomass burning, and biogenic aerosols from vegetation are considered integral components of an intrinsic aerosol-monsoon climate system, subject to external forcing of global warming, anthropogenic aerosols, and land use and change. Future research on aerosol-monsoon interactions calls for an integrated approach and international collaborations based on long-term sustained observations, process measurements, and improved models, as well as using observations to constrain model simulations and projections.

Diurnal variability of dust aerosol optical thickness and Angstrom exponent over dust source regions in China

(1) Using 22 months of Sunphotometer Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) data collected near the Taklamakan and Gobi dust source regions (Dunhuang, 40.09� N, 94.41� E) in China; we examine the diurnal and seasonal change of dust aerosol properties. Most dust events are during the spring throughearlysummermonthswithaseason-invariantdiurnal change of more than ±10% for AOTand ±30% for Angstrom exponent, with larger AOT and smaller Angstrom exponent values late in the afternoon. These values are much larger when compared to recent studies that have reported a much smaller (±5%) diurnal variability of dust AOT over various AERONET sites where dust is a major contributor to AOT. The differences are largely due to the geographical locations and meteorological conditions and such large diurnal changes of aerosol properties at or near dust source regions may be significant enough for consideration in regionalradiativeforcing,airqualityandnumericalmodeling studies. INDEX TERMS: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801); 3359 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Radiative processes; 3360 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Remote sensing. Citation: Wang, J., X. Xia, P. Wang, and S. A. Christopher (2004), Diurnal variability of dust aerosol optical thickness and Angstrom exponent over dust source regions in China, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L08107, doi:10.1029/2004GL019580.

Variability of aerosol optical depth and Angstrom wavelength exponent derived from AERONET observations in recent decades

Using aerosol loading data from 79 Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) stations with observations from more than six years, changes in aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Angstrom wavelength exponent (AWE) were studied. A statistical method was developed to determine whether AOD changes were due to increased background AOD values and/or an increased number of high AOD events. AOD decreased significantly at AERONET sites in northeastern North American and in Western Europe, which was accompanied by decreased AWE. Reduction of AOD there was mainly due to a decreased frequency of high AOD events and an increased frequency of background AOD events. In addition, decreased AOD values for high AOD events also accounted for ~ 16–32% of the AOD reduction. This is indicative of significant meteorological effects on AOD variability. AOD trends in other regions were marginal and most were not significant; however, AOD increased significantly at one site in the Sahel and another in Saudi Arabia, predominantly due to the increased frequency of high AOD events and their average AOD.

Validation of multi-angle imaging spectroradiometer aerosol products in China

Based on AErosol RObotic NETwork and Chinese Sun Hazemeter Network data, the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) level 2 aerosol optical depth (AOD) products are evaluated in China. The MISR retrievals depict well the temporal aerosol trend in China with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.8 except for stations located in northeast China and at the Lanzhou site. In general, the MISR AOD retrievals agree well with ground-based observations for AOD 0.5. The retrievals are systematically underestimated for AOD > 0.5 in the east, southwest and northeast regions of China. Concerning surface types, the greatest underestimations occur in farmland and forest ecosystems. The largest and smallest biases are seen in spring and in summer, respectively. The systematic underestimation seems to stem from the use of too high single scattering albedos ∼0.96 which is significantly higher than those estimated from ground-based observations. Further improvements to the MISR aerosol algorithm, especially in the aerosol model, are recommended.

Roles of regional transport and heterogeneous reactions in the PM 2.5 increase during winter haze episodes in Beijing

Regional transport and chemical conversions are two major processes that lead to the severe haze pollution in China. Our observations during five haze episodes in Beijing between February 19 and March 12 of 2014 show that the two processes played different roles as PM2.5 increased from the clean (<75μgm-3) to the light-medium pollution level (75-150μg m-3) and to levels of heavy (150-250μgm-3) and severe (>250μgm-3) pollution. In the initial twelve hours of each episode, the PM2.5 reached the light-medium level with an increase of approximately 120μgm-3. At the same time, the particle (~10-700nm) number concentration also showed a distinct increase accompanied by a rapid increase in the mean diameter. A light-medium PM2.5 occurred in the south areas prior to the haze occurrence in Beijing and the southerly winds were predominant, indicating the rapid increase of PM2.5 in the initial stage was caused by the regional transport from the south. Subsequently, PM2.5 elevated to the heavy and severe levels when the wind was weak, relative humidity was high and ozone concentration was low. The increase of PM2.5 in the elevated stages was characterized by a high percentage (45% for the heavy level and 55% for the severe level) of secondary inorganic components, indicating the substantial contribution of the formation of secondary aerosols. In addition, the increases of the mean diameter (from 108nm to 120nm) and the total volume concentration (by 67%) are regarded as a consequence of heterogeneous reactions on the surfaces of aerosol particles because the particle number concentration remained nearly constant in these two stages. Our results indicate that, during the five winter haze episodes, the regional transport from the south was the major reason for the initial-stage PM2.5 increase, while heterogeneous reactions dominated the later elevation.

