Atmospheric aerosols properties over Indo-Gangetic Plain: A trend analysis using ground – Truth AERONET data for the year 2009–2017

Abstract

The aerosols play an important role in the modification of the regional radiation budget. Long-term trend analysis of properties of atmospheric aerosols is important for policymakers and also for the study of the climatic implications. The Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) provides continuous ground-truth aerosol data during cloud-free days since two decades in India. Long-term atmospheric aerosol properties have been studied over four different sites of Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP): Gandhi College rural background, Kanpur, urban and highly industrial area, Jaipur urban and desert dust influenced region, and Lahore urban and agriculture rich region respectively using AERONET data. The yearly variation of aerosol optical depth (AOD) along with angstrom exponent (AE), single scattering albedo (SSA), size distribution parameters (volume concentration and effective radius), and aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) have been analyzed for nine years from 2009 to 2017. A positive trend of AOD over Kanpur (0.0074/year), a negative trend over Lahore (−0.0054/year), Jaipur – 0.0027/year) and Gandhi college (−0.0008/year) was found. Volume concentration shows the increasing trend of fine mode particles which may be due to increased anthropogenic activities in comparison to natural aerosols over Kanpur, Lahore, Gandhi College, and Jaipur respectively. SSA values over Kanpur and Jaipur show dominancy of scattering while absorbing nature of particles over Lahore and Gandhi College were found. The trend of total atmospheric radiative forcing (ARF ATM ) over Kanpur and Jaipur locations was found to be decreased slightly but not so significantly while over Lahore and Gandhi College trend was found to increase in a significant way. The yearly trend of ARF ATM over Kanpur, Lahore, Jaipur, and Gandhi College was found to be −0.76 Wm −2 /year, 2.22 Wm −2 /year, −0.08 Wm −2 /year, and 3.09 Wm −2 /year respectively.