Annual Mean Aerosol Optical Depth Research Articles

Characteristic and Driving Factors of Aerosol Optical Depth over Mainland China during 1980–2017

Since the reform and opening up of China, the increasing aerosol emissions have posted great challenges to the country’s climate change and human health. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) is one of the main physical indicators quantifying the atmospheric turbidity and air pollution. In this study, 38-years (1980–2017) of spatial and temporal variations of AOD in China were analyzed using AOD records derived from MODIS atmosphere products and the MERRA-2 dataset. The results showed that the annual mean AOD values throughout China have gone through an increasing, but fluctuating, trend, especially in 1982 and in 1992 due to two volcano eruptions; the AOD values experienced a dramatically increasing period during 2000–2007 with the rapid economic development and “population explosions” in China/after 2008, the AOD values gradually decreased from 0.297 (2008) to 0.257 (2017). The AOD values in China were generally higher in spring than that in other seasons. The Sichuan Basin has always been an area with high AOD values owing to the strong human activity and the basin topography (hindering aerosol diffusions in the air). In contrast, the Qinghai Tibet Plateau has always been an area with low AOD values due to low aerosol emissions and clear sky conditions there. The trend analysis of AOD values during 1980–2017 in China indicated that the significant increasing trend was mainly observed in Southeastern China. By contrast, the AOD values in the northernmost of China showed a significant decreasing trend. Then, the contributions (AODP) of the AOD for black carbon aerosol (BCAOD), dust aerosol (DUAOD), organic carbon aerosol (OCAOD), sea salt aerosol (SSAOD), and SO4 aerosol (SO4AOD) to the total AOD values were calculated. The results showed that DUAOD (25.43%) and SO4AOD (49.51%) were found to be the main driving factors for the spatial and temporal variations of AOD values. Finally, the effects of anthropogenic aerosol emissions, socioeconomic factors, and land-use and land coverage changes on AOD were analyzed. The GDP, population density, and passenger traffic volume were found to be the main socioeconomic drivers for AOD distributions. Relatively larger AOD values were mainly found in urban land and land covered by water, while lower AOD values were found in grassland and permanent glacier areas.

Spatial and temporal variations of satellite-based aerosol optical depth over Iran in Southwest Asia: Identification of a regional aerosol hot spot

Knowledge of spatial and temporal variations of aerosols is essential for understanding the impacts of aerosols on air quality. Using aerosol products of the Collection 6 Terra MODIS Deep Blue, regional and temporal variations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 0.55 μm in sixteen locations spread over nine different regions of Iran are studied for the period 2001–2015. Monthly means of dust column mass density in three locations of Iran are also obtained from the MERRA-2 dataset. It is found that southwestern Iran experiences the highest annual mean AOD, while other regions experience significantly lower values. Indeed, southwestern Iran is identified as a regional hot spot of aerosols in Southwest Asia, significantly contributing to degrading the air quality in the nearby regions. Annual mean AOD values in most of the other studied locations are between 0.08 and 0.12. High AOD over southwestern Iran is strongly related to frequent dust outbreaks over the region all year long, although AOD values are higher from April to August, during which dust events are more frequent over Southwest Asia. In other, mostly urban populated areas, maximum AOD values occur from mid-winter to mid-spring due to significant aerosol emissions from combustion of fossil fuels, combined with shallow atmospheric boundary-layer depths, which lead to the development of a concentrated mass of aerosols near the surface. On the other hand, minimum values of AOD occur from August to November. Trend analysis indicated that none of the regions of Iran has experienced a noticeable increase or decrease in AOD during 2001–2015.