The role of foehn in the formation of heavy air pollution events in Urumqi, China

The impact of sandwich foehn on air pollution in Urumqi, a gap town located on the northern lee side of the Tianshan Mountains of China, is analyzed. The results show that during days with high pollution, the boundary layer over the city and the down-valley area can be divided into a three-layer structure, with the southeasterly foehn sandwiched between the northwesterly winds on top and the cold air surface pool beneath. The southeasterly foehn at heights between 480 and 2100 m results in a very stable boundary layer structure. In combination with the decoupling between the foehn flow and cold air pool, such boundary layer structure prevents vertical mixing of atmospheric pollutants. In the up-valley area from the northern lee side flank to the southern urban area, the ground-based foehn confronts the thermally driven valley breeze and forms a “minifront,” which moves northward in the morning and retreats southward in the afternoon. Although the minifront disappears in the early evening, the wind shear of the mountain breeze between the southern suburb and downtown areas is still remarkable, which is favorable for a convergence line to persist around the city all day long. In this case, air pollutants emitted from the up-valley and down-valley areas are transported toward the urban area. Therefore, the air pollutants accumulate daily, leading to the frequent occurrence of heavy pollution events in Urumqi. This indicates that the sandwich foehn plays a critical role in the formation of heavy air pollution events in Urumqi.

Validation of aerosol optical depth and climatology of aerosol vertical distribution in the Taklimakan Desert

Based on ground–based sun–photometer remote sensing of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at Tazhong, a site located at the center of the Taklimakan Desert in 2007 and 2008, AOD retrieved from Cloud–Aerosol and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIOP) data were validated. Six years vertical profiles of aerosol extinction coefficient in the Taklimakan Desert were then analyzed. A good agreement between ground–based and CALIOP remote sensing AOD data was derived, with the correlation coefficient being 0.95. CALIOP slightly underestimated AOD that is likely due to lower lidar ratio of dust than the real value in the CALIOP aerosol algorithm. Pronounced inter–annual and seasonal variations of vertical profiles were revealed by the CALIOP retrievals. The height of dust aerosol layer can reach 4–5 km, which is more pronounced in spring and summer. Larger and smaller extinction values were observed in spring (March, April and May) and in later autumn (October and November), respectively. Dominant contribution of dust was clearly shown by the vertical profiles of color ratio (CR) and particle depolarization ratio (PDR).

A New Method to Calibrate Shortwave Solar Radiation Measurements

AbstractA method is proposed to simultaneously calibrate shortwave (0.3–4 μm) global, direct, and scattering solar irradiance (GSI, DSI, and SSI, respectively) measurements. The method uses the World Radiation Reference (WRR) as a calibration standard and on-site radiation measurements as inputs. Two simple but effective techniques are used in the calibration. The first is to scale SSI and GSI detection sensitivities under overcast skies, which is based on the assumption that SSI should be equal to GSI if DSI is completely scattered and absorbed. The second is a new method to retrieve aerosol optical thickness (AOT), using the ratio of horizontal DSI (HDSI) to GSI measurements under clear and clean conditions. Thereafter, retrieved AOTs are used to drive a radiative transfer model to calculate atmospheric transmittance and then a ratio of GSI to the transmittance. Deviation of this ratio to the WRR is regarded as an indicator of GSI uncertainty, and the calibration transfer coefficient is derived as the W...

Quantification of the impact of aerosol on broadband solar radiation in North China

PM2.5 plays a key role in the solar radiation budget and air quality assessments, but observations and historical data are relatively rare for Beijing. Based on the synchronous monitoring of PM2.5 and broadband solar radiation (Rs), a logarithmic function was developed to describe the quantitative relationship between these parameters. This empirical parameterization was employed to calculate Rsn from PM2.5 with normalized mean bias (NMB) −0.09 and calculate PM2.5 concentration from Rsn with NMB −0.12. Our results indicate that this parameterization provides an efficient and straightforward method for estimating PM2.5 from Rs or Rs from PM2.5.