MAX-DOAS observation in the midlatitude marine boundary layer: Influences of typhoon forced air mass

Abstract

As a passive remote sensing technique, MAX-DOAS method was widely used to investigate the vertical profiles of aerosol and trace gases in the lower troposphere. However, the measurements for midlatitude marine boundary layer are rarely reported, especially during the storm weather system. In this study, the MAX-DOAS was used to retrieve the aerosol, HCHO and NO2 vertical distribution at Huaniao Island of East China Sea in summer 2018, during which a strong tropical cyclone developed and passed through the measurement site. The observed aerosol optical depth (AOD), HCHO- and NO2-VCDs (Vertical Column Density) were in the range of 0.19-0.97, (2.57-12.27) × 1015 molec/cm2, (1.24-4.71) × 1015 molec/cm2, which is much higher than remote ocean area due to the short distance to continent. The vertically resolved aerosol extinction coefficient (AEC), HCHO and NO2 presented the decline trend with the increase of height. After the typhoon passing through, the distribution of high levels of aerosol and HCHO stretched to about 1 km and the abundances of the bottom layer were found as double higher than before, reaching 0.51 km−1 and 2.44 ppbv, while NO2 was still constrained within about 300 m with 2.59 ppbv in the bottom layer. The impacts of typhoon process forced air mass were also observed at the suburban site in Shanghai in view of both the aerosol extinction and chemical components. The different changes on air quality associated with typhoon and its mechanism in two different environments: coastal island and coastal city are worthy of further investigation as it frequent occurred in East Asia during summer and fall.