Trends of Aerosol Optical Properties over the Heavy Industrial Zone of Northeastern Asia in the Past Decade (2004–15)

The heavy industrial zone of northeastern Asia is dominated by year-round industrial scattering aerosols that undergo hygroscopic growth in summer. With the rapid economic development over the past decade, aerosol optical depth (AOD) has increased (6.35% yr−1) with an annual-mean AOD of 0.61 ± 0.13. Simultaneously, the aerosol particle size and aerosol scattering have increased, with an annual-mean scattering aerosol optical depth (SAOD) reaching 0.58 ± 0.15. However, considering that the annual AOD/gross domestic product (GDP) per capita decreased, the environmental degradation caused by aerosol emission is expected to reach a turning point based on the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. In addition, annual-mean radiative forcing at the top, bottom, and interior of the atmospheric column reached −2.35 ± 2.33, −54.16 ± 7.26, and 51.81 ± 7.93 W m−2, respectively. The increase in unit SAOD contributes to the growth in net negative top-of-atmosphere (TOA) forcing and surface (SFC) forcing, and unit absorption aerosol optical depth (AAOD) increases together with atmosphere (ATM) forcing. Moreover, the cooling effect of aerosols on the Earth–atmosphere system showed an increase over the most recent 10 years related to the increase in scattering aerosol from development in the old industrial base. Except for local sources, under the western air masses, the circum–Bohai Sea economic zone was the potential source area of anthropogenic aerosols throughout the year with annual daily mean AOD, single-scattering albedo (SSA), TOA forcing, and SFC forcing values of 0.88, 0.93, −8.08, and −63.05 W m−2, respectively. The Mongolian Plateau was the potential natural dust source area under the northeastern air masses.

Optical, microphysical and radiative properties of aerosols over a tropical rural site in Kenya, East Africa: Source identification, modification and aerosol type discrimination

A better understanding of aerosol optical, microphysical and radiative properties is a crucial challenge for climate change studies. In the present study, column-integrated aerosol optical and radiative properties observed at a rural site, Mbita (0.42°S, 34.20 °E, and 1125 m above sea level) located in Kenya, East Africa (EA) are investigated using ground-based Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) data retrieved during January, 2007 to December, 2015. The annual mean aerosol optical depth (AOD500 nm), Ångström exponent (AE440–870 nm), fine mode fraction of AOD500 nm (FMF500 nm), and columnar water vapor (CWV, cm) were found to be 0.23 ± 0.08, 1.01 ± 0.16, 0.60 ± 0.07, and 2.72 ± 0.20, respectively. The aerosol optical properties exhibited a unimodal distribution with substantial seasonal heterogeneity in their peak values being low (high) during the local wet (dry) seasons. The observed data showed that Mbita and its environs are significantly influenced by various types of aerosols, with biomass burning and/or urban-industrial (BUI), mixed (MXD), and desert dust (DDT) aerosol types contributing to 37.72%, 32.81%, and 1.40%, respectively during the local dry season (JJA). The aerosol volume size distribution (VSD) exhibited bimodal lognormal structure with a geometric mean radius of 0.15 μm and 3.86–5.06 μm for fine- and coarse-mode aerosols, respectively. Further, analysis of single scattering albedo (SSA), asymmetry parameter (ASY) and refractive index (RI) revealed dominance of fine-mode absorbing aerosols during JJA. The averaged aerosol direct radiative forcing (ARF) retrieved from the AERONET showed a strong cooling effect at the bottom of the atmosphere (BOA) and significant warming within the atmosphere (ATM), representing the important role of aerosols played in this rural site of Kenya. Finally, the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model revealed that aerosols from distinct sources resulted in enhanced loading during JJA.

Aerosol Optical and Micro-Physical Characteristic Derived from AERONET in Kenya*

The identification and classicization of both natural and anthropogenic atmospheric aerosols originating from different region is becoming very useful when dealing with effect of air quality. Different areas may encounter the problem of dust storm events which is harmfully to the environment and human health. This thesis works focused mainly on the evaluation of level 1.5 data from Sunphotometer remote sensing to understand the micro-physical aerosol optical features which includes the time series analysis, aerosol properties, absorption and its classification for the hot dry season (December-February), intermediate to heavier rainy season (March-May), the cooler dry season (June-August) and short rains season (September-November). The annual mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) and extinction Angstrom exponent (EAE) were 0.27 ± 0.17 and 1.01 ± 0.33 respectively. It was observed that mixed aerosols type was more dominance followed by the biomass burning (BB) and urban-industrial (UI) aerosols. During hot dry season, the mean values of AOD were observed to be higher than those recorded during rainy period. The volume size distribution graphs clearly indicate a bimodal whereby fine mode was more prevailing in hot dry season whereas coarse mode dominated in rainy season.

