The surface aerosol optical properties in the urban area of Nanjing, west Yangtze River Delta, China

Zhuang, Bingliang; Wang, Tijian; Liu, Jane; Li, Shu; Xie, Min; Han, Yong; Chen, Pulong; Hu, Qiduo; Yang, Xiu-qun; Fu, Congbin; Zhu, Jialei

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1143-2017

Articles | Volume 17, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1143-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Special issue:

Regional transport and transformation of air pollution in...

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1143-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 17, issue 2

Research article

|

25 Jan 2017

Research article |

| 25 Jan 2017

The surface aerosol optical properties in the urban area of Nanjing, west Yangtze River Delta, China

Bingliang Zhuang, Tijian Wang, Jane Liu, Shu Li, Min Xie, Yong Han, Pulong Chen, Qiduo Hu, Xiu-qun Yang, Congbin Fu, and Jialei Zhu

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Final revised paper (published on 25 Jan 2017)
Preprint (discussion started on 08 Aug 2016)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment

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- Supplement

RC1: 'Review of the manuscript entitled “The surface aerosol optical properties in urban areas of Nanjing, west Yangtze River Delta of China" by Zhuang et al. (acp-2016-420)', Anonymous Referee #1, 07 Sep 2016
- AC1: 'Response to reviewer', Bingliang Zhuang, 15 Dec 2016
RC2: 'Interactive Comments on "The surface aerosol optical properties in urban areas of Nanjing, west Yangtze River Delta of China"', Anonymous Referee #3, 03 Oct 2016
- AC2: 'Response to reviewer', Bingliang Zhuang, 15 Dec 2016
RC3: 'Review of "The surface aerosol optical properties in urban areas of Nanjing, west Yangtze River Delta of China"', Anonymous Referee #4, 07 Dec 2016
- AC3: 'Response to Reviewer', Bingliang Zhuang, 15 Dec 2016

Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision

AR by Bingliang Zhuang on behalf of the Authors (15 Dec 2016) Author's response Manuscript

ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (19 Dec 2016) by Zhanqing Li

RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (21 Dec 2016)

Suggestions for revision or reasons for rejection

I found the revised manuscript to adequately address most of reviewers' concerns. One point I like to add to authors' response to the major comment #3 of the reviewer #1. Authors argue that RH, rather then emissions and other factors, is the most important factor that leads to low SSA in winter and high SSA in summer. However, according to recent studies by Sun et al. [2015], the aerosol composition (as led by emissions) has strong seasonal variability. They found concentration of organic carbonaceous aerosols in Beijing is much higher in winter than other seasons due to enhanced coal combustion in winter. Those high level organic aerosol could also corresponding to a high level black carbon aerosol in winter, which is a strong absorbing aerosol and can lead to low SSA values. So the effect of RH on the seasonal variability of aerosol optical properties (including SSA, Asp, ) is somewhat overstated in the present manuscript. There still needs further leverage and discussion about other influencing factors for aerosol optical properties.

Reference:
Sun, Y. L., Wang, Z. F., Du, W., Zhang, Q., Wang, Q. Q., Fu, P. Q., Pan, X. L., Li, J., Jayne, J., and Worsnop, D. R.: Long-term real-time measurements of aerosol particle composition in Beijing, China: seasonal variations, meteorological effects, and source analysis, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 10149-10165, doi:10.5194/acp-15-10149-2015, 2015.

I also made not of some editorial corrections listed below.

12: useful to reducing -> useful for reducing

21: followed -> follow

21-22: please rephrase the following sentence in a clearer way: "the ranges around their averages …"

63: the observations -> observations

63: the observed -> observed

65: among countries in East Asia and even the world -> worldwide.

66: aerosols -> anthropogenic aerosols

89: substantial observation-based studies mentioned -> intensive observation-based studies

99: Conclusions -> conclusions

108: wavelength dependent -> wavelength-dependent (and elsewhere of the manuscript)

160: as followed -> by

176: It's -> It is

177: single wavelength -> single-wavelength, or monochromatic

184: back scattering -> backscattering

199: winter times -> winter

200: temporal trend -> temporal variability

200: SSA's -> that of SSA

202: the other -> other

370: is more -> are more

400: long distance -> long-distance

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RR by Anonymous Referee #4 (04 Jan 2017)

ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (04 Jan 2017) by Zhanqing Li

AR by Bingliang Zhuang on behalf of the Authors (05 Jan 2017) Author's response Manuscript

Short summary

The observed near-surface aerosol optical properties in urban Nanjing are analysed from March 2014 to February 2016. Substantial analysis in the key optical properties of the surface aerosol fill the gaps in the study on aerosols in Nanjing, even in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). Relationships between the aerosol extinction coefficient (single scattering albedo) and atmospheric visibility are also carried out in different seasons to figure out the effect of aerosol on the visibility in Nanjing, YRD.