Articles | Volume 17, issue 15
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-9623-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-9623-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
10 Aug 2017
Research article |
| 10 Aug 2017
Possible climatic implications of high-altitude black carbon emissions
Gaurav Govardhan
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh
Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Ravi Nanjundiah
Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy
Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Surendran Suresh Babu
Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Kerala, India
Related authors
Pooja V. Pawar, Sachin D. Ghude, Chinmay Jena, Andrea Móring, Mark A. Sutton, Santosh Kulkarni, Deen Mani Lal, Divya Surendran, Martin Van Damme, Lieven Clarisse, Pierre-François Coheur, Xuejun Liu, Gaurav Govardhan, Wen Xu, Jize Jiang, and Tapan Kumar Adhya
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6389–6409, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6389-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6389-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, simulations of atmospheric ammonia (NH3) with MOZART-4 and HTAP-v2 are compared with satellite (IASI) and ground-based measurements to understand the spatial and temporal variability of NH3 over two emission hotspot regions of Asia, the IGP and the NCP. Our simulations indicate that the formation of ammonium aerosols is quicker over the NCP than the IGP, leading to smaller NH3 columns over the higher NH3-emitting NCP compared to the IGP region for comparable emissions.
Gaurav Govardhan, Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh, Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy, and Ravi Nanjundiah
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8229–8241, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8229-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8229-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We show substantial improvements in the near-surface BC mass concentrations simulated by a regional chemistry transport model, WRF-Chem, over the Indian region, upon scaling up the CMIP5 equivalent anthropogenic BC emissions by 3 and introducing a diurnal variation to those. The diurnality in emissions alone significantly controls the simulated near-surface BC mass concentration, with a mean delay of 3–4 h. The simulated AOD, however, is still underestimated.
Chandrika Rajendran Hariram, Gaurav Govardhan, Mohanan Remani Manoj, Narayana Sarma Anand, Karuppiah Kannan, Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh, and Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2018-745, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2018-745, 2018
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
The knowledge on the realistic state of mixing of aerosols is inevitable for climate studies. Our paper unravels the existing uncertainties regarding the morphology and mixing state of aerosols, hitherto unexplained. To the best of our knowledge, this is a first-of-its kind study over the Indian region, coupling realistic aerosol observations, advanced spectroscopic, microscopic and image processing techniques on atmospheric aerosols at single particle resolution.
Srinivasan Prasanth, Narayana Sarma Anand, Kudilil Sunilkumar, Subin Jose, Kenath Arun, Sreedharan K. Satheesh, and Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7161–7186, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7161-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7161-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We study the impact of the 2019–2020 Australian bushfires on stratospheric chemistry and polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) dynamics. Our results show that the stratospheric intrusion of bushfire aerosols significantly increases nitric acid in the lower stratosphere, thereby increasing the PSC volume during the Austral winter. Notably, rapid ice PSC nucleation on nitric acid trihydrate particles leads to unusually high ice PSC volumes, highlighting the response of PSCs to an enhanced stratospheric aerosol scenario.
Imran A. Girach, Narendra Ojha, Prabha R. Nair, Kandula V. Subrahmanyam, Neelakantan Koushik, Mohammed M. Nazeer, Nadimpally Kiran Kumar, Surendran Nair Suresh Babu, Jos Lelieveld, and Andrea Pozzer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1979–1995, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1979-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1979-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate surface ozone variability in East Antarctica based on measurements and EMAC global model simulations during austral summer. Nearly half of the surface ozone is found to be of stratospheric origin. The east coast of Antarctica acts as a stronger sink of ozone than surrounding regions. Photochemical loss of ozone is counterbalanced by downward transport of ozone. The study highlights the intertwined role of chemistry and dynamics in governing ozone variations over East Antarctica.
Nair K. Kala, Narayana Sarma Anand, Mohanan R. Manoj, Harshavardhana S. Pathak, Krishnaswamy K. Moorthy, and Sreedharan K. Satheesh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6067–6085, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6067-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6067-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present the 3-D distribution of atmospheric aerosols and highlight its variation with respect to longitudes over the Indian mainland and the surrounding oceans using long-term satellite observations and realistic synthesised data. The atmospheric heating due to the 3-D distribution of aerosols is estimated using radiative transfer calculations. We believe that our findings will have strong implications for aerosol–radiation interactions in regional climate simulations.
Zixia Liu, Martin Osborne, Karen Anderson, Jamie D. Shutler, Andy Wilson, Justin Langridge, Steve H. L. Yim, Hugh Coe, Suresh Babu, Sreedharan K. Satheesh, Paquita Zuidema, Tao Huang, Jack C. H. Cheng, and James Haywood
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6101–6118, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6101-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6101-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper first validates the performance of an advanced aerosol observation instrument POPS against a reference instrument and examines any biases introduced by operating it on a quadcopter drone. The results show the POPS performs relatively well on the ground. The impact of the UAV rotors on the POPS is small at low wind speeds, but when operating under higher wind speeds, larger discrepancies occur. It appears that the POPS measures sub-micron aerosol particles more accurately on the UAV.
Sobhan Kumar Kompalli, Surendran Nair Suresh Babu, Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy, Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh, Mukunda Madhab Gogoi, Vijayakumar S. Nair, Venugopalan Nair Jayachandran, Dantong Liu, Michael J. Flynn, and Hugh Coe
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 9173–9199, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9173-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9173-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The first observations of refractory black carbon aerosol size distributions and mixing state in South Asian outflow to the northern Indian Ocean were carried out as a part of the ICARB-2018 experiment during winter. Size distributions indicated mixed sources of BC particles in the outflow, which are thickly coated. The coating thickness of BC is controlled mainly by the availability of condensable species in the outflow.
Pooja V. Pawar, Sachin D. Ghude, Chinmay Jena, Andrea Móring, Mark A. Sutton, Santosh Kulkarni, Deen Mani Lal, Divya Surendran, Martin Van Damme, Lieven Clarisse, Pierre-François Coheur, Xuejun Liu, Gaurav Govardhan, Wen Xu, Jize Jiang, and Tapan Kumar Adhya
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6389–6409, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6389-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6389-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, simulations of atmospheric ammonia (NH3) with MOZART-4 and HTAP-v2 are compared with satellite (IASI) and ground-based measurements to understand the spatial and temporal variability of NH3 over two emission hotspot regions of Asia, the IGP and the NCP. Our simulations indicate that the formation of ammonium aerosols is quicker over the NCP than the IGP, leading to smaller NH3 columns over the higher NH3-emitting NCP compared to the IGP region for comparable emissions.
Mukunda Madhab Gogoi, Venugopalan Nair Jayachandran, Aditya Vaishya, Surendran Nair Suresh Babu, Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh, and Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 8593–8610, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8593-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8593-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Extensive airborne measurements of aerosol number–size distribution and black carbon (BC) profiles are carried out for the first time across the IGP prior to the onset of the Indian summer monsoon. These measurements, combined with spaceborne sensors and model results, provided an east–west transect of the role of mineral dust (local and transported) in the aerosol loading across the IGP, with an increase in coarse mode concentration and coarse mode mass fraction with altitude.
Sobhan Kumar Kompalli, Surendran Nair Suresh Babu, Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh, Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy, Trupti Das, Ramasamy Boopathy, Dantong Liu, Eoghan Darbyshire, James D. Allan, James Brooks, Michael J. Flynn, and Hugh Coe
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 3965–3985, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-3965-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-3965-2020, 2020
Mohanan R. Manoj, Sreedharan K. Satheesh, Krishnaswamy K. Moorthy, and Hugh Coe
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 4031–4046, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4031-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4031-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The study reports the observation of highly absorbing aerosol layers at high altitudes (1–2.5 km) prior to monsoon and during its development over the Indian region and quantifies its climate impacts. The absorption of solar radiation in these layers perturbs the onset of monsoon through the impact on the atmospheric stability. When height-resolved values of single scattering albedo (SSA) are used in a radiative transfer model, a maximum heating ~1 K d (~twice that using SSA) is obtained.
Venugopalan Nair Jayachandran, Surendran Nair Suresh Babu, Aditya Vaishya, Mukunda M. Gogoi, Vijayakumar S. Nair, Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh, and Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 561–576, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-561-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-561-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Concurrent measurements of the altitude profiles of the concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (CCNs), as a function of supersaturation (ranging from 0.2 % to 1.0 %), and aerosol optical properties were carried out aboard an instrumented aircraft across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) just prior to the onset of the 2016 Indian summer monsoon (ISM). A high CCN concentration is observed up to 2.5 km across the IGP, indicating the significant possibility of aerosol indirect effects.
James Brooks, Dantong Liu, James D. Allan, Paul I. Williams, Jim Haywood, Ellie J. Highwood, Sobhan K. Kompalli, S. Suresh Babu, Sreedharan K. Satheesh, Andrew G. Turner, and Hugh Coe
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 13079–13096, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13079-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13079-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Our study presents an analysis of the vertical and horizontal black carbon properties across northern India using aircraft measurements. The Indo-Gangetic Plain saw the greatest black carbon mass concentrations during the pre-monsoon season. Two black carbon modes were recorded: a small black carbon mode (traffic emissions) in the north-west and a moderately coated mode (solid-fuel emissions) in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. In the vertical profile, absorption properties increase with height.
Gaurav Govardhan, Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh, Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy, and Ravi Nanjundiah
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8229–8241, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8229-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8229-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We show substantial improvements in the near-surface BC mass concentrations simulated by a regional chemistry transport model, WRF-Chem, over the Indian region, upon scaling up the CMIP5 equivalent anthropogenic BC emissions by 3 and introducing a diurnal variation to those. The diurnality in emissions alone significantly controls the simulated near-surface BC mass concentration, with a mean delay of 3–4 h. The simulated AOD, however, is still underestimated.
