Synergy of satellite-based aerosol optical thickness analysis and trajectory statistics for determination of aerosol source regions

Abstract

ABSTRACTOver 10 years of satellite-based remote sensing data with trajectory statistics are used to determine sources of air mass related to different aerosol types. Aerosol typing is based on analysis of sun-photometer data and then extended in time with the use of satellite data. Supplemental analysis of Gaussian distributions of aerosol optical thickness changes during transport, based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data, is performed. It allows for differentiating between primary and secondary aerosol sources as well as to prove air mass source as a source of aerosol. It appears that source regions of air mass and aerosols’ sources are collocated in most cases. For western advection from Germany, the most probable aerosol sources are located between air mass source regions and the receptors. These are mostly associated with the industrial/urbanized aerosol type. Additionally, aerosols from intermittent and strong episodes of biomass burning to the east of the Polish border are found to originate from sources located closer to the receptors than backward trajectory analysis alone suggested.