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Zeb B, Alam K, Khan R, Ditta A, Iqbal R, Elsadek MF, Raza A, Elshikh MS. Characteristics and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols based on long-term AERONET investigations in an urban environment of Pakistan. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8548. [PMID: 38609467 PMCID: PMC11014990 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58981-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Radiative balance, local climate, and human health are all significantly influenced by aerosol. Recent severe air pollution over Lahore, a city in Pakistan calls for more thorough research to determine the negative impacts brought on by too many aerosols. To study regional aerosol characteristics and their differences from various aspects, in-depth and long-term (2007-2020) investigations of the columnar aerosol properties over the urban environment of Lahore were carried out by using AERONET data. The Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD400) and Angstrom Exponent (AE400-870) vary from low values of 0.10 to a maximum value of 4.51 and from 0.03 to 1.81, respectively. The huge differences in the amount of AOD440 as well as AE440-870 show the large fluctuation of aerosol classes because of various sources of their emission. During the autumn and winter seasons, the decreasing trend of the optical parameters of aerosols like Single Scattering Albedo (SSA) and Asymmetry Parameter (ASY) with increasing wavelength from 675 to 1020 nm indicates the dominance of light-absorbing aerosols (biomass burning (BB) and industrial/urban (UI). Due to the long-distance dust movement during spring, summer, and autumn, coarse mode particles predominated in Lahore during the study period. Dust type (DD) aerosols are found to be the dominant one during spring (46.92%), summer (54.31%), and autumn (57.46%) while urban industry (BB/UI) was dominant during the winter season (53.21%). During each season, the clean continental (CC) aerosols are found to be in negligible amounts, indicating terrible air quality in Lahore City. The present research work fills up the study gap in the optical properties of aerosols in Lahore and will help us understand more fully how local aerosol fluctuation affects regional climate change over the urban environment of Lahore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahadar Zeb
- Department of Mathematics, Sheringal Dir (Upper), Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Khan Alam
- Department of Physics, University of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
| | - Rehana Khan
- Department of Physics, Higher Education Colleges, Govt. of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Allah Ditta
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal, Dir (U), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 18000, Pakistan.
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Rashid Iqbal
- Department of Agronomy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan
| | - Mohamed Farouk Elsadek
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. 2455, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahsan Raza
- Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374, Müncheberg, Germany.
| | - Mohamed Soliman Elshikh
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Dumka UC, Kaskaoutis DG, Mihalopoulos N, Sheoran R. Identification of key aerosol types and mixing states in the central Indian Himalayas during the GVAX campaign: the role of particle size in aerosol classification. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 761:143188. [PMID: 33143923 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Studies in aerosol properties, types and sources in the Himalayas are important for atmospheric and climatic issues due to high aerosol loading in the neighboring plains. This study uses in situ measurements of aerosol optical and microphysical properties obtained during the Ganges Valley Aerosol eXperiment (GVAX) at Nainital, India over the period June 2011-March 2012, aiming to identify key aerosol types and mixing states for two particle sizes (PM1 and PM10). Using a classification matrix based on SAE vs. AAE thresholds (scattering vs. absorption Ångström exponents, respectively), seven aerosol types are identified, which are highly dependent on particle size. An aerosol type named "large/BC mix" dominates in both PM1 (45.4%) and PM10 (46.9%) mass, characterized by aged BC mixed with other aerosols, indicating a wide range of particle sizes and mixing states. Small particles with low spectral dependence of the absorption (AAE < 1) account for 31.6% and BC-dominated aerosols for 14.8% in PM1, while in PM10, a large fraction (39%) corresponds to "large/low-absorbing" aerosols and only 3.9% is characterized as "BC-dominated". The remaining types consist of mixtures of dust and local emissions from biofuel burning and display very small fractions. The main optical properties e.g. spectral scattering, absorption, single scattering albedo, activation ratio, as well as seasonality and dependence on wind speed and direction of identified types are examined, revealing a large influence of air masses originating from the Indo-Gangetic Plains. This indicates that aerosols over the central Himalayas are mostly composed by mixtures of processed and transported polluted plumes from the plains. This is the first study that identifies key aerosol populations in the central Indian Himalayas based on in situ measurements and the results are highly important for aerosol-type inventories, chemical transport models and reducing the uncertainty in aerosol radiative forcing over the third pole.
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Affiliation(s)
- U C Dumka
- Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital 263 001, India.
| | - D G Kaskaoutis
- Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Palaia Penteli, 15236 Athens, Greece; Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, 71003 Crete, Greece.
| | - N Mihalopoulos
- Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Palaia Penteli, 15236 Athens, Greece; Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, 71003 Crete, Greece
| | - Rahul Sheoran
- Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital 263 001, India
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Spatiotemporal Distribution of Major Aerosol Types over China Based on MODIS Products between 2008 and 2017. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11070703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge of aerosol-type distribution is critical to the evaluation of aerosol–climate effects. However, research on aerosol-type distribution covering all is limited. This study characterized the spatiotemporal distribution of major aerosol types over China by using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products from 2008 to 2017. Two aerosol-type classification methods were combined to achieve this goal. One was for relatively high aerosol load (AOD ≥ 0.2) using aerosol optical depth (AOD) and aerosol relative optical depth (AROD) and the other was for low aerosol load (AOD < 0.2) using land use and population density information, which assumed that aerosols are closely related to local emissions. Results showed that the dominant aerosol-type distribution has a distinct spatial and temporal pattern. In western China, background aerosols (mainly dust/desert dust and continent aerosol) dominate with a combined occurrence ratio over 70% and they have slight variations on seasonal scale. While in eastern China, the dominant aerosols show strong seasonal variations. Spatially, mixed aerosols dominate most parts of eastern China in spring due to the influence of long-range transported dust from Taklamakan and Gobi desert and urban/industry aerosols take place in summer due to strong photochemical reactions. Temporally, mixed and urban/industry aerosols co-dominate eastern China.