Aditya Vaishya, Surendran Nair Suresh Babu, Venugopalan Jayachandran, Mukunda M. Gogoi, Naduparambil Bharathan Lakshmi, Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy, and Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 17669–17685, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17669-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17669-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Aircraft-based measurements of vertical profiles of aerosol properties, across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), prior to onset of the Indian summer monsoon reveal a highly absorbing aerosol system over the IGP. Aerosols over the west IGP are mostly natural, larger in size and scatter light efficiently. Those over the central and eastern IGP are mostly anthropogenic in origin, smaller in size and absorb more light. Elevated absorbing aerosol layers may modulate regional precipitation patterns.
D. S. Shaik, Y. Kant, D. Mitra, H. C. Chandola, and S. Suresh Babu
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., IV-5, 359–366, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-IV-5-359-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-IV-5-359-2018, 2018
Chandrika Rajendran Hariram, Gaurav Govardhan, Mohanan Remani Manoj, Narayana Sarma Anand, Karuppiah Kannan, Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh, and Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2018-745, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2018-745, 2018
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
The knowledge on the realistic state of mixing of aerosols is inevitable for climate studies. Our paper unravels the existing uncertainties regarding the morphology and mixing state of aerosols, hitherto unexplained. To the best of our knowledge, this is a first-of-its kind study over the Indian region, coupling realistic aerosol observations, advanced spectroscopic, microscopic and image processing techniques on atmospheric aerosols at single particle resolution.
R. Kumar, M. C. Barth, V. S. Nair, G. G. Pfister, S. Suresh Babu, S. K. Satheesh, K. Krishna Moorthy, G. R. Carmichael, Z. Lu, and D. G. Streets
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 5415–5428, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5415-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5415-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We examine differences in the surface BC between the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and the Arabian Sea (AS) and identify dominant sources of BC in South Asia during ICARB. Anthropogenic emissions were the main source of BC during ICARB and had about 5 times stronger influence on the BoB compared to the AS. Regional-scale transport contributes up to 25% of BC mass concentrations in western and eastern India, suggesting that surface BC mass concentrations cannot be linked directly to the local emissions.
Related subject area
Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Atmospheric Modelling and Data Analysis | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Modeling simulation of aerosol light absorption over the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region: the impact of mixing state and aging processes
An investigation of the impact of Canadian wildfires on US air quality using model, satellite, and ground measurements
How to trace the origins of short-lived atmospheric species: an Arctic example
Dust-producing weather patterns of the North American Great Plains
High-resolution air quality maps for Bucharest using a mixed-effects modeling framework
Interdecadal shift in the impact of winter land-sea thermal contrasts on following spring transcontinental dust transport pathways in North Africa
Construction and application of a pollen emissions model based on phenology and random forests
An uncertain future for the climate and health impacts of anthropogenic aerosols in Africa
The impact of uncertainty in black carbon's refractive index on simulated optical depth and radiative forcing
Gas-phase collision rate enhancement factors for acid-base clusters up to 2 nm in diameter from atomistic simulation and the interacting hard sphere model
Characterization of brown carbon absorption in different European environments through source contribution analysis
Accounting for the black carbon aging process in a two-way coupled meteorology–air quality model
The effectiveness of solar radiation management using fine sea spray across multiple climatic regions
A global dust emission dataset for estimating dust radiative forcings in climate models
Tropospheric aerosols over the western North Atlantic Ocean during the winter and summer deployments of ACTIVATE 2020: life cycle, transport, and distribution
Spatial and temporal evolution of future atmospheric reactive nitrogen deposition in China under different climate change mitigation strategies
Steady-state mixing state of black carbon aerosols from a particle-resolved model
Direct radiative forcing of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosol and the influencing factors over China
Distinctive dust weather intensities in North China resulted from two types of atmospheric circulation anomalies
Biomass burning emission analysis based on MODIS aerosol optical depth and AeroCom multi-model simulations: implications for model constraints and emission inventories
Quasi-weekly oscillation of regional PM2.5 transport over China driven by the synoptic-scale disturbance of the East Asian winter monsoon circulation
Solar radiation estimation in West Africa: impact of dust conditions during the 2021 dry season
Machine Learning Assisted Inference of the Particle Charge Fraction and the Ion-induced Nucleation Rates during New Particle Formation Events
Modeling urban pollutant transport at multi-resolutions: Impacts of turbulent mixing
Homogeneous ice nucleation in adsorbed water films: A theoretical approach
Gaps in our understanding of ice-nucleating particle sources exposed by global simulation of the UK Earth System Model
The role of interfacial tension in the size-dependent phase separation of atmospheric aerosol particles
Impact of Topographic Wind Conditions on Dust Particle Size Distribution: Insights from a Regional Dust Reanalysis Dataset
Uncovering the Impact of Urban Functional Zones on Air Quality in China
Seasonal differences in observed versus modeled new particle formation over boreal regions
Warming effects of reduced sulfur emissions from shipping
The key role of atmospheric absorption in the Asian summer monsoon response to dust emissions in CMIP6 models
Multi-model effective radiative forcing of the 2020 sulfur cap for shipping
Exploring the Aerosol Activation Properties in a Coastal Area Using Cloud and Particle-resolving Models
Representation of iron aerosol size distributions of anthropogenic emissions is critical in evaluating atmospheric soluble iron input to the ocean
Revealing dominant patterns of aerosol regimes in the lower troposphere and their evolution from preindustrial times to the future in global climate model simulations
A Novel Method to Quantify the Uncertainty Contribution of Aerosol-Radiative Interaction Factors
Improving estimation of a record-breaking east Asian dust storm emission with lagged aerosol Ångström exponent observations
Impact of biomass burning aerosols (BBA) on the tropical African climate in an ocean–atmosphere–aerosol coupled climate model
Retrieval of refractive index and water content for the coating materials of aged black carbon aerosol based on optical properties: a theoretical analysis
Strong inter-model differences and biases in CMIP6 simulations of PM2.5, aerosol optical depth, and precipitation over Africa
Predicting hygroscopic growth of organosulfur aerosol particles using COSMOtherm
Dust aerosol from the Aralkum Desert influences the radiation budget and atmospheric dynamics of Central Asia
Global modeling of aerosol nucleation with a semi-explicit chemical mechanism for highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs)
Synergistic effects of the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on dust activities in North China during the following spring
Aerosol composition, air quality, and boundary layer dynamics in the urban background of Stuttgart in winter
Response of the link between ENSO and the East Asian winter monsoon to Asian anthropogenic aerosols
Measurement report: Source attribution and estimation of black carbon levels in an urban hotspot of the central Po Valley – an integrated approach combining high-resolution dispersion modelling and micro-aethalometers
Modeling CMAQ dry deposition treatment over Western Pacific: A distinct characteristic of mineral dust and anthropogenic aerosol
Microphysical modelling of aerosol scavenging by different types of clouds: description and validation of the approach
Huiyun Du, Jie Li, Xueshun Chen, Gabriele Curci, Fangqun Yu, Yele Sun, Xu Dao, Song Guo, Zhe Wang, Wenyi Yang, Lianfang Wei, and Zifa Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5665–5681, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5665-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5665-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Inadequate consideration of mixing states and coatings on black carbon (BC) hinders aerosol radiation forcing quantification. Core–shell mixing aligns well with observations, but partial internal mixing is a more realistic representation. We used a microphysics module to determine the fraction of embedded BC and coating aerosols, constraining the mixing state. This reduced absorption enhancement by 30 %–43 % in northern China, offering insights into BC's radiative effects.
Zhixin Xue, Nair Udaysankar, and Sundar A. Christopher
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5497–5517, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5497-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5497-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Canadian wildfires in August 2018 significantly increased surface air pollution across the United States (US) – by up to 69 % in some areas. Using model, satellite, and ground measurements, the study highlights how weather patterns and long-range smoke transport drive pollution. The northwestern US was most affected by Canadian wildfire smoke, while the northeastern US experienced the least impact. These findings indicate the growing concern that wildfire smoke poses to air quality across the US.
Anderson Da Silva, Louis Marelle, Jean-Christophe Raut, Yvette Gramlich, Karolina Siegel, Sophie L. Haslett, Claudia Mohr, and Jennie L. Thomas
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5331–5354, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5331-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5331-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Particle sources in polar climates are unclear, affecting climate representation in models. This study introduces an evaluated method for tracking particles with backward modeling. Tests on simulated particles allowed us to show that traditional detection methods often misidentify sources. An improved method that accurately traces the origins of aerosol particles in the Arctic is presented. The study recommends using this enhanced method for better source identification of atmospheric species.
Stuart Evans
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4833–4845, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4833-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4833-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study of the North American Great Plains identifies the various weather patterns responsible for blowing dust in all parts of the region using a weather pattern classification. In the southwestern plains passing cold fronts are the primary cause of dust; in the understudied northern plains, summertime patterns and southerly pre-frontal winds are most important in the west and east, respectively. These results are valuable to understanding and forecasting dust in this complex source region.
Camelia Talianu, Jeni Vasilescu, Doina Nicolae, Alexandru Ilie, Andrei Dandocsi, Anca Nemuc, and Livio Belegante
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4639–4654, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4639-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4639-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
For Bucharest, Romania's capital, mobile measurements during two intensive campaigns and mixed-effect LUR (land-use regression) models to derive seasonal maps of near-surface PM10, NO2 and UFPs (ultrafine particles) have successfully been used. The model's performance was evaluated, demonstrating its potential for high-resolution mapping in other cities with well-characterized urban structures and diverse in situ monitoring stations.
Qi Wen, Yan Li, Mengying Du, Wenjun Song, Linbo Wei, Zhilan Wang, and Xu Li
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-826, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-826, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We find that, through an interdecadal phase-locking effect of sea-land thermal forcing-North Atlantic Oscillation-Westerly Jet coupling, springtime dust from North Africa is more likely to be transported eastwards (extending into North America) after the late 1990s, whereas before that time westward transport paths for dust were more frequent. Subject to thermal forcing, wind speed and drought contribute to dust emissions in the two periods, respectively.
