Xugui Xia

Climatological aspects of the optical properties of fine/coarse mode aerosol mixtures

[1] Aerosol mixtures composed of coarse mode desert dust combined with fine mode combustion generated aerosols (from fossil fuel and biomass burning sources) were investigated at three locations that are in and/or downwind of major global aerosol emission source regions. Multiyear monitoring data at Aerosol Robotic Network sites in Beijing (central eastern China), Kanpur (Indo-Gangetic Plain, northern India), and Ilorin (Nigeria, Sudanian zone of West Africa) were utilized to study the climatological characteristics of aerosol optical properties. Multiyear climatological averages of spectral single scattering albedo (SSA) versus fine mode fraction (FMF) of aerosol optical depth at 675 nm at all three sites exhibited relatively linear trends up to ~50% FMF. This suggests the possibility that external linear mixing of both fine and coarse mode components (weighted by FMF) dominates the SSA variation, where the SSA of each component remains relatively constant for this range of FMF only. However, it is likely that a combination of other factors is also involved in determining the dynamics of SSA as a function of FMF, such as fine mode particles adhering to coarse mode dust. The spectral variation of the climatological averaged aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) was nearly linear in logarithmic coordinates over the wavelength range of 440-870 nm for both the Kanpur and Ilorin sites. However, at two sites in China (Beijing and Xianghe), a distinct nonlinearity in spectral AAOD in logarithmic space was observed, suggesting the possibility of anomalously strong absorption in coarse mode aerosols increasing the 870 nm AAOD.

Preface to special section on East Asian Studies of Tropospheric Aerosols: An International Regional Experiment (EAST‐AIRE)

daily mean surface solar radiation by � 30–40 W m � 2 , but barely changed solar reflection at the top of the atmosphere. Aerosol loading, particle size and composition vary considerably with location and season. The MODIS AOD data from Collection 5 (C5) agree much better with ground data than earlier releases, but considerable discrepancies still exist because of treatments of aerosol SSA and surface albedo. Four methods are proposed/adopted to derive the SSA by means of remote sensing and in situ observation,

Superlow Thermal Conductivity 3D Carbon Nanotube Network for Thermoelectric Applications

Electrical and thermal transportation properties of a novel structured 3D CNT network have been systematically investigated. The 3D CNT net work maintains extremely low thermal conductivity of only 0.035 W/(m K) in standard atmosphere at room temperature, which is among the lowest compared with other reported CNT macrostructures. Its electrical transportation could be adjusted through a convenient gas-fuming doping process. By potassium (K) doping, the original p-type CNT network converted to n-type, whereas iodine (I(2)) doping enhanced its electrical conductivity. The self-sustainable homogeneous network structure of as-fabricated 3D CNT network made it a promising candidate as the template for polymer composition. By in situ nanoscaled composition of 3D CNT network with polyaniline (PANI), the thermoelectric performance of PANI was significantly improved, while the self-sustainable and flexible structure of the 3D CNT network has been retained. It is hoped that as-fabricated 3D CNT network will contribute to the development of low-cost organic thermoelectric area.

Effect of grain boundary on local surface conductivity of diamond film

In this article, the direct experimental evidences to determine the effect of grain boundary on local surface conductivity (SC) of diamond films were provided by the measurement using double probe scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technology. Undoped diamond films with (001) orientation were first grown by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and were then hydrogenated at different conditions for SC measurement. In the SEM system, double probes with tiny tip radius severed as two leads were moved along and contacted with the diamond film surface to directly test the local SC of diamond film. The surface electrical property results indicate that for the same distance between the two probes, the local SC of the area across grain boundary is much higher than that of area without grain boundary for the same duration of hydrogenation degrees. In addition, local SC of the area between the two probes increases with the number of grain boundaries in this area, which demonstrates that the grain bou...

Observations of the Interaction and Transport of Fine Mode Aerosols With Cloud and/or Fog in Northeast Asia From Aerosol Robotic Network and Satellite Remote Sensing

Analysis of sun photometer measured and satellite retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) data has shown that major aerosol pollution events with very high fine mode AOD (>1.0 in mid-visible) in the China/Korea/Japan region are often observed to be associated with significant cloud cover. This makes remote sensing of these events difficult even for high temporal resolution sun photometer measurements. Possible physical mechanisms for these events that have high AOD include a combination of aerosol humidification, cloud processing, and meteorological co-variation with atmospheric stability and convergence. The new development of Aerosol Robotic network (AERONET) Version 3 Level 2 AOD with improved cloud screening algorithms now allow for unprecedented ability to monitor these extreme fine mode pollution events. Further, the Spectral Deconvolution Algorithm (SDA) applied to Level 1 data (L1; no cloud screening) provides an even more comprehensive assessment of fine mode AOD than L2 in current and previous data versions. Studying the 2012 winter-summer period, comparisons of AERONET L1 SDA daily average fine mode AOD data showed that Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite remote sensing of AOD often did not retrieve and/or identify some of the highest fine mode AOD events in this region. Also, compared to models that include data assimilation of satellite retrieved AOD, the L1 SDA fine mode AOD was significantly higher in magnitude, particularly for the highest AOD events that were often associated with significant cloudiness.