Single Scattering Albedo of Aeolian Dust as Inferred from Sky-radiometer and <i>in situ</i> Ground-based Measurement

Abstract

To investigate the absorption of aeolian dust transported from the Chinese Desert to Japan, in situ measurements of single scattering albedo (SSA) using Particle and Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP; Radiance Research) and Nephelometer M903 (Radiance Research) were made at Qira, China; Beijing, China; and Tsukuba, Japan. SSA measured by PSAP and M903 at Qira was between 0.91 and 0.93, and that at Beijing and Tsukuba was between 0.80 and 0.90. We also analyzed data obtained by the sky-radiometer network on dust transported from the Taklimakan Desert to Japan. The SSA retrieved from sky-radiometer was between 0.91 and 0.97. The SSA measured at Qira is consistent with the SSA inferred from the sky-radiometer. This means that unpolluted aeolian dust does not have large absorption. The SSA at Beijing and Tsukuba is lower than the SSA inferred from the sky-radiometer. The large absorption of aerosol is mainly due to black carbon (BC). The above facts indicate that the BC is distributed near the ground surface and the larger part of the aeolian dust layer does not include the BC.