Jiangtao Li, Xingqin An, Zhaobin Sun, Caihua Ye, Qing Hou, Yuxin Zhao, and Zhe Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3583–3602, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3583-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3583-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change and pollution have intensified pollen allergies. We developed a pollen emissions model using phenology and random forests. Key factors affecting annual pollen emissions include temperature, relative humidity and sunshine hours. Pollen dispersal starts around 10 August, peaks around 30 August and ends by 25 September, lasting about 45 d. Over time, annual pollen emissions exhibit significant fluctuations and a downward trend.
Joe Adabouk Amooli, Marianne T. Lund, Sourangsu Chowdhury, Gunnar Myhre, Ane N. Johansen, Bjørn H. Samset, and Daniel M. Westervelt
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-948, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-948, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We analyze various projections of African aerosol emissions and their potential impacts on climate and public health. We find that future emissions vary widely across emission projections, with differences in sectoral emission distributions. Using the Oslo chemical transport model, we show that air pollution exposure in some regions of Africa could increase significantly by 2050, increasing pollution-related deaths, with most scenarios projecting aerosol-induced warming over sub-Saharan Africa.
Ruth A. R. Digby, Knut von Salzen, Adam H. Monahan, Nathan P. Gillett, and Jiangnan Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3109–3130, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3109-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3109-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The refractive index of black carbon (BCRI), which determines how much energy black carbon absorbs and scatters, is difficult to measure, and different climate models use different values. We show that varying the BCRI across commonly used values can increase absorbing aerosol optical depth by 42 % and the warming effect from interactions between black carbon and radiation by 47 %, an appreciable fraction of the overall spread between models reported in recent literature assessments.
Valtteri Tikkanen, Huan Yang, Hanna Vehkamäki, and Bernhard Reischl
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-507, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-507, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Collisions of neutral molecules and clusters is the prevalent pathway in atmospheric new particle formation. In heavily polluted urban areas, where clusters are formed rapidly and in large number, cluster-cluster collisions also become relevant. We calculate cluster-cluster collision rates from atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and an interacting hard sphere model. Not accounting for long-range attractive interactions underestimates collision and particle formation rates significantly.
Hector Navarro-Barboza, Jordi Rovira, Vincenzo Obiso, Andrea Pozzer, Marta Via, Andres Alastuey, Xavier Querol, Noemi Perez, Marjan Savadkoohi, Gang Chen, Jesus Yus-Díez, Matic Ivancic, Martin Rigler, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Stergios Vratolis, Olga Zografou, Maria Gini, Benjamin Chazeau, Nicolas Marchand, Andre S. H. Prevot, Kaspar Dallenbach, Mikael Ehn, Krista Luoma, Tuukka Petäjä, Anna Tobler, Jaroslaw Necki, Minna Aurela, Hilkka Timonen, Jarkko Niemi, Olivier Favez, Jean-Eudes Petit, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Christoph Hueglin, Nicolas Pascal, Aurélien Chauvigné, Sébastien Conil, Marco Pandolfi, and Oriol Jorba
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2667–2694, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2667-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2667-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Brown carbon (BrC) absorbs ultraviolet (UV) and visible light, influencing climate. This study explores BrC's imaginary refractive index (k) using data from 12 European sites. Residential emissions are a major organic aerosol (OA) source in winter, while secondary organic aerosol (SOA) dominates in summer. Source-specific k values were derived, improving model accuracy. The findings highlight BrC's climate impact and emphasize source-specific constraints in atmospheric models.
Yuzhi Jin, Jiandong Wang, Chao Liu, David C. Wong, Golam Sarwar, Kathleen M. Fahey, Shang Wu, Jiaping Wang, Jing Cai, Zeyuan Tian, Zhouyang Zhang, Jia Xing, Aijun Ding, and Shuxiao Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2613–2630, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2613-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2613-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Black carbon (BC) affects climate and the environment, and its aging process alters its properties. Current models, like WRF-CMAQ, lack full accounting for it. We developed the WRF-CMAQ-BCG model to better represent BC aging by introducing bare and coated BC species and their conversion. The WRF-CMAQ-BCG model introduces the capability to simulate BC mixing states and bare and coated BC wet deposition, and it improves the accuracy of BC mass concentration and aerosol optics.
Zhe Song, Shaocai Yu, Pengfei Li, Ningning Yao, Lang Chen, Yuhai Sun, Boqiong Jiang, and Daniel Rosenfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2473–2494, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2473-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2473-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our results with injected sea salt aerosols for five open oceans show that sea salt aerosols with low injection amounts dominate shortwave radiation, mainly through indirect effects. As indirect aerosol effects saturate with increasing injection rates, direct effects exceed indirect effects. This implies that marine cloud brightening is best implemented in areas with extensive cloud cover, while aerosol direct scattering effects remain dominant when clouds are scarce.
Danny M. Leung, Jasper F. Kok, Longlei Li, David M. Lawrence, Natalie M. Mahowald, Simone Tilmes, and Erik Kluzek
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2311–2331, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2311-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2311-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study derives a gridded dust emission dataset for 1841–2000 by employing a combination of observed dust from core records and reanalyzed global dust cycle constraints. We evaluate the ability of global models to replicate the observed historical dust variability by using the emission dataset to force a historical simulation in an Earth system model. We show that prescribing our emissions forces the model to better match observations than other mechanistic models.
Hongyu Liu, Bo Zhang, Richard H. Moore, Luke D. Ziemba, Richard A. Ferrare, Hyundeok Choi, Armin Sorooshian, David Painemal, Hailong Wang, Michael A. Shook, Amy Jo Scarino, Johnathan W. Hair, Ewan C. Crosbie, Marta A. Fenn, Taylor J. Shingler, Chris A. Hostetler, Gao Chen, Mary M. Kleb, Gan Luo, Fangqun Yu, Mark A. Vaughan, Yongxiang Hu, Glenn S. Diskin, John B. Nowak, Joshua P. DiGangi, Yonghoon Choi, Christoph A. Keller, and Matthew S. Johnson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2087–2121, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2087-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2087-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use the GEOS-Chem model to simulate aerosol distributions and properties over the western North Atlantic Ocean (WNAO) during the winter and summer deployments in 2020 of the NASA ACTIVATE mission. Model results are evaluated against aircraft, ground-based, and satellite observations. The improved understanding of life cycle, composition, transport pathways, and distribution of aerosols has important implications for characterizing aerosol–cloud–meteorology interactions over WNAO.
Mingrui Ma, Jiachen Cao, Dan Tong, Bo Zheng, and Yu Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2147–2166, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2147-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2147-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We combined two global climate change pathways and three national emission control scenarios to analyze the future evolution of reactive nitrogen (Nr) deposition till the 2060s in China with air quality modeling. We show China’s clean air and carbon neutrality policies would overcome the adverse effects of climate change and efficiently reduce Nr deposition. The outflow of Nr fluxes from mainland China to the west Pacific would also be clearly reduced from continuous stringent emission controls.
Zhouyang Zhang, Jiandong Wang, Jiaping Wang, Nicole Riemer, Chao Liu, Yuzhi Jin, Zeyuan Tian, Jing Cai, Yueyue Cheng, Ganzhen Chen, Bin Wang, Shuxiao Wang, and Aijun Ding
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1869–1881, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1869-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1869-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Black carbon (BC) exerts notable warming effects. We use a particle-resolved model to investigate the long-term behavior of the BC mixing state, revealing its compositions, coating thickness distribution, and optical properties all stabilize with a characteristic time of less than 1 d. This study can effectively simplify the description of the BC mixing state, which facilitates the precise assessment of the optical properties of BC aerosols in global and chemical transport models.
Shuangqin Yang, Yusi Liu, Li Chen, Nan Cao, Jing Wang, and Shuang Gao
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3705, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3705, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Black carbon, primary brown carbon, and secondary brown carbon are the leading light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols (LACs) that contribute significantly to climate change. We modified the GEOS-Chem model to simulate the climate change by LACs based on local emission inventory, and explored the impacts of LACs properties and atmospheric variables on the corresponding DRFs in seven regions of China. The study confirms the warming effect of LACs and deepens our knowledge of their climatic effects.
Qianyi Huo, Zhicong Yin, Xiaoqing Ma, and Huijun Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1711–1724, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1711-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1711-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Dust days during the spring seasons of 2015–2023 in North China were classified into Mongolian cyclone and cold high types depending on the presence of the Mongolian cyclone. The Mongolian cyclone type led to more frequent and severe dust weather, indicated by PM10 concentrations. To comprehensively forecast the two types of dust weather, a common predictor was established based on 500 hPa anomalous circulation systems, offering insights for dust weather forecasting and climate prediction.
Mariya Petrenko, Ralph Kahn, Mian Chin, Susanne E. Bauer, Tommi Bergman, Huisheng Bian, Gabriele Curci, Ben Johnson, Johannes W. Kaiser, Zak Kipling, Harri Kokkola, Xiaohong Liu, Keren Mezuman, Tero Mielonen, Gunnar Myhre, Xiaohua Pan, Anna Protonotariou, Samuel Remy, Ragnhild Bieltvedt Skeie, Philip Stier, Toshihiko Takemura, Kostas Tsigaridis, Hailong Wang, Duncan Watson-Parris, and Kai Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1545–1567, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1545-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1545-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We compared smoke plume simulations from 11 global models to each other and to satellite smoke amount observations aimed at constraining smoke source strength. In regions where plumes are thick and background aerosol is low, models and satellites compare well. However, the input emission inventory tends to underestimate in many places, and particle property and loss rate assumptions vary enormously among models, causing uncertainties that require systematic in situ measurements to resolve.
Yongqing Bai, Tianliang Zhao, Kai Meng, Yue Zhou, Jie Xiong, Xiaoyun Sun, Lijuan Shen, Yanyu Yue, Yan Zhu, Weiyang Hu, and Jingyan Yao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1273–1287, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1273-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1273-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We proposed a composite statistical method to identify the quasi-weekly oscillation (QWO) of regional PM2.5 transport over China in winter from 2015 to 2019. The QWO of regional PM2.5 transport is constrained by synoptic-scale disturbances of the East Asian winter monsoon circulation with the periodic activities of the Siberian high, providing a new insight into the understanding of regional pollutant transport with meteorological drivers in atmospheric environment changes.