Long-term variations of AOD from an AERONET station in the central Arabian Peninsula

In this study, we analyze the variation of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm using measurements from January 1999 to August 2015 in the central Arabian Peninsula. The magnitudes of the annual, monthly, seasonal, and hourly trends of the AOD are studied and statistically tested using the least-squares method and supported by Mann-Kendall rank statistics at different significance levels. A significant increase of about 0.119 in the annual mean AOD is found for the entire period. AOD increased in all the seasons, in which the spring trend is the highest (0.289/17 years) and significant. The high AOD value found in spring may be attributed to the effect of dust events transported by northeasterly winds from the arid and semi-arid regions around the Arabian Gulf. In its monthly basis, AOD values in January, July, August, and September show no significant trends. On the contrary, March, April, June, and December show a clear increasing trend with different significance levels. April shows the highest increases in AOD (0.021/year), about 81.58% higher than the mean April value. Variations of the AOD on the hourly scale are investigated. Increasing trends with different significance levels are found and established. We found that the early mornings and very late afternoons presented the highest increasing trend. For the rest of the day, the AOD varies slightly due to the meteorological processes.

Trends and Variability in Aerosol Optical Depth over North China from MODIS C6 Aerosol Products during 2001–2016

This study analyzed the variability and trend in aerosol optical depth (AOD) over North China using the latest MODIS/Terra C6 merged Dark Target/Deep Blue AOD monthly data at 550 nm from 2001 to 2016. The spatial distribution of the annual mean AOD was generally characterized by two prominent high-value centers located in the industrially and economically developed areas of the North China Plain and East China, and the dust aerosol-dominated areas of southern Xinjiang. The seasonally averaged AOD reached its maximum in spring (0.430 ± 0.049), followed by summer (0.356 ± 0.035) and winter (0.282 ± 0.039), with the minimum occurring in autumn (0.219 ± 0.022). There were notable long-term annual trends in AOD in different regions over North China during 2001–2016: a decreasing AOD trend was found in Qinghai Tibet (−0.015 ± 0.010/decade), Northwest China (−0.059 ± 0.013/decade at 99% confidence level), and the North China Plain (−0.007 ± 0.021/decade), but a positive increasing trend was identified in northern Xinjiang (0.01 ± 0.006/decade), southern Xinjiang (0.002 ± 0.013/decade), East China (0.053 ± 0.042/decade), and Northeast China (0.016 ± 0.029/decade). Seasonal patterns in the AOD regional long-term trend were evident. The AODs in spring over all the study regions, except East China, exhibited a decreasing trend, with the maximum trend value observed in Northwest China (−0.099 ± 0.029/decade at 99% confidence level); whereas AODs in autumn, except in Northwest China, showed an increasing trend, with the maximum trend value occurring in East China (0.073 ± 0.038/decade). Geographically, we also examined the annual and seasonal spatial patterns of AOD trends over North China. The annual spatial trends in AOD revealed a dominance of positive trends in most regions over the whole of North China from 2001 to 2016, but especially in East and Northeast China (AOD trend value of about 0.16/decade); whereas a negative trend was observed over northern Inner Mongolia (AOD trend value of about −0.12/decade). In addition, seasonal spatial trend analyses indicated that a continual clear upward trend occurred in East China in the autumn and winter seasons during the study period, with the maximum average increase occurring in winter (about 0.20/decade).