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Sun T, Che H, Qi B, Wang Y, Dong Y, Xia X, Wang H, Gui K, Zheng Y, Zhao H, Ma Q, Du R, Zhang X. Characterization of vertical distribution and radiative forcing of ambient aerosol over the Yangtze River Delta during 2013-2015. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 650:1846-1857. [PMID: 30286352 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
As the central part of eastern China, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, with its rapid economic growth and industrial expansion, has experienced severe air quality issues. In this study, the monthly variation and interaction between aerosol direct radiative forcing (ADRF) and aerosol vertical structure during 2013-2015 over the YRD were investigated using ground-based observations from a Micro Pulse Lidar (MPL) and a CE-318 sun-photometer. Combining satellite products from MODIS and CALIPSO, and reanalysis wind fields, an integrated discussion of a biomass burning episode in Hangzhou during August 2015 was conducted by applying analysis of optical properties, planetary boundary layer (PBL), spatial-temporal and vertical distributions, backward trajectories, Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF), and Concentration Weighted Trajectory (CWT). The results reveal that a shallower PBL coincides with higher scattering extinction at low altitude, resulting in less heating to the atmosphere and radiative forcing to the surface, which in turn further depresses the PBL. In months with a deeper PBL, the extinction coefficient decreases rapidly with altitude, showing stronger atmospheric heating effects and ADRF to the surface, facilitating the turbulence and vertical diffusion of aerosol particles, which further reduces the extinction and raises the PBL. Because of the hygroscopic growth facilitated by high relative humidity, June stands out for its high scattering extinction coefficient and relatively low PBL, and the reduced ADRF at the surface and the enhanced cooling effect on near-surface layer in turn depresses the PBL. Absorptive aerosols transported from biomass burning events located in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Taiwan provinces at 1.5 km, result in high ADRF efficiency for atmospheric heating. And the enhanced heating effect on near-surface layer caused by absorptive particles facilitates PBL development in August over the YRD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianze Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW) and Institute of Atmospheric Composition, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, CMA, Beijing 100081, China; Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Huizheng Che
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW) and Institute of Atmospheric Composition, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, CMA, Beijing 100081, China.
| | - Bing Qi
- Hangzhou Meteorological Bureau, Hangzhou 310051, China
| | - Yaqiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW) and Institute of Atmospheric Composition, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, CMA, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yunsheng Dong
- Key Laboratory of Environment Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Science, Hefei 230031, China
| | - Xiangao Xia
- Laboratory for Middle Atmosphere and Global Environment Observation (LAGEO), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; School of Geoscience University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Hong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW) and Institute of Atmospheric Composition, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, CMA, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Ke Gui
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW) and Institute of Atmospheric Composition, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, CMA, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yu Zheng
- Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Hujia Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW) and Institute of Atmospheric Composition, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, CMA, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Qianli Ma
- Lin'an Regional Air Background Station, Lin'an 311307, China
| | - Rongguang Du
- Hangzhou Meteorological Bureau, Hangzhou 310051, China
| | - Xiaoye Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW) and Institute of Atmospheric Composition, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, CMA, Beijing 100081, China
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Chen Q, Yuan Y, Huang X, He Z, Tan H. Assessment of column aerosol optical properties using ground-based sun-photometer at urban Harbin, Northeast China. J Environ Sci (China) 2018; 74:50-57. [PMID: 30340674 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2017] [Revised: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Aerosol plays a key role in determining radiative balance, regional climate and human health. Severe air pollution over Northeast China in recent years urges more comprehensive studies to figure out the adverse effects caused by excessive aerosols. In this study, column aerosol measurements over urban Harbin, a metropolis located at the highest latitude in Northeast China, during May 2016 to March 2017 were conducted using a CIMEL sun-photometer to analyze local aerosol properties and its variation from different aspects. According to the observations, aerosol optical depth at 440nm (AOD440) ranges from 0.07 up to 1.54, and the large variability in both AOD440 and Angstrom Exponent (AE440-870) indicates the frequent change of aerosol types due of different emission sources. Coarse mode particles dominated Harbin during the studying period because of the long-range transported dust and probably the suspended snow crystals in winter. As the wavelength increases, relatively consistent decrease trends of single scattering albedo (SSA) and asymmetry factor (ASY) were observed in spring, autumn, and winter, indicating the presence of absorbing polluted aerosols. Mixed type (MIX) aerosol dominated the study region with a total percentage of 34%, and biomass burning and urban industry (BB/UI), clean continental (CC), and desert dust (DD) aerosols were found to be 31%, 27%, and 8%, respectively. The current work fills up the optical characteristics of aerosols in Harbin, and will contribute to the in-depth understanding of local aerosol variation and regional climate change over Northeast China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixiang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Aerospace Thermophysics, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Aerospace Thermophysics, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001, China.
| | - Xing Huang
- College of Metallurgy and Energy, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai Street, Tangshan 063009, China
| | - Zhihong He
- Key Laboratory of Aerospace Thermophysics, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Heping Tan
- Key Laboratory of Aerospace Thermophysics, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001, China
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