Léo Clauzel, Sandrine Anquetin, Christophe Lavaysse, Gilles Bergametti, Christel Bouet, Guillaume Siour, Rémy Lapere, Béatrice Marticorena, and Jennie Thomas
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 997–1021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-997-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-997-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Solar energy production in West Africa is set to rise and needs accurate solar radiation estimates which are affected by desert dust. This work analyses a March 2021 dust event using a modelling strategy incorporating desert dust. Results show that considering desert dust cuts errors in solar radiation estimates by 75 % and reduces surface solar radiation by 18 %. This highlights the importance of incorporating dust aerosols into solar forecasting for better accuracy.
Pan Wang, Yue Zhao, Jiandong Wang, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Jingkun Jiang, and Chenxi Li
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3666, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3666, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a numerical model to explore how the charge state of newly formed atmospheric particles evolves during growth and how this relates to ion-induced nucleation rates. We identify the governing factors of particle charging and further apply neural networks to predict particle charge states and estimate ion induced nucleation rates. This study offers insights into particle charging dynamics and introduces new methods for assessing ion induced nucleation in atmospheric research.
Zining Yang, Qiuyan Du, Qike Yang, Chun Zhao, Gudongze Li, Zihan Xia, Mingyue Xu, Renmin Yuan, Yubin Li, Kaihui Xia, Jun Gu, and Jiawang Feng
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3890, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3890, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the impact of turbulent mixing on black carbon (BC) concentrations in urban areas using WRF-Chem at 25, 5, and 1 km resolutions. Significant variations in BC and turbulent mixing occur mainly at night. Higher resolutions reduce BC overestimation due to enhanced PBL mixing coefficients and vertical wind fluxes. Small-scale eddies at higher resolutions increase BC lifetime and column concentrations. Land use and terrain variations across multi-resolutions affect PBL mixing.
Ari Laaksonen, Golnaz Roudsari, Ana A. Piedehierro, and André Welti
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4095, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4095, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The mechanisms of ice nucleation at temperatures below 235 K have remained unclear for the past century. We suggest that ice nucleation is caused by the freezing of water adsorbed on aerosol surfaces. To test this hypothesis, we derived theoretical equations to predict the exact atmospheric conditions under which ice nucleation occurs. Our predictions agree well with experiments. The new theory thus provides a basis for an improved description of ice nucleation in the atmosphere.
Ross J. Herbert, Alberto Sanchez-Marroquin, Daniel P. Grosvenor, Kirsty J. Pringle, Stephen R. Arnold, Benjamin J. Murray, and Kenneth S. Carslaw
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 291–325, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-291-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-291-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Aerosol particles that help form ice in clouds vary in number and type around the world and with time. However, in many weather and climate models cloud ice is not linked to aerosols that are known to nucleate ice. Here we report the first steps towards representing ice-nucleating particles within the UK Earth System Model. We conclude that in addition to ice nucleation by sea spray and mineral components of soil dust, we also need to represent ice nucleation by the organic components of soils.
Ryan Schmedding and Andreas Zuend
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 327–346, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-327-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-327-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Four different approaches for computing the interfacial tension between liquid phases in aerosol particles were tested for particles with diameters from 10 nm to more than 5 μm. Antonov's rule led to the strongest reductions in the onset relative humidity of liquid–liquid phase separation and reproduced measured interfacial tensions for highly immiscible systems. A modified form of the Butler equation was able to best reproduce measured interfacial tensions in more miscible systems.
Xinyue Huang, Wenyu Gao, and Hosein Foroutan
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3076, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3076, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the relationship between wind-blown dust aerosols size distribution and wind conditions over topography at a regional scale, utilizing 10 years of dust reanalysis data. Linear regression models suggest that higher wind speeds and steeper land slopes, particularly under uphill winds, are associated with increased fractions of coarser dust particles. Moreover, these positive correlations weaken during summer and afternoon events, likely related to the haboob storms.
Lulu Yuan, Wenchao Han, Jiachen Meng, Yang Wang, Haojie Yu, and Wenze Li
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3350, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3350, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study utilizes multi-source data to reveal the impact of various urban functional zones in China on the spatial distribution of pollutants. The findings indicate that the residential and commercial zones see notable air quality gains, but the improvement of air quality in the transportation zone is the least considerable. Moreover, the industrial zone has the most seasonal air quality variation. Therefore, air pollution prevention policies should consider differences in functional zones.
Carl Svenhag, Pontus Roldin, Tinja Olenius, Robin Wollesen de Jonge, Sara Blichner, Daniel Yazgi, and Moa Sporre
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3626, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3626, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the model representation of how particles are formed and grow in the atmosphere. Using modeled and observed data from two boreal forest stations in 2018, we identify key factors for NPF to improve particle-climate predictions in the global EC-Earth3 model. Comparisons with the detailed ADCHEM model show that adding ammonia improves particle growth predictions, though EC-Earth3 still highly underestimates the number of particles during warmer months.
Masaru Yoshioka, Daniel P. Grosvenor, Ben B. B. Booth, Colin P. Morice, and Ken S. Carslaw
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13681–13692, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13681-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13681-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A 2020 regulation has reduced sulfur emissions from shipping by about 80 %, leading to a decrease in atmospheric aerosols that have a cooling effect primarily by affecting cloud properties and amounts. Our climate model simulations predict a global temperature increase of 0.04 K over the next 3 decades as a result, which could contribute to surpassing the Paris Agreement's 1.5 °C target. Reduced aerosols may have also contributed to the recent temperature spikes.
Alcide Zhao, Laura J. Wilcox, and Claire L. Ryder
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13385–13402, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13385-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13385-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Climate models include desert dust aerosols, which cause atmospheric heating and can change circulation patterns. We assess the effect of dust on the Indian and east Asian summer monsoons through multi-model experiments isolating the effect of dust in current climate models for the first time. Dust atmospheric heating results in a southward shift of western Pacific equatorial rainfall and an enhanced Indian summer monsoon. This shows the importance of accurate dust representation in models.
Ragnhild Bieltvedt Skeie, Rachael Byrom, Øivind Hodnebrog, Caroline Jouan, and Gunnar Myhre
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13361–13370, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13361-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13361-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In 2020, new regulations by the International Maritime Organization regarding sulfur emissions came into force, reducing emissions of SO2 from the shipping sector by approximately 80 %. In this study, we use multiple models to calculate how much the Earth energy balance changed due to the emission reduction or the so-called effective radiative forcing. The calculated effective radiative forcing is weak, comparable to the effect of the increase in CO2 over the last 2 to 3 years.
Ge Yu, Yueya Wang, Zhe Wang, and Xiaoming Shi
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3581, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3581, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Studying the cloud-forming capacity of aerosols is crucial in climate research. The PartMC model can provide detailed particle information and help these studies. This model is integrated with the ideal meteorological Cloud Model 1 (CM1) to simulate the aerosols at cloud-forming locations. Significant changes are revealed in the hygroscopicity distribution of aerosols within ascending air parcels. Additionally, different ascent times also affect aerosol aging processes.
Mingxu Liu, Hitoshi Matsui, Douglas S. Hamilton, Sagar D. Rathod, Kara D. Lamb, and Natalie M. Mahowald
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13115–13127, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13115-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13115-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Atmospheric aerosol deposition provides bioavailable iron to promote marine primary production, yet the estimates of its fluxes remain highly uncertain. This study, by performing global aerosol simulations, demonstrates that iron-containing particle size upon emission is a critical factor in regulating soluble iron input to open oceans. Further observational constraints on this are needed to reduce modeling uncertainties.
Jingmin Li, Mattia Righi, Johannes Hendricks, Christof G. Beer, Ulrike Burkhardt, and Anja Schmidt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12727–12747, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12727-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12727-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Aiming to understand underlying patterns and trends in aerosols, we characterize the spatial patterns and long-term evolution of lower tropospheric aerosols by clustering multiple aerosol properties from preindustrial times to the year 2050 under three Shared
Socioeconomic Pathway scenarios. The results provide a clear and condensed picture of the spatial extent and distribution of aerosols for different time periods and emission scenarios.
Socioeconomic Pathway scenarios. The results provide a clear and condensed picture of the spatial extent and distribution of aerosols for different time periods and emission scenarios.
Bishuo He and Chunsheng Zhao
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3441, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3441, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Factor-uncertainty analysis helps us understand their impacts on complex systems. Traditional methods have many limitations. This study introduces a new method to measure how each factor contributes to uncertainty. It gains insights into the role of each variable and works for all multi-factor systems. As an application, we analyzed how aerosols affect solar radiation and identified the key factors. These analyses can improve our understanding of the role of aerosols in climate change.
Yueming Cheng, Tie Dai, Junji Cao, Daisuke Goto, Jianbing Jin, Teruyuki Nakajima, and Guangyu Shi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12643–12659, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12643-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12643-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In March 2021, east Asia experienced an outbreak of severe dust storms after an absence of 1.5 decades. Here, we innovatively used the time-lagged ground-based aerosol size information with the fixed-lag ensemble Kalman smoother to optimize dust emission and reproduce the dust storm. This work is valuable for not only the quantification of health damage, aviation risks, and profound impacts on the Earth's system but also revealing the climatic driving force and the process of desertification.
Marc Mallet, Aurore Voldoire, Fabien Solmon, Pierre Nabat, Thomas Drugé, and Romain Roehrig
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12509–12535, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12509-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12509-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the interactions between smoke aerosols and climate in tropical Africa using a coupled ocean–atmosphere–aerosol climate model. The work shows that smoke plumes have a significant impact by increasing the low-cloud fraction, decreasing the ocean and continental surface temperature and reducing the precipitation of coastal western Africa. It also highlights the role of the ocean temperature response and its feedbacks for the September–November season.