Aerosols at the poles: an AeroCom Phase II multi-model evaluation

Abstract. Atmospheric aerosols from anthropogenic and natural sources reach the polar regions through long-range transport and affect the local radiation balance. Such transport is, however, poorly constrained in present-day global climate models, and few multi-model evaluations of polar anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcing exist. Here we compare the aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm from simulations with 16 global aerosol models from the AeroCom Phase II model intercomparison project with available observations at both poles. We show that the annual mean multi-model median is representative of the observations in Arctic, but that the intermodel spread is large. We also document the geographical distribution and seasonal cycle of the AOD for the individual aerosol species: black carbon (BC) from fossil fuel and biomass burning, sulfate, organic aerosols (OAs), dust, and sea-salt. For a subset of models that represent nitrate and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), we document the role of these aerosols at high latitudes.The seasonal dependence of natural and anthropogenic aerosols differs with natural aerosols peaking in winter (sea-salt) and spring (dust), whereas AOD from anthropogenic aerosols peaks in late spring and summer. The models produce a median annual mean AOD of 0.07 in the Arctic (defined here as north of 60° N). The models also predict a noteworthy aerosol transport to the Antarctic (south of 70° S) with a resulting AOD varying between 0.01 and 0.02. The models have estimated the shortwave anthropogenic radiative forcing contributions to the direct aerosol effect (DAE) associated with BC and OA from fossil fuel and biofuel (FF), sulfate, SOAs, nitrate, and biomass burning from BC and OA emissions combined. The Arctic modelled annual mean DAE is slightly negative (−0.12 W m−2), dominated by a positive BC FF DAE in spring and a negative sulfate DAE in summer. The Antarctic DAE is governed by BC FF. We perform sensitivity experiments with one of the AeroCom models (GISS modelE) to investigate how regional emissions of BC and sulfate and the lifetime of BC influence the Arctic and Antarctic AOD. A doubling of emissions in eastern Asia results in a 33 % increase in Arctic AOD of BC. A doubling of the BC lifetime results in a 39 % increase in Arctic AOD of BC. However, these radical changes still fall within the AeroCom model range.

Anthropogenic aerosol optical and radiative properties in the typical urban/suburban regions in China

The effect of high anthropogenic aerosols on the aerosol optical and radiative properties was aggravated from west to east in China. The annual mean (from 2004 to 2007) aerosol optical depth (AOD), Ångström exponents (α), absorptive aerosol optical depth (AAOD), and single-scattering albedo (SSA) were from 0.16 to 0.73, from −0.01 to 1.15, from 0.03 to 0.04, and from 0.78 to 0.94, respectively. In addition, the annual mean of aerosol direct radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) were from −7.2 to 18.5W/m2. High anthropogenic aerosol exhibited the effect of heating the atmosphere (ATM) (48–52W/m2) and cooling the surface (SFC) (−48 to −56W/m2) in eastern China. In Lanzhou where there is more serious pollution of heavy industry, aerosol-induced surface cooling reached −61W/m2. The radiative forcing was higher in winter and spring than that in summer and autumn. Aerosol heating effect on the atmosphere was obvious; there was significantly linear correlation between AOD and TOA, SSA and TOA. The slopes of AOD vs TOA were from −20.8 to −42.6. The slopes of SSA vs TOA were from −58 to −302. The aerosol was cooling the Earth-atmosphere system with AOD or SSA increasing. In the meantime, AAOD (x) exhibited significantly linear correlation with the heating effect in the atmosphere (ATM: y) (y=1053.7x+10.5, R2=0.85). And the effect of AOD (x) on the SFC (y) cooling was also obvious (y=−47.1x−24.5, R2=0.56). Therefore, the thermodynamic effects of anthropogenic aerosols on the atmosphere circulation and structure should be taken into consideration in East Asia.

Diurnal and seasonal characteristics of the optical properties and direct radiative forcing of different aerosol components in Seoul megacity

The temporal variations (diurnal and seasonal) of the optical properties and direct aerosol radiative forcing (DARF) of different aerosol components (water-soluble, insoluble, black carbon (BC), and sea-salt) were analyzed using the hourly resolution data (PM2.5) measured at an urban site in Seoul, Korea during 2010, based on a modeling approach. In general, the water-soluble component was predominant over all other components (with a higher concentration) in terms of its impact on the optical properties (except for absorbing BC) and DARF. The annual mean aerosol optical depth (AOD, τ) at 500nm for the water-soluble component was 0.38±0.07 (0.06±0.01 for BC). The forcing at the surface (DARFSFC) and top of the atmosphere (DARFTOA), and in the atmosphere (DARFATM) for most aerosol components (except for BC) during the daytime were highest in spring and lowest in late fall or early winter. The maximum DARFSFC occurred in the morning during most seasons (except for the water-soluble components showing peaks in the afternoon or noon in summer, fall, or winter), while the maximum DARFTOA occurred in the morning during spring and/or winter and in the afternoon during summer and/or fall. The estimated DARFSFC and DARFATM of the water-soluble component were in the range of −49 to −84Wm−2 and +10 to +22Wm−2, respectively. The DARFSFC and DARFATM of BC were −26 to −39Wm−2 and +32 to +51Wm−2, respectively, showing highest in summer and lowest in spring, with morning peaks regardless of the season. This positive DARFATM of BC in this study area accounted for approximately 64% of the total atmospheric aerosol forcing due to strong radiative absorption, thus increasing atmospheric heating by 2.9±1.2Kday−1 (heating rate efficiency of 39K day−1τ−1) and then causing further atmospheric warming.

Decadal-scale trends in regional aerosol particle properties and their linkage to emission changes

Understanding long-term trends in aerosol loading and properties is essential for evaluating the health and climatic effects of these airborne particulates as well as the effectiveness of pollution control policies. While many studies have used satellite data to examine the trends in aerosol optical depth (AOD), very few have investigated the trends in aerosol properties associated with particle size, morphology, and light absorption. In this study, we investigate decadal-scale (13–15 year) trends in aerosol loading and properties during 2001–2015 over three populous regions: the Eastern United States (EUS), Western Europe (WEU), and Eastern and Central China (ECC). We use observations from MISR (Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer) and MODIS (Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). Relationships between aerosol property trends and air pollutant emission changes are examined. We find that annual mean AOD shows pronounced decreasing trends over EUS and WEU regions, as a result of considerable emission reductions in all major pollutants except for mineral dust and ammonia (NH3). Over the ECC region, AOD increases before 2006 due to emission increases induced by rapid economic development, fluctuates between 2006 and 2011, and subsequently decreases after 2011 in conjunction with effective emission reduction in anthropogenic primary aerosols, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The fraction of small-size AOD (<0.7 μm diameter), Ångstrom exponent and single-scattering albedo have generally decreased, while the fractions of large-size (>1.4 μm diameter), nonspherical and absorbing AOD have generally shown increasing trends over EUS and WEU regions, indicating that fine and light-scattering aerosol constituents have been more effectively reduced than coarse and light-absorbing constituents. These trends are consistent with the larger reduction ratios in SO2 and NOx emissions than in primary aerosols, including mineral dust and black carbon (BC). Over the ECC region, no significant trends are observed with respect to size distribution, morphology, or light absorption, which we attribute to a simultaneous increase in emissions of SO2, NOx, and primary aerosols including BC before 2006, and a simultaneous decrease after 2011. This study demonstrates the importance and usefulness of satellite-borne sensors, particularly MISR, in association with evaluating the effectiveness of air pollution control policies.

Cross-Sectional View of Atmospheric Aerosols over an Urban Location in Central India

ABSTRACTSurface, column and vertically resolved variations of physical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosol over Hyderabad, a tropical urban location in central India are explored on the basis of ground based and satellite retrieved data. Annual mean aerosol optical depth (τ) observed with Microtops sun-photometer is 0.61 ± 0.07 and seasonally it varied from 0.71 ± 0.06 in pre-monsoon to 0.55 ± 0.05 in winter. Aerosol types are categorized based on Angstrom exponent (α) and τ relations; revealed that the study region is dominated by mixed type (MT) aerosol followed by urban/industrial aerosols under high τ (HUI) category. A consistent diurnal variation of black carbon (BC) is observed irrespective of seasonal variation with annual BC mass concentration is found to be 9.7 ± 1.9 µg m–3. During Telangana Survey day, which was the least pollutant day showed a reduction of 75% BC concentration during day time in comparison to five years average values, indicating the influence of anthropogenic effect over Hyderabad. Vertical information’s on aerosol are analyzed using Cloud Aerosol Lidar Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) and ground based Lidar (LAMP) data. LAMP data analysis shows a significant elevated aerosol layer up to 4 km during pre-monsoon while aerosols are confined below 3 km during post-monsoon and winter. Long term CALIPSO observations revealed that during post-monsoon to winter, the study area is dominated (~60%) by ‘urban’ aerosol; while during pre-monsoon period ~75% of the aerosol type belongs to ‘dusty mix’ category. A decline in short wave flux at the top of the atmosphere (0.66 Wm–2 yr–1) is observed, as revealed by long term Clouds and Earths Radiant Energy System (CERES) data analysis with higher decline rate observed in winter (1 Wm–2 yr–1) followed by pre-monsoon (0.8 Wm–2 yr–1).