Jia Liu, Cancan Zhu, Donghui Zhou, and Jinbao Han
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12341–12354, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12341-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12341-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The hydrophilic coatings of aged black carbon (BC) particles absorb moisture during the hygroscopic growth process, but it is difficult to characterize how much water is absorbed under different relative humidities (RHs). In this study, we propose a method to obtain the water content in the coatings based on the equivalent complex refractive index retrieved from optical properties. This method is verified from a theoretical perspective, and it performs well for thickly coated BC at high RHs.
Catherine Anne Toolan, Joe Adabouk Amooli, Laura J. Wilcox, Bjørn H. Samset, Andrew G. Turner, and Daniel M. Westervelt
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3057, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3057, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our research explores how well air pollution and rainfall patterns in Africa are represented in current climate models, by comparing model data to observations from 1981 to 2023. While most models capture seasonal air quality changes well, they struggle to replicate the distribution of non-dust pollutants and certain rainfall patterns, especially over east Africa. Improving these models is crucial for better climate predictions and preparing for future risks.
Zijun Li, Angela Buchholz, and Noora Hyttinen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11717–11725, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11717-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11717-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Evaluating organosulfur (OS) hygroscopicity is important for assessing aerosol–cloud climate interactions in the post-fossil-fuel future, when SO2 emissions decrease and OS compounds become increasingly important. Here a state-of-the-art quantum-chemistry-based method was used to predict the hygroscopic growth factors (HGFs) of a group of atmospherically relevant OS compounds and their mixtures with (NH4)2SO4. A good agreement was observed between their model-estimated and experimental HGFs.
Jamie R. Banks, Bernd Heinold, and Kerstin Schepanski
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11451–11475, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11451-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11451-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Aralkum is a new desert in Central Asia formed by the desiccation of the Aral Sea. This has created a source of atmospheric dust, with implications for the balance of solar and thermal radiation. Simulating these effects using a dust transport model, we find that Aralkum dust adds radiative cooling effects to the surface and atmosphere on average but also adds heating events. Increases in surface pressure due to Aralkum dust strengthen the Siberian High and weaken the summer Asian heat low.
Xinyue Shao, Minghuai Wang, Xinyi Dong, Yaman Liu, Wenxiang Shen, Stephen R. Arnold, Leighton A. Regayre, Meinrat O. Andreae, Mira L. Pöhlker, Duseong S. Jo, Man Yue, and Ken S. Carslaw
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11365–11389, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11365-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11365-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) play an important role in atmospheric new particle formation (NPF). By semi-explicitly coupling the chemical mechanism of HOMs and a comprehensive nucleation scheme in a global climate model, the updated model shows better agreement with measurements of nucleation rate, growth rate, and NPF event frequency. Our results reveal that HOM-driven NPF leads to a considerable increase in particle and cloud condensation nuclei burden globally.
Falei Xu, Shuang Wang, Yan Li, and Juan Feng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10689–10705, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10689-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10689-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines how the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affect dust activities in North China during the following spring. The results show that the NAO and ENSO, particularly in their negative phases, greatly influence dust activities. When both are negative, their combined effect on dust activities is even greater. This research highlights the importance of these climate patterns in predicting spring dust activities in North China.
Hengheng Zhang, Wei Huang, Xiaoli Shen, Ramakrishna Ramisetty, Junwei Song, Olga Kiseleva, Christopher Claus Holst, Basit Khan, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10617–10637, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10617-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10617-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study unravels how stagnant winter conditions elevate aerosol levels in Stuttgart. Cloud cover at night plays a pivotal role, impacting morning air quality. Validating a key model, our findings aid accurate air quality predictions, crucial for effective pollution mitigation in urban areas.
Zixuan Jia, Massimo A. Bollasina, Wenjun Zhang, and Ying Xiang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2770, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2770, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using multi-model mean data from regional aerosol perturbation experiments, we find that increased Asian sulfate aerosols strengthen the link between ENSO and the East Asian winter monsoon. In coupled simulations, aerosol-induced broad cooling increases ENSO amplitude by affecting the tropical Pacific mean state, contributing to increase monsoon interannual variability. These results provide important implications to reduce uncertainties in future projections of regional extreme variability.
Giorgio Veratti, Alessandro Bigi, Michele Stortini, Sergio Teggi, and Grazia Ghermandi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10475–10512, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10475-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10475-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In a study of two consecutive winter seasons, we used measurements and modelling tools to identify the levels and sources of black carbon pollution in a medium-sized urban area of the Po Valley, Italy. Our findings show that biomass burning and traffic-related emissions (especially from Euro 4 diesel cars) significantly contribute to BC concentrations. This research offers crucial insights for policymakers and urban planners aiming to improve air quality in cities.
Steven Soon-Kai Kong, Joshua S. Fu, Neng-Huei Lin, Guey-Rong Sheu, and Wei-Syun Huang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2549, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2549, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The accuracy of the chemical transport model, a key focus of our research, is strongly dependent on the dry deposition parameterization. Our finding shows that the refined CMAQ dust model correlated well with the ground and high altitude in-situ measurements by implementing the suggested dry deposition schemes. Furthermore, we reveal the mixing state of two types of aerosols at the upper level, a finding supported by both the optimized model and measurement.
Pascal Lemaitre, Arnaud Quérel, Alexis Dépée, Alice Guerra Devigne, Marie Monier, Thibault Hiron, Chloé Soto Minguez, Daniel Hardy, and Andrea Flossmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9713–9732, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9713-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9713-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A new in-cloud scavenging scheme is proposed. It is based on a microphysical model of cloud formation and may be applied to long-distance atmospheric transport models (> 100 km) and climatic models. This model is applied to the two most extreme precipitating cloud types in terms of both relative humidity and vertical extension: cumulonimbus and stratus.
Cited articles
Ackerman, A. S., Toon, O. B., Stevens, D. E., Heymsfield, A. J., Ramanathan, V., and Welton, E. J.: Reduction of Tropical Cloudiness by Soot, Science, 288, 1042–1047, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.288.5468.1042, 2000.
Akhter, M. S., Chughtai, A. R., and Smith, D. M.: The Structure of Hexane Soot I: Spectroscopic Studies, Appl. Spectrosc., 39, 143–153, https://doi.org/10.1366/0003702854249114, 1985.
Andreae, M. O., Artaxo, P., Fischer, H., Freitas, S. R., Grégoire, J.-M., Hansel, A., Hoor, P., Kormann, R., Krejci, R., Lange, L., Lelieveld, J., Lindinger, W., Longo, K., Peters, W., de Reus, M., Scheeren, B., Silva Dias, M. A. F., Ström, J., van Velthoven, P. F. J., and Williams, J.: Transport of biomass burning smoke to the upper troposphere by deep convection in the equatorial region, Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 951–954, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000GL012391, 2001.
Arkoudeas, P., Kalligeros, S., Zannikos, F., Anastopoulos, G., Karonis, D., Korres, D., and Lois, E.: Study of using JP-8 aviation fuel and biodiesel in {CI} engines, Energ. Convers. Manage., 44, 1013–1025, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0196-8904(02)00112-7, 2003.
Arnott, W. P., Hamasha, K., Moosmüller, H., Sheridan, P. J., and Ogren, J. A.: Towards Aerosol Light-Absorption Measurements with a 7-Wavelength Aethalometer: Evaluation with a Photoacoustic Instrument and 3-Wavelength Nephelometer, Aerosol Sci. Tech., 39, 17–29, https://doi.org/10.1080/027868290901972, 2005.
Babu, S. S., Satheesh, S. K., and Moorthy, K. K.: Aerosol radiative forcing due to enhanced black carbon at an urban site in India, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 1880, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GL015826, 2002.
Babu, S. S., Satheesh, S. K., Moorthy, K. K., Dutt, C. B. S., Nair, V. S., Alappattu, D. P., and Kunhikrishnan, P. K.: Aircraft measurements of aerosol black carbon from a coastal location in the north-east part of peninsular India during ICARB, J. Earth Syst. Sci., 117, 263–271, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-008-0030-1, 2008.
Babu, S. S., Moorthy, K., and Satheesh, S.: Vertical and Horizontal Gradients in Aerosol Black Carbon and Its Mass Fraction to Composite Aerosols over the East Coast of Peninsular India from Aircraft Measurements, Adv. Meteorol., 2010, 812075, https://doi.org/10.1155/2010/812075, 2010.
Babu, S. S., Moorthy, K. K., Manchanda, R. K., Sinha, P. R., Satheesh, S. K., Vajja, D. P., Srinivasan, S., and Kumar, V. H. A.: Free tropospheric black carbon aerosol measurements using high altitude balloon: Do BC layers build “their own homes” up in the atmosphere?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L08803, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL046654, 2011.
Baumgardner, D., Kok, G., and Raga, G.: Warming of the Arctic lower stratosphere by light absorbing particles, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L06117, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GL018883, 2004.
Bekki, S.: On the possible role of aircraft-generated soot in the middle latitude ozone depletion, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 102, 10751–10758, https://doi.org/10.1029/97JD00134, 1997.
Blake, D. F. and Kato, K.: Latitudinal distribution of black carbon soot in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 100, 7195–7202, https://doi.org/10.1029/94JD03118, 1995.
Blakey, S., Rye, L., and Wilson, C. W.: Aviation gas turbine alternative fuels: A review, P. Combust. Inst., 33, 2863–2885, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2010.09.011, 2011.
Bond, T. C., Doherty, S. J., Fahey, D. W., Forster, P. M., Berntsen, T., DeAngelo, B. J., Flanner, M. G., Ghan, S., Kärcher, B., Koch, D., Kinne, S., Kondo, Y., Quinn, P. K., Sarofim, M. C., Schultz, M. G., Schulz, M., Venkataraman, C., Zhang, H., Zhang, S., Bellouin, N., Guttikunda, S. K., Hopke, P. K., Jacobson, M. Z., Kaiser, J. W., Klimont, Z., Lohmann, U., Schwarz, J. P., Shindell, D., Storelvmo, T., Warren, S. G., and Zender, C. S.: Bounding the role of black carbon in the climate system: A scientific assessment, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 118, 5380–5552, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50171, 2013.
Boucher, O., Randall, D., Artaxo, P., Bretherton, C., Feingold, G., Forster, P., Kerminen, V.-M., Y. Kondo Y., Liao, H., Lohmann, U., Rasch, P., Satheesh, S. K., Sherwood, S., Stevens, B., and Zhang, X. Y.: Clouds and Aerosols, in: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, edited by: Stocker, T. F., Qin, D., Plattner, G.-K., Tignor, M., Allen, S. K., Boschung, J., Nauels, A., Xia, Y., Bex, V., and Midgley, P. M., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 571–658, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.016, 2013.
Bourassa, A. E., Degenstein, D. A., Randel, W. J., Zawodny, J. M., Kyrölä, E., McLinden, C. A., Sioris, C. E., and Roth, C. Z.: Trends in stratospheric ozone derived from merged SAGE II and Odin-OSIRIS satellite observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 6983–6994, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-6983-2014, 2014.
CALIPSO: The extinction coefficient level 2 data, https://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/HBDOCS/langley_web_tool.html, last access: 8 August 2017.
Chakraborty, A., Satheesh, S. K., Nanjundiah, R. S., and Srinivasan, J.: Impact of absorbing aerosols on the simulation of climate over the Indian region in an atmospheric general circulation model, Ann. Geophys., 22, 1421–1434, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-22-1421-2004, 2004.
Chand, D., Schmid, O., Gwaze, P., Parmar, R. S., Helas, G., Zeromskiene, K., Wiedensohler, A., Massling, A., and Andreae, M. O.: Laboratory measurements of smoke optical properties from the burning of Indonesian peat and other types of biomass, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L12819, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL022678, 2005.
Chand, D., Wood, R., Anderson, T. L., Satheesh, S. K., and Charlson, R. J.: Satellite-derived direct radiative effect of aerosols dependent on cloud cover, Nat. Geosci., 2, 181–184, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo437, 2009.
Chin, M., Ginoux, P., Kinne, S., Torres, O., Holben, B. N., Duncan, B. N., Martin, R. V., Logan, J. A., Higurashi, A., and Nakajima, T.: Tropospheric aerosol optical thickness from the GOCART model and comparisons with satellite and Sun photometer measurements, J. Atmos. Sci., 59, 461–483, 2002.
Chuan, R. L. and Woods, D. C.: The appearance of carbon aerosol oarticles in the lower stratosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 11, 553–556, https://doi.org/10.1029/GL011i005p00553, 1984.
Chughtai, A. R., Kim, J. M., and Smith, D. M.: The Effect of Temperature and Humidity on the Reaction of Ozone with Combustion Soot: Implications for Reactivity near the Tropopause, J. Atmos. Chem., 45, 231–243, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024250505886, 2003.
Cookson, D. J. and Smith, B. E.: Calculation of jet and diesel fuel properties using carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy, Energ. Fuel., 4, 152–156, https://doi.org/10.1021/ef00020a004, 1990.
Corr, C. A., Ziemba, L. D., Scheuer, E., Anderson, B. E., Beyersdorf, A. J., Chen, G., Crosbie, E., Moore, R. H., Shook, M., Thornhill, K. L., Winstead, E., Lawson, R. P., Barth, M. C., Schroeder, J. R., Blake, D. R., and Dibb, J. E.: Observational evidence for the convective transport of dust over the Central United States, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 121, 1306–1319, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023789, 2016.
Corrigan, C. E., Ramanathan, V., and Schauer, J. J.: Impact of monsoon transitions on the physical and optical properties of aerosols, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 111, D18208, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JD006370, 2006.
Das, S. S., Venkat Ratnam, M., Uma, K. N., Patra, A. K., Subrahmanyam, K. V., Girach, I. A., Suneeth, K. V., Kumar, K. K., and Ramkumar, G.: Stratospheric intrusion into the troposphere during the tropical cyclone Nilam (2012), Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 142, 2168–2179, 2016.
de Laat, A. T. J., Stein Zweers, D. C., Boers, R., and Tuinder, O. N. E.: A solar escalator: Observational evidence of the self-lifting of smoke and aerosols by absorption of solar radiation in the February 2009 Australian Black Saturday plume, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 117, D04204, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD017016, 2012.
Disselkamp, R. S., Carpenter, M. A., Cowin, J. P., Berkowitz, C. M., Chapman, E. G., Zaveri, R. A., and Laulainen, N. S.: Ozone loss in soot aerosols, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 105, 9767–9771, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999JD901189, 2000.
Dudhia, J.: Numerical Study of Convection Observed during the Winter Monsoon Experiment Using a Mesoscale Two-Dimensional Model, J. Atmos. Sci., 105, 3077–3107, 1989.
Dusek, U., Frank, G. P., Helas, G., Iinuma, Y., Zeromskiene, K., Gwaze, P., Hennig, T., Massling, A., Schmid, O., Herrmann, H., Wiedensohler, A., and Andreae, M. O.: “Missing” cloud condensation nuclei in peat smoke, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L11802, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL022473, 2005.
Editorial: Green-sky thinking, Nature, 530, 253–253, https://doi.org/10.1038/530253a, 2016.
Emmons, L. K., Walters, S., Hess, P. G., Lamarque, J.-F., Pfister, G. G., Fillmore, D., Granier, C., Guenther, A., Kinnison, D., Laepple, T., Orlando, J., Tie, X., Tyndall, G., Wiedinmyer, C., Baughcum, S. L., and Kloster, S.: Description and evaluation of the Model for Ozone and Related chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4), Geosci. Model Dev., 3, 43–67, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-3-43-2010, 2010.
Fadnavis, S., Semeniuk, K., Pozzoli, L., Schultz, M. G., Ghude, S. D., Das, S., and Kakatkar, R.: Transport of aerosols into the UTLS and their impact on the Asian monsoon region as seen in a global model simulation, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 8771–8786, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-8771-2013, 2013.
Fan, J., Zhang, R., Tao, W.-K., and Mohr, K. I.: Effects of aerosol optical properties on deep convective clouds and radiative forcing, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 113, D08209, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD009257, 2008.
Freitas, S. R., Longo, K. M., Chatfield, R., Latham, D., Silva Dias, M. A. F., Andreae, M. O., Prins, E., Santos, J. C., Gielow, R., and Carvalho Jr., J. A.: Including the sub-grid scale plume rise of vegetation fires in low resolution atmospheric transport models, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 3385–3398, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-7-3385-2007, 2007.
Freitas, S. R., Longo, K. M., Alonso, M. F., Pirre, M., Marecal, V., Grell, G., Stockler, R., Mello, R. F., and Sánchez Gácita, M.: PREP-CHEM-SRC-1.0: a preprocessor of trace gas and aerosol emission fields for regional and global atmospheric chemistry models, Geosci. Model Dev., 4, 419–433, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-4-419-2011, 2011.
Fromm, M., Bevilacqua, R., Servranckx, R., Rosen, J., Thayer, J. P., Herman, J., and Larko, D.: Pyro-cumulonimbus injection of smoke to the stratosphere: Observations and impact of a super blowup in northwestern Canada on 3–4 August 1998, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 110, D08205, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JD005350, 2005.
Fu, R., Hu, Y., Wright, J. S., Jiang, J. H., Dickinson, R. E., Chen, M., Filipiak, M., Read, W. G., Waters, J. W., and Wu, D. L.: Short circuit of water vapor and polluted air to the global stratosphere by convective transport over the Tibetan Plateau, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 103, 5664–5669, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0601584103, 2006.
Fueglistaler, S., Dessler, A. E., Dunkerton, T. J., Folkins, I., Fu, Q., and Mote, P. W.: Tropical tropopause layer, Rev. Geophys., 47, RG1004, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008RG000267, 2009.
Gautam, R., Hsu, N. C., Lau, W. K.-M., and Yasunari, T. J.: Satellite observations of desert dust-induced Himalayan snow darkening, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 988–993, https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50226, 2013.
Gorkavyi, N., Rault, D. F., Newman, P. A., da Silva, A. M., and Dudorov, A. E.: New stratospheric dust belt due to the Chelyabinsk bolide, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 4728–4733, https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50788, 2013.
Govardhan, G., Nanjundiah, R. S., Satheesh, S. K., Moorthy, K. K., and Kotamarthi, V. R.: Performance of WRF-Chem over Indian region: Comparison with measurements, J. Earth Syst. Sci., 124, 875–896, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-015-0576-7, 2015.
Govardhan, G. R., Nanjundiah, R. S., Satheesh, S., Moorthy, K. K., and Takemura, T.: Inter-comparison and performance evaluation of chemistry transport models over Indian region, Atmos. Environ., 125, 486–504, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.10.065, 2016.
Hansen, A.: Magee Scientific Aethalometer User's Guide, Magee Sci., Berkeley, California, 56 pp., 1996.
Hansen, A.: The Aethalometer, Magee Sci., Berkeley, California, 2005.
Haywood, J. M. and Shine, K. P.: The effect of anthropogenic sulfate and soot aerosol on the clear sky planetary radiation budget, Geophys. Res. Lett., 22, 603–606, https://doi.org/10.1029/95GL00075, 1995.
Herndon, S. C., Jayne, J. T., Lobo, P., Onasch, T. B., Fleming, G., Hagen, D. E., Whitefield, P. D., and Miake-Lye, R. C.: Commercial Aircraft Engine Emissions Characterization of in-Use Aircraft at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Environ. Sci. Technol., 42, 1877–1883, https://doi.org/10.1021/es072029+, 2008.
Hess, M., Koepke, P., and Schult, I.: Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds: The Software Package OPAC, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 79, 831–844, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1998)079<0831:OPOAAC>2.0.CO;2, 1998.