The Variations and Trends of MODIS C5 &amp; C6 Products’ Errors in the Recent Decade over the Background and Urban Areas of North China

With ten-year (2004–2013) ground-based observations of Beijing Forest (BJF) and Beijing City (BJC) sites in North China, we validated the high-quality MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Collection 5 (C5) and Collection 6 (C6) Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) products’ precision and discussed the sensors degradation issues. The annual mean AOD and Angstrom exponent (α) were 0.20 ± 0.02 and 0.83 ± 0.15 in the background over the past ten years, and they were 0.59 ± 0.07 and 1.13 ± 0.08 in the urban, respectively. Ground-based AOD had both slightly declining trends, with variations of 0.023 and 0.057 over the past decade in the background and urban, respectively. There were large differences among the eight kinds of MODIS AOD products (Terra vs. Aqua, C5 vs. C6, DT (Deep Target) vs. DB (Deep Blue), and DTDB in the background and urban areas), but all the products’ monthly errors had larger variations in the spring and summer, and smaller ones in the autumn and winter. In the background, more than 62% of DT matchups for C5 and C6 products were within NASA’s expected error (EE) envelope. In the urban, 69%~72% of C6 DB retrievals were falling within EE envelope. The new dataset named C6 DTDB had better performance in the background, whereas it overestimated by 37%~41% in the urban caused by surface reflectivity estimation error. The range of monthly average error varied from −0.21 to 0.28 in the background and from −0.63 to 0.48 in the urban. From the background to the urban areas, the retrieval errors of Terra and Aqua had slightly increased by 0.0023~0.0158 and 0.0011~0.0124 per year, respectively, which implied that the two MODIS instruments had degraded slowly.

Recent global aerosol optical depth variations and trends — A comparative study using MODIS and MISR level 3 datasets

Abstract Aerosol distribution at global and regional scales is one of the crucial parameters for climate change assessment. The study presents global spatio-temporal variations in aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieved by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) sensors at spatial resolutions of 1° × 1° and 0.5° × 0.5° respectively. Spatial correlations between MODIS and MISR AOD are reported on annual scale. The entire globe is divided into six sub-regions, i.e., North-West, North, North-East, South-West, South and South-East. The annual and seasonal mean AOD variations are obtained by analyzing Level 3 monthly datasets for the period 2001–2014. Relative changes (%) in AOD between the first and last seven years (i.e. 2001–2007 and 2008–2014 respectively) are discussed at annual and seasonal levels. AOD trends are calculated using the weighted least squares regression approach and weights are assigned to the AOD values corresponding to the expected errors. Statistically significant trends are reported at 95% confidence level. The results inferred from both the sensors are found to be in quite acceptable agreement. Increasing trends are found in the economically growing parts of Asian landmass and the surrounding oceanic regions, especially Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. On the other hand, decreasing trends are observed over parts of Europe, South America and North America. The study also focuses on examining the AOD trends over the ten most populous nations of the world. In terms of aerosol loadings, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nigeria turned out to be the most polluted amongst the most populous countries. Significantly increasing trends in AOD are reported over the Indian subcontinent.

Optical properties of aerosols over a tropical rain forest in Xishuangbanna, South Asia

Observation and analysis of the optical properties of atmospheric aerosols in a South Asian tropical rain forest showed that the annual mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) and aerosol Ångström exponent (α) at 500nm were 0.47±0.30 (± value represents the standard deviation) and 1.35±0.32, respectively, from 2012 to 2014, similar with that of Amazon region. Aerosol optical properties in this region varied significantly between the dry and wet seasons. The mean AOD and α were 0.50±0.32 and 1.41±0.28, respectively, in the dry season and 0.41±0.20 and 1.13±0.41 in the wet season. Because of the combustion of the rich biomass in the dry season, fine modal smoke aerosols increased, which led to a higher AOD and smaller aerosol control mode than in the wet season. The average atmospheric humidity in the wet season was 85.50%, higher than the 79.67% during the dry season. In the very damp conditions of the wet season, the aerosol control mode was relatively larger, while AOD appeared to be lower because of the effect of aerosol hygroscopic growth and wet deposition. The trajectories were similar both in dry and wet, but with different effects on the aerosol concentration. The highest AOD values 0.66±0.34 (in dry) and 0.45±0.21 (in wet) both occurred in continental air masses, while smaller (0.38–0.48 in dry and 0.30–0.35 in wet) in oceanic air masses. The range of AOD values during the wet season was relatively narrow (0.30–0.45), but the dry season range was wider (0.38–0.66). For the Ångström exponent, the range in the wet season (0.74–1.34) was much greater than that in the dry season (1.33–1.54).

Trends in aerosol optical properties over South Asia

Spatial variation of trends in MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remote sensing-derived aerosol optical properties, namely, aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 0.55 µm and Ångström exponent (α) from 2001 to 2014, is estimated on annual and seasonal basis over South Asia. Positive trends in annual mean AOD are found over 56% area of continental regions of South Asia where remote sensing data could retrieve, while ∼40% of Indian region show increasing trends in AOD. During winter and post-monsoon, >70% of the Indian subcontinent show positive trends in AOD due to increase in biomass burning emissions and owing to shallow boundary layer height during the seasons. The increasing trends in both AOD and α over central, north and some part of south, east and northeast India are found, which corroborate that fine-mode aerosols are increasing over the regions. The AOD exhibits negative trends over northwest, north, central, west and east region of India; and Pakistan and Sri Lanka during pre-monsoon. The negative trends in AODs are found over maximum part of the South Asian continent during monsoon. The significant and strong positive trends in AOD (2–3% per year) and α are found in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and the Arabian Sea, moreover post-monsoon and monsoon seasons AODs exhibit significant and strong (>6% per annum) increasing trends in north BoB. Such positive trends reveal the enhancement in the abundant of fine-mode aerosols in the oceanic regions. Spatial variabilities in the AOD and α trends give rise to significant differential radiative impact in the regions which affect the atmospheric dynamics and also influence the extreme events such as tropical cyclones in South Asian regions. The trend informations will be useful in improving the emission inventories and our understanding on aerosols in regional and global climate.

Validation of MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth Retrieval over Mountains in Central China Based on a Sun-Sky Radiometer Site of SONET

The 3 km Dark Target (DT) aerosol optical depth (AOD) products, 10 km DT and Deep Blue (DB) AOD products from the Collection 6 (C6) product data of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are compared with Sun-sky Radiometer Network (SONET) measurements at Song Mountain in central China, where ground-based remote sensing measurements of aerosol properties are still very limited. The seasonal variations of AODs are significant in the Song Mountain region, with higher AODs in spring and summer and lower AODs in autumn and winter. Annual mean AODs (0.55 µm) vary in the range of 0.5–0.7, which indicates particle matter (PM) pollutions in this mountain region. Validation against one-year ground-based measurements shows that AOD retrievals from the MODIS onboard Aqua satellite are better than those from the Terra satellite in Song Mountain. The 3 km and 10 km AODs from DT algorithms are comparable over this region, while the AOD accuracy of DB algorithm is relatively lower. However, the spatial coverage of DB products is higher than that of 10 km DT products. Moreover, the optical and microphysical characteristics of aerosols at Song Mountain are analyzed on the basis of SONET observations. It suggests that coarse-mode aerosol particles dominate in spring, and fine-mode particles dominate in summer. The aerosol property models are also established and compared to aerosol types used by MODIS algorithm.

Aerosol direct radiative forcing in desert and semi-desert regions of northwestern China

The optical properties of dust aerosols were measured using narrow-band data from a portable sun photometer at four desert and semi-desert stations in northwestern China from 2004 to 2007. Ground-based and satellite observations indicated absorbing dust aerosol loading over the region surrounded by eight large-scale deserts. Radiation forcing was identified by using the Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model. The ranges of annual mean aerosol optical depth (AOD), Angström exponents, and single-scattering albedo (SSA) were from 0.25 to 0.35, from −0.73 to 1.18, and from 0.77 to 0.86, respectively. The ranges of annual mean aerosol direct radiative forcing values at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), mid-atmosphere, and on the surface were from 3.9 to 12.0, from 50.0 to 53.1, and from −39.1 to −48.1W/m2, respectively. The aerosols' optical properties and radiative characteristics showed strong seasonal variations in both the desert and semi-desert regions. Strong winds and relatively low humidity will lead dust aerosols in the atmosphere to an increase, which played greatly affected these optical properties during spring and winter in northwestern China. Based on long-term observations and retrieved data, aerosol direct radiative forcing was confirmed to heat the atmosphere (50–53W/m2) and cool the surface (−39 to −48W/m2) above the analyzed desert. Radiative forcing in the atmosphere in spring and winter was 18 to 21W/m2 higher than other two seasons. Based on the dust sources around the sites, the greater the AOD, the more negative the forcing. The annual averaged heating rates for aerosols close to the ground (1km) were approximately 0.80–0.85K/day.

A multi-model evaluation of aerosols over South Asia: common problems and possible causes

Abstract. Atmospheric pollution over South Asia attracts special attention due to its effects on regional climate, water cycle and human health. These effects are potentially growing owing to rising trends of anthropogenic aerosol emissions. In this study, the spatio-temporal aerosol distributions over South Asia from seven global aerosol models are evaluated against aerosol retrievals from NASA satellite sensors and ground-based measurements for the period of 2000–2007. Overall, substantial underestimations of aerosol loading over South Asia are found systematically in most model simulations. Averaged over the entire South Asia, the annual mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) is underestimated by a range 15 to 44% across models compared to MISR (Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer), which is the lowest bound among various satellite AOD retrievals (from MISR, SeaWiFS (Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor), MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Aqua and Terra). In particular during the post-monsoon and wintertime periods (i.e., October–January), when agricultural waste burning and anthropogenic emissions dominate, models fail to capture AOD and aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) over the Indo–Gangetic Plain (IGP) compared to ground-based Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sunphotometer measurements. The underestimations of aerosol loading in models generally occur in the lower troposphere (below 2 km) based on the comparisons of aerosol extinction profiles calculated by the models with those from Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) data. Furthermore, surface concentrations of all aerosol components (sulfate, nitrate, organic aerosol (OA) and black carbon (BC)) from the models are found much lower than in situ measurements in winter. Several possible causes for these common problems of underestimating aerosols in models during the post-monsoon and wintertime periods are identified: the aerosol hygroscopic growth and formation of secondary inorganic aerosol are suppressed in the models because relative humidity (RH) is biased far too low in the boundary layer and thus foggy conditions are poorly represented in current models, the nitrate aerosol is either missing or inadequately accounted for, and emissions from agricultural waste burning and biofuel usage are too low in the emission inventories. These common problems and possible causes found in multiple models point out directions for future model improvements in this important region.

A study of aerosol optical depth variations over the Indian region using thirteen years (2001–2013) of MODIS and MISR Level 3 data

Aerosols affect the earth's climate system both on a regional as well as on a global scale. Several studies have identified India (the second most populous country) as one of the regional hot spots of aerosols due its increasing anthropogenic activities. The paper presents a temporal (annual and seasonal) study of aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the country using satellite data for thirteen year period (2001–2013). The Indian region is divided into four sub regions i.e., north, west, east and south. The analysis is carried out using Level 3 data from two satellite sensors, namely, MODIS (1° × 1°) and MISR (0.5° × 0.5°), onboard NASA's Terra platform. Annual and seasonal mean AOD variation has been studied. It is found that annual aerosol loading remains highest in Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) in all the years. In winter season, the overall loading is lowest for the entire country while it reaches maximum in the monsoon season. This could be attributed to the relative humidity, wind and associated rainfall patterns in the country. Also, the aerosol tendencies have been computed using the first and last six year period change in aerosol optical depth. Further, annual and seasonal trends in AOD have been calculated using weighted least square regression approach and the results have been compared. Statistically significant trends are reported at 95% confidence level. Weights are assigned corresponding to the expected errors associated with the satellite data. There is a good agreement in the seasonal tendencies and trends computed from both the sensors for winter, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Significantly increasing trends are found in winter and post-monsoon seasons which could be due to increase in anthropogenic activities. All the observations are separately reported for ten most populous cities of India. Delhi and Kolkata are amongst the most polluted cities in India.