Hong, S., Noh, Y., and Dudhia, J.: A New Vertical Diffusion Package with an Explicit Treatment of Entrainment Processes, Mon. Weather Rev., 134, 2318–2341, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2004)132<0519:EFOWPU>2.0.CO;2, 2006.
Hong, S.-Y.: A new stable boundary-layer mixing scheme and its impact on the simulated East Asian summer monsoon, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 136, 1481–1496, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.665, 2010.
Kamm, S., Möhler, O., Naumann, K.-H., Saathoff, H., and Schurath, U.: The heterogeneous reaction of ozone with soot aerosol, Atmos. Environ., 33, 4651–4661, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(99)00235-6, 1999.
Kane, R.: Is ozone depletion really recovering?, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 70, 1455–1459, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2008.04.012, 2008.
Kane, R.: Ozone depletion, worst not yet over, Indian J. Radio Space Phys., 38, 313–316, 2009.
Klekociuk, A. R., Brown, P. G., Pack, D. W., ReVelle, D. O., Edwards, W. N., Spalding, R. E., Tagliaferri, E., Yoo, B. B., and Zagari, J.: Meteoritic dust from the atmospheric disintegration of a large meteoroid, Nature, 436, 1132–1135, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03881, 2005.
Kompalli, S., Babu, S. S., Bharatan, L. N., and Moorthy, K. K.: Spring-time enhancement in aerosol burden over a high-altitude location in western trans-Himalaya: results from long-term observations, Curr. Sci. India, 111, 117–131, https://doi.org/10.18520/cs/v111/i1/117-131, 2016.
Kremser, S., Thomason, L. W., von Hobe, M., Hermann, M., Deshler, T., Timmreck, C., Toohey, M., Stenke, A., Schwarz, J. P., Weigel, R., Fueglistaler, S., Prata, F. J., Vernier, J.-P., Schlager, H., Barnes, J. E., Antuña-Marrero, J.-C., Fairlie, D., Palm, M., Mahieu, E., Notholt, J., Rex, M., Bingen, C., Vanhellemont, F., Bourassa, A., Plane, J. M. C., Klocke, D., Carn, S. A., Clarisse, L., Trickl, T., Neely, R., James, A. D., Rieger, L., Wilson, J. C., and Meland, B.: Stratospheric aerosol-Observations, processes, and impact on climate, Rev. Geophys., 54, 278–335, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015RG000511, 2016.
Kuhlbusch, T. A. J., Andreae, M. O., Cachier, H., Goldammer, J. G., Lacaux, J.-P., Shea, R., and Crutzen, P. J.: Black carbon formation by savanna fires: Measurements and implications for the global carbon cycle, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 101, 23651–23665, https://doi.org/10.1029/95JD02199, 1996.
Kumar, R., Barth, M. C., Pfister, G. G., Nair, V. S., Ghude, S. D., and Ojha, N.: What controls the seasonal cycle of black carbon aerosols in India?, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 120, 7788–7812, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023298, 2015.
Kwan, I. and Rutherford, D.: Transatlantic airline fuel efficiency ranking, 2014, The International Council on Clean Transportation, http://www.theicct.org/transatlantic-airline-efficiency-2014 (last access: 8 August 2017), 2015.
Lamarque, J.-F., Bond, T. C., Eyring, V., Granier, C., Heil, A., Klimont, Z., Lee, D., Liousse, C., Mieville, A., Owen, B., Schultz, M. G., Shindell, D., Smith, S. J., Stehfest, E., Van Aardenne, J., Cooper, O. R., Kainuma, M., Mahowald, N., McConnell, J. R., Naik, V., Riahi, K., and van Vuuren, D. P.: Historical (1850–2000) gridded anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions of reactive gases and aerosols: methodology and application, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 7017–7039, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-7017-2010, 2010.
Lau, K., Kim, M., and Kim, K.: Asian summer monsoon anomalies induced by aerosol direct forcing: the role of the Tibetan Plateau, Clim. Dynam., 26, 855–864, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-006-0114-z, 2006.
Lau, W. K. M., Kim, M.-K., Kim, K.-M., and Lee, W.-S.: Enhanced surface warming and accelerated snow melt in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau induced by absorbing aerosols, Environ. Res. Lett., 5, 025204, http://stacks.iop.org/1748-9326/5/i=2/a=025204 (last access: 8 August 2017), 2010.
Liou, K.-N.: An introduction to atmospheric radiation, Academic press, vol. 84, 2002.
Mackinnon, I. D. R., McKay, D. S., Nace, G., and Isaacs, A. M.: Classification of the Johnson Space Center stratospheric dust collection, J. Geophys. Res.-Solid, 87, A413–A421, https://doi.org/10.1029/JB087iS01p0A413, 1982.
Meenu, S., Rajeev, K., Parameswaran, K., and Nair, A. K. M.: Regional distribution of deep clouds and cloud top altitudes over the Indian subcontinent and the surrounding oceans, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 115, D05205, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD011802, 2010.
Mlawer, E. J., Taubman, S. J., Brown, P. D., Iacono, M. J., and Clough, S. A.: Radiative transfer for inhomogeneous atmospheres: RRTM, a validated correlated-k model for the longwave, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 102, 16663–16682, https://doi.org/10.1029/97JD00237, 1997.
Moorthy, K. K., Babu, S. S., Sunilkumar, S. V., Gupta, P. K., and Gera, B. S.: Altitude profiles of aerosol BC, derived from aircraft measurements over an inland urban location in India, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L22103, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL021336, 2004.
Nair, V., Babu, S. S., Moorthy, K. K., Sharma, A., Marinoni, A., and Ajai: Black carbon aerosols over the Himalayas: direct and surface albedo forcing, Tellus B, 65, 19738, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v65i0.19738, 2013.
Nair, V. S., Babu, S. S., Gogoi, M. M., and Moorthy, K. K.: Large-scale enhancement in aerosol absorption in the lower free troposphere over continental India during spring, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 11453–11461, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070669, 2016.
Okada, K., Ikegami, M., Uchino, O., Nikaidou, Y., Zaizen, Y., Tsutsumi, Y., and Makino, Y.: Extremely high proportions of soot particles in the upper troposphere over Japan, Geophys. Res. Lett., 19, 921–924, https://doi.org/10.1029/92GL00487, 1992.
Olivier, J. G. J., Bouwman, A., Berdowski, J., Veldt, C., Bloos, J., Visschedijk, A., Zandveld, P., Haverlag, J. L.: Description of EDGAR Version 2.0: A set of global emission inventories of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances for all anthropogenic and most natural sources on a per country basis and on 1 degree x 1 degree grid, Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu RIVM, 1996.
Onasch, T. B., Jayne, J. T., Herndon, S., Worsnop, D. R., Miake-Lye, R. C., Mortimer, I. P., and Anderson, B. E.: Chemical Properties of Aircraft Engine Particulate Exhaust Emissions, J. Propul. Power, 25, 1121–1137, https://doi.org/10.2514/1.36371, 2009.
Outcalt, S., Laesecke, A., and Freund, M. B.: Density and Speed of Sound Measurements of Jet A and S-8 Aviation Turbine Fuels, Energ. Fuel., 23, 1626–1633, https://doi.org/10.1021/ef800888q, 2009.
Paraschis, Y. and Gittens, A.: Annual Report 2013, The Voice of the World's Airports, Airports Council International, http://www.aci.aero/Publications/Full-Publications-Listing (last access: 8 August 2017), 2014.
Petzold, A. and Schönlinner, M.: Multi-angle absorption photometry – a new method for the measurement of aerosol light absorption and atmospheric black carbon, J. Aerosol Sci., 35, 421–441, https://doi.org//10.1016/j.jaerosci.2003.09.005, 2004.
Petzold, A., Ogren, J. A., Fiebig, M., Laj, P., Li, S.-M., Baltensperger, U., Holzer-Popp, T., Kinne, S., Pappalardo, G., Sugimoto, N., Wehrli, C., Wiedensohler, A., and Zhang, X.-Y.: Recommendations for reporting “black carbon” measurements, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 8365–8379, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-8365-2013, 2013.
Piccolo, F. and Gittens, A.: Annual Report 2014, The Voice of the World's Airports, Airports Council International, http://www.aci.aero/Publications/Full-Publications-Listing (last access: 8 August 2017), 2015.
Piccolo, F. and Gittens, A.: Annual Report 2015, The Voice of the World's Airports, Airports Council International, http://www.aci.aero/Publications/Full-Publications-Listing (last access: 8 August 2017), 2016.
Prijith, S., Babu, S. S., Lakshmi, N., Satheesh, S., and Moorthy, K. K.: Meridional gradients in aerosol vertical distribution over Indian Mainland: Observations and model simulations, Atmos. Environ. Pt. B, 125, 337–345, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.10.066, 2016.
Pusechel, R. F., Blake, D. F., Snetsinger, K. G., Hansen, A. D. A., Verma, S., and Kato, K.: Black carbon (soot) aerosol in the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 19, 1659–1662, https://doi.org/10.1029/92GL01801, 1992.
Pueschel, R. F., Boering, K. A., Verma, S., Howard, S. D., Ferry, G. V., Goodman, J., Allen, D. A., and Hamill, P.: Soot aerosol in the lower stratosphere: Pole-to-pole variability and contributions by aircraft, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 102, 13113–13118, https://doi.org/10.1029/96JD03061, 1997.
Qian, Y., Flanner, M. G., Leung, L. R., and Wang, W.: Sensitivity studies on the impacts of Tibetan Plateau snowpack pollution on the Asian hydrological cycle and monsoon climate, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 1929–1948, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-1929-2011,, 2011.
Ramanathan, V. and Carmichael, G.: Global and regional climate changes due to black carbon, Nat. Geosci., 1, 221–227, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo156, 2008.
Ramanathan, V., Chung, C., Kim, D., Bettge, T., Buja, L., Kiehl, J., Washington, W., Fu, Q., Sikka, D., and Wild, M.: Atmospheric brown clouds: Impacts on South Asian climate and hydrological cycle, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 102, 5326–5333, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0500656102, 2005.
Ramanathan, V., Ramana, M. V., Roberts, G., Kim, D., Corrigan, C., Chung, C., and Winker, D.: Warming trends in Asia amplified by brown cloud solar absorption, Nature, 448, 575–578, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06019, 2007.
Randel, W. J., Park, M., Emmons, L., Kinnison, D., Bernath, P., Walker, K. A., Boone, C., and Pumphrey, H.: Asian Monsoon Transport of Pollution to the Stratosphere, Science, 328, 611–613, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1182274, 2010.
Rao, T., Uma, K. N., Narayana Rao, D., and Fukao, S.: Understanding the transportation process of tropospheric air entering the stratosphere from direct vertical air motion measurements over Gadanki and Kototabang, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L15805, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL034220, 2008.
Ricchiazzi, P., Yang, S., Gautier, C., and Sowle, D.: SBDART: A Research and Teaching Software Tool for Plane-Parallel Radiative Transfer in the Earth's Atmosphere, Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 79, 2101–2114, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1998)079<2101:SARATS>2.0.CO;2, 1998.
Satheesh, S. and Moorthy, K. K.: Radiative effects of natural aerosols: A review, Atmos. Environ., 39, 2089–2110, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2004.12.029, 2005.
Satheesh, S. and Ramanathan, V.: Large differences in tropical aerosol forcing at the top of the atmosphere and Earth's surface, Nature, 405, 60–63, https://doi.org/10.1038/35011039, 2000.
Satheesh, S., Moorthy, K. K., and Srinivasan, J.: New Directions: Elevated layers of anthropogenic aerosols aggravate stratospheric ozone loss?, Atmos. Environ., 79, 879–882, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.07.052, 2013.
Satheesh, S. K., Vinoj, V., and Moorthy, K. K.: Vertical distribution of aerosols over an urban continental site in India inferred using a micro pulse lidar, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L20816, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027729, 2006.
Satheesh, S. K., Moorthy, K. K., Babu, S. S., Vinoj, V., and Dutt, C. B. S.: Climate implications of large warming by elevated aerosol over India, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L19809, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL034944, 2008.
Schultz, M., Backman, L., Balkanski, Y., Bjoerndalsaeter, S., Brand, R., Burrows, J., Dalsoeren, S., de Vasconcelos, M., Grodtmann, B., Hauglustaine, D., Heil, A., Hoelzemann, J., Isaksen, I., Kaurola, J., Knorr, W., Ladstaetter-Weißenmayer, A., Mota, B., Oom, D., Pacyna, J., Panasiuk, D., Pereira, J., Pulles, T., Pyle, J., Rast, S., Richter, A., Savage, N., Schnadt, C., Schulz, M., Spessa, A., Staehelin J., Sundet, J., Szopa, S., Thonicke, K., van het Bolscher, M., van Noije, T., van Velthoven, P., Vik, A, and Wittrock, F.: REanalysis of the TROpospheric chemical composition over the past 40 years (RETRO)–A long-term global modeling study of tropospheric chemistry, Final Report, Jülich/Hamburg, Germany, 2007.
Schurath, U. and Naumann, K.: Heterogeneous processes involving atmospheric particulate matter, Pure Appl. Chem., 70, 1353–1361, https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199870071353, 1998.
Schwarz, J. P., Gao, R. S., Fahey, D. W., Thomson, D. S., Watts, L. A., Wilson, J. C., Reeves, J. M., Darbeheshti, M., Baumgardner, D. G., Kok, G. L., Chung, S. H., Schulz, M., Hendricks, J., Lauer, A., Kärcher, B., Slowik, J. G., Rosenlof, K. H., Thompson, T. L., Langford, A. O., Loewenstein, M., and Aikin, K. C.: Single-particle measurements of midlatitude black carbon and light-scattering aerosols from the boundary layer to the lower stratosphere, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 111, D16207, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD007076, 2006.
Sheridan, P. J., Brock, C. A., and Wilson, J. C.: Aerosol particles in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere: Elemental composition and morphology of individual particles in northern midlatitudes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 21, 2587–2590, https://doi.org/10.1029/94GL01387, 1994.
Sheridan, P. J., Arnott, W. P., Ogren, J. A., Andrews, E., Atkinson, D. B., Covert, D. S., Moosmüller, H., Petzold, A., Schmid, B., Strawa, A. W., Varma, R., and Virkkula, A.: The Reno Aerosol Optics Study: An Evaluation of Aerosol Absorption Measurement Methods, Aerosol Sci. Tech., 39, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.1080/027868290901891, 2005.
Smirnova, T. G., Brown, J. M., and Benjamin, S. G.: Performance of Different Soil Model Configurations in Simulating Ground Surface Temperature and Surface Fluxes, Mon. Weather Rev., 125, 1870–1884, 1997.
Smirnova, T. G., Brown, J. M., Benjamin, S. G., and Kim, D.: Parameterization of cold-season processes in the MAPS land-surface scheme, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 105, 4077–4086, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999JD901047, 2000.
Snetsinger, K. G., Ferry, G. V., Russell, P. B., Pueschel, R. F., Oberbeck, V. R., Hayes, D. M., and Fong, W.: Effects of El Chichón on stratospheric aerosols late 1982 to early 1984, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 92, 14761–14771, https://doi.org/10.1029/JD092iD12p14761, 1987.
Stettler, M., Eastham, S., and Barrett, S.: Air quality and public health impacts of {UK} airports, Part I: Emissions, Atmos. Environ., 45, 5415–5424, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.07.012, 2011.
Stettler, M. E. J., Boies, A. M., Petzold, A., and Barrett, S. R. H.: Global Civil Aviation Black Carbon Emissions, Environ. Sci. Technol. 47, 10397–10404, https://doi.org/10.1021/es401356v, 2013.
Strawa, A. W., Drdla, K., Ferry, G. V., Verma, S., Pueschel, R. F., Yasuda, M., Salawitch, R. J., Gao, R. S., Howard, S. D., Bui, P. T., Loewenstein, M., Elkins, J. W., Perkins, K. K., and Cohen, R.: Carbonaceous aerosol (soot) measured in the lower stratosphere during POLARIS and its role in stratospheric photochemistry, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 104, 26753–26766, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999JD900453, 1999.
Sunilkumar, S. V., Babu, A., and Parameswaran, K.: Mean structure of the tropical tropopause and its variability over the Indian longitude sector, Clim. Dynam., 40, 1125–1140, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-012-1496-8, 2013.
Thampi, B. V., Parameswaran, K., and Sunilkumar, S.: Semitransparent cirrus clouds in the upper troposphere and their contribution to the particulate scattering in the tropical {UTLS} region, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 74, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2011.09.005, 2012.
Thompson, G., Rasmussen, R. M., and Manning, K.: Explicit forecasts of winter precipitation using an improved bulk microphysics scheme, Part I: Description and sensitivity analysis, Mon. Weather Rev., 132, 519–542, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2004)132<0519:EFOWPU>2.0.CO;2, 2004.
Timko, M. T., Onasch, T. B., Northway, M. J., Jayne, J. T., Canagaratna, M. R., Herndon, S. C., Wood, E. C., Miake-Lye, R. C., and Knighton, W. B.: Gas Turbine Engine Emissions – Part II: Chemical Properties of Particulate 061505, https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4000132, 2010.
Turco, R. P., Toon, O. B., Hamill, P., and Whitten, R. C.: Effects of meteoric debris on stratospheric aerosols and gases, J. Geophys. Res.-Ocean., 86, 1113–1128, https://doi.org/10.1029/JC086iC02p01113, 1981.
Uma, K. N., Kumar, K. K., Shankar Das, S., Rao, T. N., and Satyanarayana, T. M.: On the Vertical Distribution of Mean Vertical Velocities in the Convective Regions during the Wet and Dry Spells of the Monsoon over Gadanki, Mon. Weather Rev., 140, 398–410, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-11-00044.1, 2012.
Vernier, J.-P., Thomason, L. W., and Kar, J.: CALIPSO detection of an Asian tropopause aerosol layer, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L07804, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL046614, 2011.
Weingartner, E., Saathoff, H., Schnaiter, M., Streit, N., Bitnar, B., and Baltensperger, U.: Absorption of light by soot particles: determination of the absorption coefficient by means of aethalometers, J. Aerosol Sci., 34, 1445–1463, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-8502(03)00359-8, 2003.
Wiedinmyer, C., Akagi, S. K., Yokelson, R. J., Emmons, L. K., Al-Saadi, J. A., Orlando, J. J., and Soja, A. J.: The Fire INventory from NCAR (FINN): a high resolution global model to estimate the emissions from open burning, Geosci. Model Dev., 4, 625–641, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-4-625-2011, 2011.
Wild, O., Zhu, X., and Prather, M.: Fast-J: Accurate Simulation of In- and Below-Cloud Photolysis in Tropospheric Chemical Models, J. Atmos. Chem., 37, 245–282, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006415919030, 2000.
Yasunari, T. J., Bonasoni, P., Laj, P., Fujita, K., Vuillermoz, E., Marinoni, A., Cristofanelli, P., Duchi, R., Tartari, G., and Lau, K.-M.: Estimated impact of black carbon deposition during pre-monsoon season from Nepal Climate Observatory – Pyramid data and snow albedo changes over Himalayan glaciers, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 6603–6615, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-6603-2010, 2010.
Short summary
Using a model, we show that black carbon emissions from aircraft are most likely responsible for the observed high-altitude BC layers over the Indian region. Our analysis of model simulations and CALIPSO data shows that such aircraft-emitted BC layers can be vertically transported into the UTLS region upon their interaction with the underlying strong monsoonal convection. Such lifted BC layers, which intrude into the stratosphere, can potentially harm the stratospheric ozone layer.
Using a model, we show that black carbon emissions from aircraft are most likely responsible for...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint