Articles | Volume 22, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12675-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12675-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
29 Sep 2022
Research article |
| 29 Sep 2022
| 29 Sep 2022
Exploring the inorganic composition of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer using medium-duration balloon flights
Hazel Vernier
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace
(LPC2E), Université d'Orléans, Orléans, France
Neeraj Rastogi
Geosciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
Hongyu Liu
National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, VA, USA
Science Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
Amit Kumar Pandit
National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, VA, USA
Kris Bedka
Science Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
Anil Patel
Geosciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
Madineni Venkat Ratnam
National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Department of Space, Gadanki, India
Buduru Suneel Kumar
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Balloon Facility (TIFR-BF), Hyderabad, India
National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, VA, USA
Harish Gadhavi
Geosciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
Frank Wienhold
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (IAC), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Gwenael Berthet
Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace
(LPC2E), Université d'Orléans, Orléans, France
Jean-Paul Vernier
National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, VA, USA
Science Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
Related authors
Hazel Vernier, Demilson Quintão, Bruno Biazon, Eduardo Landulfo, Giovanni Souza, V. Amanda Santos, J. S. Fabio Lopes, C. P. Alex Mendes, A. S. José da Matta, K. Pinheiro Damaris, Benoit Grosslin, P. M. P. Maria Jorge, Maria de Fátima Andrade, Neeraj Rastogi, Akhil Raj, Hongyu Liu, Mahesh Kovilakam, Suvarna Fadnavis, Frank G. Wienhold, Mathieu Colombier, D. Chris Boone, Gwenael Berthet, Nicolas Dumelie, Lilian Joly, and Jean-Paul Vernier
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-924, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-924, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
The eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai injected large amounts of water vapor and sea salt into the stratosphere, altering traditional views of volcanic aerosols. Using balloon-borne samplers, we collected aerosol samples and found high levels of sea salt and calcium, suggesting sulfate depletion due to gypsum formation. These findings highlight the need to consider sea salt in climate models to better predict volcanic impacts on the atmosphere and climate.
Ashutosh K. Shukla, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Shamitaksha Talukdar, Vishnu Murari, Sreenivas Gaddamidi, Manousos-Ioannis Manousakas, Vipul Lalchandani, Kuldeep Dixit, Vinayak M. Ruge, Peeyush Khare, Mayank Kumar, Vikram Singh, Neeraj Rastogi, Suresh Tiwari, Atul K. Srivastava, Dilip Ganguly, Kaspar Rudolf Daellenbach, and André S. H. Prévôt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3765–3784, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3765-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3765-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our study delves into the elemental composition of aerosols at three sites across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), revealing distinct patterns during pollution episodes. We found significant increases in chlorine (Cl)-rich and solid fuel combustion (SFC) sources, indicating dynamic emission sources, agricultural burning impacts, and meteorological influences. Surges in Cl-rich particles during cold periods highlight their role in particle growth under high-relative-humidity conditions.
Hazel Vernier, Demilson Quintão, Bruno Biazon, Eduardo Landulfo, Giovanni Souza, V. Amanda Santos, J. S. Fabio Lopes, C. P. Alex Mendes, A. S. José da Matta, K. Pinheiro Damaris, Benoit Grosslin, P. M. P. Maria Jorge, Maria de Fátima Andrade, Neeraj Rastogi, Akhil Raj, Hongyu Liu, Mahesh Kovilakam, Suvarna Fadnavis, Frank G. Wienhold, Mathieu Colombier, D. Chris Boone, Gwenael Berthet, Nicolas Dumelie, Lilian Joly, and Jean-Paul Vernier
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-924, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-924, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
The eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai injected large amounts of water vapor and sea salt into the stratosphere, altering traditional views of volcanic aerosols. Using balloon-borne samplers, we collected aerosol samples and found high levels of sea salt and calcium, suggesting sulfate depletion due to gypsum formation. These findings highlight the need to consider sea salt in climate models to better predict volcanic impacts on the atmosphere and climate.
Marion Ranaivombola, Nelson Bègue, Lucas Vaz Peres, Farahnaz Fazel-Rastgar, Venkataraman Sivakumar, Gisèle Krysztofiak, Gwenaël Berthet, Fabrice Jegou, Stuart Piketh, and Hassan Bencherif
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3519–3540, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3519-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3519-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
From September to October 2022, the Biomass Burning Aerosol Campaign (BiBAC) in Kruger National Park revealed a significant aerosol loading linked to biomass burning activity, with southeastward transport over southern Africa and the southwestern Indian Ocean (SWIO) basin. The study revealed a predominance of biomass burning aerosols and two distinct transport mechanisms of aerosol plumes and CO, underscoring the importance of east-coast observations in understanding atmospheric dynamics.
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.
Prashant Chavan, Suvarna Fadnavis, Anton Laakso, Jean-Paul Vernier, Simone Tilmes, and Rolf Müller
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3825, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3825, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our simulations with volcanoes, when compared without volcanoes, show that volcanic aerosol precursors enter the tropical stratosphere, propagating upward and enhancing sulphate aerosol and heating. This stratospheric heating caused by the volcanoes reduces the amplitude of the QBO and disrupts its phases. Since QBO also modulates tropical convection and weather, we suggest including volcanic emissions and the QBO in the weather prediction model for a better forecast.
Amit Kumar Pandit, Jean-Paul Vernier, Thomas Duncan Fairlie, Kristopher M. Bedka, Melody A. Avery, Harish Gadhavi, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Sanjeev Dwivedi, Kasimahanthi Amar Jyothi, Frank G. Wienhold, Holger Vömel, Hongyu Liu, Bo Zhang, Buduru Suneel Kumar, Tra Dinh, and Achuthan Jayaraman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 14209–14238, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14209-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14209-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the formation mechanism of a tropopause cirrus cloud layer observed at extremely cold temperatures over Hyderabad in India during the 2017 Asian summer monsoon using balloon-borne sensors. Ice crystals smaller than 50 µm were found in this optically thin cirrus cloud layer. Combined analysis of back trajectories, satellite, and model data revealed that the formation of this layer was influenced by waves and stratospheric hydration induced by typhoon Hato.
Harish Shivraj Gadhavi, Akanksha Arora, Chaithanya Jain, Mahesh Kumar Sha, Frank Hase, Matthias Frey, Srikanthan Ramachandran, and Achuthan Jayaraman
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-167, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-167, 2024
Preprint under review for AMT
Short summary
Short summary
We used a ground-based Fourier Transform Spectrometer to measure columnar greenhouse gas mixing ratios and validate methane observations from the GOSAT satellite and carbon dioxide observations from GOSAT and OCO-2 over India. Both satellites provide high precision and accuracy, making them suitable for emission flux estimates. Simulations using a Lagrangian dispersion model showed that background mixing ratio variations play a larger role than local source changes.
Vadassery Neelamana Santhosh, Bomidi Lakshmi Madhavan, Sivan Thankamani Akhil Raj, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Jean-Paul Vernier, and Frank Gunther Wienhold
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2861, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2861, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study examines a lesser-known atmospheric feature, the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer, located high above Earth. We investigated how different aerosols, such as sulfates, nitrates, and pollutants, influence heat entering and leaving the atmosphere. The results show that these particles can alter temperature patterns, especially during the Asian summer monsoon. This research improves our understanding of how human activities may affect regional climate.
Nelson Bègue, Alexandre Baron, Gisèle Krysztofiak, Gwenaël Berthet, Corinna Kloss, Fabrice Jégou, Sergey Khaykin, Marion Ranaivombola, Tristan Millet, Thierry Portafaix, Valentin Duflot, Philippe Keckhut, Hélène Vérèmes, Guillaume Payen, Mahesh Kumar Sha, Pierre-François Coheur, Cathy Clerbaux, Michaël Sicard, Tetsu Sakai, Richard Querel, Ben Liley, Dan Smale, Isamu Morino, Osamu Uchino, Tomohiro Nagai, Penny Smale, John Robinson, and Hassan Bencherif
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8031–8048, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8031-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8031-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
During the 2020 austral summer, the pristine atmosphere of the southwest Indian Ocean basin experienced significant perturbations. Numerical models indicated that the lower-stratospheric aerosol content was influenced by the intense and persistent stratospheric aerosol layer generated during the 2019–2020 extreme Australian bushfire events. Ground-based observations at Réunion confirmed the simultaneous presence of African and Australian aerosol layers.
Antonio Giordani, Michael Kunz, Kristopher M. Bedka, Heinz Jürgen Punge, Tiziana Paccagnella, Valentina Pavan, Ines M. L. Cerenzia, and Silvana Di Sabatino
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2331–2357, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2331-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2331-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
To improve the challenging representation of hazardous hailstorms, a proxy for hail frequency based on satellite detections, convective parameters from high-resolution reanalysis, and crowd-sourced reports is tested and presented. Hail likelihood peaks in mid-summer at 15:00 UTC over northern Italy and shows improved agreement with observations compared to previous estimates. By separating ambient signatures based on hail severity, enhanced appropriateness for large-hail occurrence is found.
Hengheng Zhang, Christian Rolf, Ralf Tillmann, Christian Wesolek, Frank Gunther Wienhold, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Aerosol Research, 2, 135–151, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-135-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-135-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study employs advanced tools, including scanning lidar, balloons, and UAVs, to explore aerosol particles in the atmosphere. The scanning lidar offers distinctive near-ground-level insights, enriching our comprehension of aerosol distribution from ground level to the free troposphere. This research provides valuable data for comparing remote sensing and in situ aerosol measurements, advancing our understanding of aerosol impacts on radiative transfer, clouds, and air quality.
Jean-Paul Vernier, Thomas J. Aubry, Claudia Timmreck, Anja Schmidt, Lieven Clarisse, Fred Prata, Nicolas Theys, Andrew T. Prata, Graham Mann, Hyundeok Choi, Simon Carn, Richard Rigby, Susan C. Loughlin, and John A. Stevenson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5765–5782, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5765-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5765-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The 2019 Raikoke eruption (Kamchatka, Russia) generated one of the largest emissions of particles and gases into the stratosphere since the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The Volcano Response (VolRes) initiative, an international effort, provided a platform for the community to share information about this eruption and assess its climate impact. The eruption led to a minor global surface cooling of 0.02 °C in 2020 which is negligible relative to warming induced by human greenhouse gas emissions.
Piyushkumar N. Patel, Jonathan H. Jiang, Ritesh Gautam, Harish Gadhavi, Olga Kalashnikova, Michael J. Garay, Lan Gao, Feng Xu, and Ali Omar
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2861–2883, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2861-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2861-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Global measurements of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are essential for understanding aerosol–cloud interactions and predicting climate change. To address this gap, we introduced a remote sensing algorithm that retrieves vertically resolved CCN number concentrations from airborne and spaceborne lidar systems. This innovation offers a global distribution of CCN concentrations from space, facilitating model evaluation and precise quantification of aerosol climate forcing.
Yaowei Li, Corey Pedersen, John Dykema, Jean-Paul Vernier, Sandro Vattioni, Amit Kumar Pandit, Andrea Stenke, Elizabeth Asher, Troy Thornberry, Michael A. Todt, Thao Paul Bui, Jonathan Dean-Day, and Frank N. Keutsch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15351–15364, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15351-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15351-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In 2021, the eruption of La Soufrière released sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, resulting in a spread of volcanic aerosol over the Northern Hemisphere. We conducted extensive aircraft and balloon-borne measurements after that, revealing enhanced particle concentration and altered size distribution due to the eruption. The eruption's impact on ozone depletion was minimal, contributing ~0.6 %, and its global radiative forcing effect was modest, mainly affecting tropical and midlatitude areas.
Minjie Zheng, Hongyu Liu, Florian Adolphi, Raimund Muscheler, Zhengyao Lu, Mousong Wu, and Nønne L. Prisle
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 7037–7057, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-7037-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-7037-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The radionuclides 7Be and 10Be are useful tracers for atmospheric transport studies. Here we use the GEOS-Chem to simulate 7Be and 10Be with different production rates: the default production rate in GEOS-Chem and two from the state-of-the-art beryllium production model. We demonstrate that reduced uncertainties in the production rates can enhance the utility of 7Be and 10Be as tracers for evaluating transport and scavenging processes in global models.
Sophie L. Haslett, David M. Bell, Varun Kumar, Jay G. Slowik, Dongyu S. Wang, Suneeti Mishra, Neeraj Rastogi, Atinderpal Singh, Dilip Ganguly, Joel Thornton, Feixue Zheng, Yuanyuan Li, Wei Nie, Yongchun Liu, Wei Ma, Chao Yan, Markku Kulmala, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, David Hadden, Urs Baltensperger, Andre S. H. Prevot, Sachchida N. Tripathi, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9023–9036, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9023-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9023-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In Delhi, some aspects of daytime and nighttime atmospheric chemistry are inverted, and parodoxically, vehicle emissions may be limiting other forms of particle production. This is because the nighttime emissions of nitrogen oxide (NO) by traffic and biomass burning prevent some chemical processes that would otherwise create even more particles and worsen the urban haze.
Armin Sorooshian, Mikhail D. Alexandrov, Adam D. Bell, Ryan Bennett, Grace Betito, Sharon P. Burton, Megan E. Buzanowicz, Brian Cairns, Eduard V. Chemyakin, Gao Chen, Yonghoon Choi, Brian L. Collister, Anthony L. Cook, Andrea F. Corral, Ewan C. Crosbie, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Sanja Dmitrovic, Eva-Lou Edwards, Marta A. Fenn, Richard A. Ferrare, David van Gilst, Johnathan W. Hair, David B. Harper, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Chris A. Hostetler, Nathan Jester, Michael Jones, Simon Kirschler, Mary M. Kleb, John M. Kusterer, Sean Leavor, Joseph W. Lee, Hongyu Liu, Kayla McCauley, Richard H. Moore, Joseph Nied, Anthony Notari, John B. Nowak, David Painemal, Kasey E. Phillips, Claire E. Robinson, Amy Jo Scarino, Joseph S. Schlosser, Shane T. Seaman, Chellappan Seethala, Taylor J. Shingler, Michael A. Shook, Kenneth A. Sinclair, William L. Smith Jr., Douglas A. Spangenberg, Snorre A. Stamnes, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Christiane Voigt, Holger Vömel, Andrzej P. Wasilewski, Hailong Wang, Edward L. Winstead, Kira Zeider, Xubin Zeng, Bo Zhang, Luke D. Ziemba, and Paquita Zuidema
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3419–3472, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3419-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3419-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The NASA Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment (ACTIVATE) produced a unique dataset for research into aerosol–cloud–meteorology interactions. HU-25 Falcon and King Air aircraft conducted systematic and spatially coordinated flights over the northwest Atlantic Ocean. This paper describes the ACTIVATE flight strategy, instrument and complementary dataset products, data access and usage details, and data application notes.
Heinz Jürgen Punge, Kristopher M. Bedka, Michael Kunz, Sarah D. Bang, and Kyle F. Itterly
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1549–1576, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1549-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1549-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We have estimated the probability of hail events in South Africa using a combination of satellite observations, reanalysis, and insurance claims data. It is found that hail is mainly concentrated in the southeast. Multivariate stochastic modeling of event characteristics, such as multiple events per day or track dimensions, provides an event catalogue for 25 000 years. This can be used to estimate hail risk for return periods of 200 years, as required by insurance companies.
Corey E. Clapp, Jessica B. Smith, Kristopher M. Bedka, and James G. Anderson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3279–3298, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3279-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3279-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Convection in the Asian monsoon provides an important pathway for the transport of boundary layer and tropospheric air, and potentially pollution and chemically active species, into the stratosphere. We analyzed the distribution of the fastest and deepest convection with geostationary satellite detections for the months of May through October of 2017. We find significant differences in the geographic and monthly distributions of cross-tropopause convection across the Asian monsoon region.
Sudipta Ghosh, Sagnik Dey, Sushant Das, Nicole Riemer, Graziano Giuliani, Dilip Ganguly, Chandra Venkataraman, Filippo Giorgi, Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Srikanthan Ramachandran, Thazhathakal Ayyappen Rajesh, Harish Gadhavi, and Atul Kumar Srivastava
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-1-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Accurate representation of aerosols in climate models is critical for minimizing the uncertainty in climate projections. Here, we implement region-specific emission fluxes and a more accurate scheme for carbonaceous aerosol ageing processes in a regional climate model (RegCM4) and show that it improves model performance significantly against in situ, reanalysis, and satellite data over the Indian subcontinent. We recommend improving the model performance before using them for climate studies.
Varaha Ravi Kiran, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Masatomo Fujiwara, Herman Russchenberg, Frank G. Wienhold, Bomidi Lakshmi Madhavan, Mekalathur Roja Raman, Renju Nandan, Sivan Thankamani Akhil Raj, Alladi Hemanth Kumar, and Saginela Ravindra Babu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4709–4734, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4709-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4709-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We proposed and conducted the multi-instrumental BACIS (Balloon-borne Aerosol–Cloud Interaction Studies) field campaigns using balloon-borne in situ measurements and ground-based and space-borne remote sensing instruments. Aerosol-cloud interaction is quantified for liquid clouds by segregating aerosol and cloud information in a balloon profile. Overall, the observational approach proposed here demonstrated its capability for understanding the aerosol–cloud interaction process.
Varun Kumar, Stamatios Giannoukos, Sophie L. Haslett, Yandong Tong, Atinderpal Singh, Amelie Bertrand, Chuan Ping Lee, Dongyu S. Wang, Deepika Bhattu, Giulia Stefenelli, Jay S. Dave, Joseph V. Puthussery, Lu Qi, Pawan Vats, Pragati Rai, Roberto Casotto, Rangu Satish, Suneeti Mishra, Veronika Pospisilova, Claudia Mohr, David M. Bell, Dilip Ganguly, Vishal Verma, Neeraj Rastogi, Urs Baltensperger, Sachchida N. Tripathi, André S. H. Prévôt, and Jay G. Slowik
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7739–7761, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7739-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7739-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Here we present source apportionment results from the first field deployment in Delhi of an extractive electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (EESI-TOF). The EESI-TOF is a recently developed instrument capable of providing uniquely detailed online chemical characterization of organic aerosol (OA), in particular the secondary OA (SOA) fraction. Here, we are able to apportion not only primary OA but also SOA to specific sources, which is performed for the first time in Delhi.
Himadri Sekhar Bhowmik, Ashutosh Shukla, Vipul Lalchandani, Jay Dave, Neeraj Rastogi, Mayank Kumar, Vikram Singh, and Sachchida Nand Tripathi
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2667–2684, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2667-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2667-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents comparisons between online and offline measurements of both refractory and non-refractory aerosol. This study shows differences between the measurements, related to either the limitations of the instrument (e.g., aerosol mass spectrometer only observing non-refractory aerosol) or known interferences with the technique (e.g., volatilization or reactions). The findings highlight the measurement methods' accuracy and imply the particular type of measurements needed.
Kevin J. Sanchez, Bo Zhang, Hongyu Liu, Matthew D. Brown, Ewan C. Crosbie, Francesca Gallo, Johnathan W. Hair, Chris A. Hostetler, Carolyn E. Jordan, Claire E. Robinson, Amy Jo Scarino, Taylor J. Shingler, Michael A. Shook, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Elizabeth B. Wiggins, Edward L. Winstead, Luke D. Ziemba, Georges Saliba, Savannah L. Lewis, Lynn M. Russell, Patricia K. Quinn, Timothy S. Bates, Jack Porter, Thomas G. Bell, Peter Gaube, Eric S. Saltzman, Michael J. Behrenfeld, and Richard H. Moore
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2795–2815, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2795-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2795-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Atmospheric particle concentrations impact clouds, which strongly impact the amount of sunlight reflected back into space and the overall climate. Measurements of particles over the ocean are rare and expensive to collect, so models are necessary to fill in the gaps by simulating both particle and clouds. However, some measurements are needed to test the accuracy of the models. Here, we measure changes in particles in different weather conditions, which are ideal for comparison with models.
Erika Brattich, Hongyu Liu, Bo Zhang, Miguel Ángel Hernández-Ceballos, Jussi Paatero, Darko Sarvan, Vladimir Djurdjevic, Laura Tositti, and Jelena Ajtić
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17927–17951, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17927-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17927-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we analyse the output of a chemistry and transport model together with observations of different meteorological and compositional variables to demonstrate the link between sudden stratospheric warming and transport of stratospheric air to the surface in the subpolar regions of Europe during the cold season. Our findings have particular implications for atmospheric composition since climate projections indicate more frequent sudden stratospheric warming under a warmer climate.
Hossein Dadashazar, Majid Alipanah, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Ewan Crosbie, Simon Kirschler, Hongyu Liu, Richard H. Moore, Andrew J. Peters, Amy Jo Scarino, Michael Shook, K. Lee Thornhill, Christiane Voigt, Hailong Wang, Edward Winstead, Bo Zhang, Luke Ziemba, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16121–16141, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16121-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16121-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates precipitation impacts on long-range transport of North American outflow over the western North Atlantic Ocean (WNAO). Results demonstrate that precipitation scavenging plays a significant role in modifying surface aerosol concentrations over the WNAO, especially in winter and spring due to large-scale scavenging processes. This study highlights how precipitation impacts surface aerosol properties with relevance for other marine regions vulnerable to continental outflow.
Christoph Mahnke, Ralf Weigel, Francesco Cairo, Jean-Paul Vernier, Armin Afchine, Martina Krämer, Valentin Mitev, Renaud Matthey, Silvia Viciani, Francesco D'Amato, Felix Ploeger, Terry Deshler, and Stephan Borrmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15259–15282, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15259-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15259-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In 2017, in situ aerosol measurements were conducted aboard the M55 Geophysica in the Asian monsoon region. The vertical particle mixing ratio profiles show a distinct layer (15–18.5 km), the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL). The backscatter ratio (BR) was calculated based on the aerosol size distributions and compared with the BRs detected by a backscatter probe and a lidar aboard M55, and by the CALIOP lidar. All four methods show enhanced BRs in the ATAL altitude range (max. at 17.5 km).
Luca Palchetti, Marco Barucci, Claudio Belotti, Giovanni Bianchini, Bertrand Cluzet, Francesco D'Amato, Samuele Del Bianco, Gianluca Di Natale, Marco Gai, Dina Khordakova, Alessio Montori, Hilke Oetjen, Markus Rettinger, Christian Rolf, Dirk Schuettemeyer, Ralf Sussmann, Silvia Viciani, Hannes Vogelmann, and Frank Gunther Wienhold
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 4303–4312, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4303-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4303-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The FIRMOS far-infrared (IR) prototype, developed for the preparation of the ESA FORUM mission, was deployed for the first time at Mt. Zugspitze at 3000 m altitude to measure the far-IR spectrum of atmospheric emissions. The measurements, including co-located radiometers, lidars, radio soundings, weather, and surface properties, provide a unique dataset to study radiative properties of water vapour, cirrus clouds, and snow emissivity over the IR emissions, including the under-explored far-IR.
Rohit Chakraborty, Arindam Chakraborty, Ghouse Basha, and Madineni Venkat Ratnam
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 11161–11177, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11161-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11161-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, urbanization-induced surface warming has been found to trigger prominent changes in upper-troposphere–lower-stratosphere regions leading to stronger and more frequent lightning extremes over India. Consequently, the implementation of this hypothesis in global climate models reveals that lightning frequency and intensity values across India will rise by ~10–25 % and 15–50 %, respectively, by 2100 at the current urbanization rate, which should be alarming for present policymakers.
Hossein Dadashazar, David Painemal, Majid Alipanah, Michael Brunke, Seethala Chellappan, Andrea F. Corral, Ewan Crosbie, Simon Kirschler, Hongyu Liu, Richard H. Moore, Claire Robinson, Amy Jo Scarino, Michael Shook, Kenneth Sinclair, K. Lee Thornhill, Christiane Voigt, Hailong Wang, Edward Winstead, Xubin Zeng, Luke Ziemba, Paquita Zuidema, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10499–10526, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10499-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10499-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the seasonal cycle of cloud drop number concentration (Nd) over the western North Atlantic Ocean (WNAO) using multiple datasets. Reasons for the puzzling discrepancy between the seasonal cycles of Nd and aerosol concentration were identified. Results indicate that Nd is highest in winter (when aerosol proxy values are often lowest) due to conditions both linked to cold-air outbreaks and that promote greater droplet activation.
Kristopher M. Bedka, Amin R. Nehrir, Michael Kavaya, Rory Barton-Grimley, Mark Beaubien, Brian Carroll, James Collins, John Cooney, G. David Emmitt, Steven Greco, Susan Kooi, Tsengdar Lee, Zhaoyan Liu, Sharon Rodier, and Gail Skofronick-Jackson
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4305–4334, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4305-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4305-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper demonstrates the Doppler Aerosol WiNd (DAWN) lidar and High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) measurement capabilities across a range of atmospheric conditions, compares DAWN and HALO measurements with Aeolus satellite Doppler wind lidar to gain an initial perspective of Aeolus performance, and discusses how atmospheric dynamic processes can be resolved and better understood through simultaneous observations of wind, water vapour, and aerosol profile observations.
Saginela Ravindra Babu, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Ghouse Basha, Shantanu Kumar Pani, and Neng-Huei Lin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 5533–5547, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5533-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5533-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The present study explores the detailed structure, dynamics, and trace gas variability in the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone (ASMA) in the extreme El Niño of 2015/16. The results find the structure of the ASMA shows strong spatial variability between July and August. A West Pacific mode of the anticyclone is noticed in August. A significant lowering of tropospheric tracers and strong increase in stratospheric tracers are found. The tropopause temperatures also exhibit a warming in the ASMA.
Anton Lopatin, Oleg Dubovik, David Fuertes, Georgiy Stenchikov, Tatyana Lapyonok, Igor Veselovskii, Frank G. Wienhold, Illia Shevchenko, Qiaoyun Hu, and Sagar Parajuli
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 2575–2614, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2575-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2575-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The article presents novelties in characterizing fine particles suspended in the air by means of combining various measurements that observe light propagation in atmosphere. Several non-coincident observations (some of which require sunlight, while others work only at night) could be united under the assumption that aerosol properties do not change drastically at nighttime. It also proposes how to describe particles' composition in a simplified manner that uses new types of observations.
Adriana Bossolasco, Fabrice Jegou, Pasquale Sellitto, Gwenaël Berthet, Corinna Kloss, and Bernard Legras
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 2745–2764, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2745-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2745-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Using the Community Earth System Model, we simulate the surface aerosols lifted to the Asian tropopause (the ATAL layer), its composition and trend, covering a long-term period (2000–2015). We identify a
double-peakaerosol vertical profile that we attribute to
dryand
convectivecloud-borne aerosols. We find that natural aerosol (mineral dust) is the dominant aerosol type and has no long-term trend. ATAL's anthropogenic fraction, by contrast, shows a marked positive trend.
Simone Brunamonti, Giovanni Martucci, Gonzague Romanens, Yann Poltera, Frank G. Wienhold, Maxime Hervo, Alexander Haefele, and Francisco Navas-Guzmán
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 2267–2285, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2267-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2267-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Lidar (light detection and ranging) is a class of remote-sensing instruments that are widely used for the monitoring of aerosol properties in the lower levels of the atmosphere, yet their measurements are affected by several sources of uncertainty. Here we present the first comparison of two lidar systems against a fully independent instrument carried by meteorological balloons. We show that both lidars achieve a good agreement with the high-precision balloon measurements up to 6 km altitude.
Kizhathur Narasimhan Uma, Siddarth Shankar Das, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, and Kuniyil Viswanathan Suneeth
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 2083–2103, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2083-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2083-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Reanalysis data of vertical wind (w) are widely used by the atmospheric community to determine various calculations of atmospheric circulations, diabatic heating, convection, etc. There are no studies that assess the available reanalysis data with respect to observations. The present study assesses for the first time all the reanalysis w by comparing it with 20 years of radar data from Gadanki and Kototabang and shows that downdrafts and peaks in the updrafts are not produced in the reanalyses.
Bo Zhang, Hongyu Liu, James H. Crawford, Gao Chen, T. Duncan Fairlie, Scott Chambers, Chang-Hee Kang, Alastair G. Williams, Kai Zhang, David B. Considine, Melissa P. Sulprizio, and Robert M. Yantosca
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1861–1887, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1861-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1861-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We simulate atmospheric 222Rn using the GEOS-Chem model to improve understanding of 222Rn emissions and characterize convective transport in the model. We demonstrate the potential of a customized global 222Rn emission scenario to improve simulated surface 222Rn concentrations and seasonality. We assess convective transport using observed 222Rn vertical profiles. Results have important implications for using chemical transport models to interpret the transport of trace gases and aerosols.
Betty Croft, Randall V. Martin, Richard H. Moore, Luke D. Ziemba, Ewan C. Crosbie, Hongyu Liu, Lynn M. Russell, Georges Saliba, Armin Wisthaler, Markus Müller, Arne Schiller, Martí Galí, Rachel Y.-W. Chang, Erin E. McDuffie, Kelsey R. Bilsback, and Jeffrey R. Pierce
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1889–1916, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1889-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1889-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study measurements combined with GEOS-Chem-TOMAS modeling suggest that several not-well-understood key factors control northwest Atlantic aerosol number and size. These synergetic and climate-relevant factors include particle formation near and above the marine boundary layer top, particle growth by marine secondary organic aerosol on descent, particle formation/growth related to dimethyl sulfide, sea spray aerosol, and ship emissions.
Kevin J. Sanchez, Bo Zhang, Hongyu Liu, Georges Saliba, Chia-Li Chen, Savannah L. Lewis, Lynn M. Russell, Michael A. Shook, Ewan C. Crosbie, Luke D. Ziemba, Matthew D. Brown, Taylor J. Shingler, Claire E. Robinson, Elizabeth B. Wiggins, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Edward L. Winstead, Carolyn Jordan, Patricia K. Quinn, Timothy S. Bates, Jack Porter, Thomas G. Bell, Eric S. Saltzman, Michael J. Behrenfeld, and Richard H. Moore
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 831–851, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-831-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-831-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Models describing atmospheric airflow were combined with satellite measurements representative of marine phytoplankton and other meteorological variables. These combined variables were compared to measured aerosol to identify upwind influences on aerosol concentrations. Results indicate that phytoplankton production rates upwind impact the aerosol mass. Also, results suggest that the condensation of mass onto short-lived large sea spray particles may be a significant sink of aerosol mass.
Pragati Rai, Jay G. Slowik, Markus Furger, Imad El Haddad, Suzanne Visser, Yandong Tong, Atinderpal Singh, Günther Wehrle, Varun Kumar, Anna K. Tobler, Deepika Bhattu, Liwei Wang, Dilip Ganguly, Neeraj Rastogi, Ru-Jin Huang, Jaroslaw Necki, Junji Cao, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Urs Baltensperger, and André S. H. Prévôt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 717–730, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-717-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-717-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present a simple conceptual framework based on elemental size distributions and enrichment factors that allows for a characterization of major sources, site-to-site similarities, and local differences and the identification of key information required for efficient policy development. Absolute concentrations are by far the highest in Delhi, followed by Beijing, and then the European cities.
Corinna Kloss, Gwenaël Berthet, Pasquale Sellitto, Felix Ploeger, Ghassan Taha, Mariam Tidiga, Maxim Eremenko, Adriana Bossolasco, Fabrice Jégou, Jean-Baptiste Renard, and Bernard Legras
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 535–560, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-535-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-535-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The year 2019 was particularly rich for the stratospheric aerosol layer due to two volcanic eruptions (at Raikoke and Ulawun) and wildfire events. With satellite observations and models, we describe the exceptionally complex situation following the Raikoke eruption. The respective plume overwhelmed the Northern Hemisphere stratosphere in terms of aerosol load and resulted in the highest climate impact throughout the past decade.
Teresa Jorge, Simone Brunamonti, Yann Poltera, Frank G. Wienhold, Bei P. Luo, Peter Oelsner, Sreeharsha Hanumanthu, Bhupendra B. Singh, Susanne Körner, Ruud Dirksen, Manish Naja, Suvarna Fadnavis, and Thomas Peter
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 239–268, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-239-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-239-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Balloon-borne frost point hygrometers are crucial for the monitoring of water vapour in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. We found that when traversing a mixed-phase cloud with big supercooled droplets, the intake tube of the instrument collects on its inner surface a high percentage of these droplets. The newly formed ice layer will sublimate at higher levels and contaminate the measurement. The balloon is also a source of contamination, but only at higher levels during the ascent.
Sreeharsha Hanumanthu, Bärbel Vogel, Rolf Müller, Simone Brunamonti, Suvarna Fadnavis, Dan Li, Peter Ölsner, Manish Naja, Bhupendra Bahadur Singh, Kunchala Ravi Kumar, Sunil Sonbawne, Hannu Jauhiainen, Holger Vömel, Beiping Luo, Teresa Jorge, Frank G. Wienhold, Ruud Dirkson, and Thomas Peter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 14273–14302, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14273-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14273-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
During boreal summer, anthropogenic sources yield the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL), found in Asia between about 13 and 18 km altitude. Balloon-borne measurements of the ATAL conducted in northern India in 2016 show the strong variability of the ATAL. To explain its observed variability, model simulations are performed to deduce the origin of air masses on the Earth's surface, which is important to develop recommendations for regulations of anthropogenic surface emissions of the ATAL.
Benjamin R. Scarino, Kristopher Bedka, Rajendra Bhatt, Konstantin Khlopenkov, David R. Doelling, and William L. Smith Jr.
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 5491–5511, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5491-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5491-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This paper highlights a technique for facilitating anvil cloud detection based on visible observations that relies on comparative analysis with expected cloud reflectance for a given set of angles. A 1-year database of anvil-identified pixels, as determined from IR observations, from several geostationary satellites was used to construct a bidirectional reflectance distribution function model to quantify typical anvil reflectance across almost all expected viewing, solar, and azimuth angles.
Liwei Wang, Jay G. Slowik, Nidhi Tripathi, Deepika Bhattu, Pragati Rai, Varun Kumar, Pawan Vats, Rangu Satish, Urs Baltensperger, Dilip Ganguly, Neeraj Rastogi, Lokesh K. Sahu, Sachchida N. Tripathi, and André S. H. Prévôt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 9753–9770, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-9753-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-9753-2020, 2020
Ghouse Basha, M. Venkat Ratnam, and Pangaluru Kishore
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 6789–6801, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-6789-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-6789-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the variability of the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone (ASMA) spatial variability and trends using long-term observational and reanalysis data sets. The decadal variability of the anticyclone is very large at the edges compared with the core region. We propose that the transport process over the Tibetan Plateau and the Indian region is significant in active monsoon, strong monsoon and strong La Niña years. Thus, different phases of the monsoon are important in UTLS analyses.
Sabine Griessbach, Lars Hoffmann, Reinhold Spang, Peggy Achtert, Marc von Hobe, Nina Mateshvili, Rolf Müller, Martin Riese, Christian Rolf, Patric Seifert, and Jean-Paul Vernier
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 1243–1271, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1243-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1243-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper we study the cloud top height derived from MIPAS measurements. Previous studies showed contradictory results with respect to MIPAS, both underestimating and overestimating cloud top height. We used simulations and found that overestimation and/or underestimation depend on cloud extinction. To support our findings we compared MIPAS cloud top heights of volcanic sulfate aerosol with measurements from CALIOP, ground-based lidar, and ground-based twilight measurements.
Jean-Baptiste Renard, Gwenaël Berthet, Anny-Chantal Levasseur-Regourd, Sergey Beresnev, Alain Miffre, Patrick Rairoux, Damien Vignelles, and Fabrice Jégou
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2019-904, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2019-904, 2019
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Water and sulfuric acid droplets are the main component of stratospheric aerosols. Field measurements have shown that non-sulfate materials (NSPs) are also present. NSPs, released from Earth and from space, present a wide variety of sizes, compositions and shapes. New balloon counting measurements have shown the presence of enhanced-concentrations layers. We may conclude that the concentrations and the vertical distributions of NSPs are highly variable and mainly originate from Earth.
Ghouse Basha, M. Venkat Ratnam, Pangaluru Kishore, S. Ravindrababu, and Isabella Velicogna
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2019-743, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2019-743, 2019
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
The Asian Summer Monsoon Anticyclone (ASMA) plays an important role in confining the trace gases and aerosols for a longer period. This study explores the variability of tropopause parameters, trace gases and aerosols and its relation with ENSO and QBO in ASMA. Further, the influence of the Indian summer monsoon activity on the ASMA trace gases and aerosols is studied with respect to active and break spells of monsoon, strong and weak monsoon years and strong La Niña, El Niño years.
Corinna Kloss, Gwenaël Berthet, Pasquale Sellitto, Felix Ploeger, Silvia Bucci, Sergey Khaykin, Fabrice Jégou, Ghassan Taha, Larry W. Thomason, Brice Barret, Eric Le Flochmoen, Marc von Hobe, Adriana Bossolasco, Nelson Bègue, and Bernard Legras
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 13547–13567, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13547-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13547-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
With satellite measurements and transport models, we show that a plume resulting from strong Canadian fires in July/August 2017 was not only distributed throughout the northern/higher latitudes, but also reached the faraway tropics, aided by the circulation of Asian monsoon anticyclone. The regional climate impact in the wider Asian monsoon area in September exceeds the impact of the Asian tropopause aerosol layer by a factor of ~ 3 and compares to that of an advected moderate volcanic eruption.
Rohit Chakraborty, Bijay Kumar Guha, Shamitaksha Talukdar, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, and Animesh Maitra
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 12325–12341, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12325-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12325-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The present study investigates the plausible aspects which influence the probability of drought occurrences over three Indian regions during the southwest Asian mid-monsoon period. The investigation reveals that an increasing tendency of dry day frequency (DDF) over urbanized regions in the last few decades has significant association with the abundance of anthropogenic aerosols. Additionally, future projections of DDF indicate a five-fold rise which can be a crucial concern for policy makers.
Qianshan He, Jianzhong Ma, Xiangdong Zheng, Xiaolu Yan, Holger Vömel, Frank G. Wienhold, Wei Gao, Dongwei Liu, Guangming Shi, and Tiantao Cheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8399–8406, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8399-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8399-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
An enhanced aerosol layer in the upper troposphere--lower stratosphere was observed by a COBALD over the Tibetan Plateau, in the summer of 2014. The color index of the enhanced aerosol layer indicates the prevalence of dominant fine particles with a mode radius < 0.1 μm. Unlike the very small particles at low relative humidity (RHi < 40%), the relatively large particles in the aerosol layer were generally very hydrophilic as their size increased dramatically with relative humidity.
Erika Brattich, Encarnación Serrano Castillo, Fabrizio Giulietti, Jean-Baptiste Renard, Sachi N. Tripathi, Kunal Ghosh, Gwenael Berthet, Damien Vignelles, and Laura Tositti
Ann. Geophys., 37, 389–403, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-389-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-389-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the aerosol measurement setup and results obtained from the BEXUS18 stratospheric balloon within the A5-Unib (Advanced Atmospheric Aerosol Acquisition and Analysis) experiment performed on 10 October 2014 in northern Sweden (Kiruna). The experiment and the results here presented broaden the understanding of the processes linking the presence of charges with particles all over the vertical heights from the ground to the stratosphere.
Rohit Chakraborty, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, and Shaik Ghouse Basha
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 3687–3705, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-3687-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-3687-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Intense convective phenomena are a common climatic feature in the Indian tropical region which occur during the pre-monsoon to post-monsoon seasons (April–October) and are generally accompanied by intense thunderstorms, lightning, and wind gusts with heavy rainfall. Here we show long-term trends of the parameters related to convection and instability obtained from 27 radiosonde stations across six subdivisions over the Indian region during the period 1980–2016.
Simone Brunamonti, Teresa Jorge, Peter Oelsner, Sreeharsha Hanumanthu, Bhupendra B. Singh, K. Ravi Kumar, Sunil Sonbawne, Susanne Meier, Deepak Singh, Frank G. Wienhold, Bei Ping Luo, Maxi Boettcher, Yann Poltera, Hannu Jauhiainen, Rijan Kayastha, Jagadishwor Karmacharya, Ruud Dirksen, Manish Naja, Markus Rex, Suvarna Fadnavis, and Thomas Peter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15937–15957, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15937-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15937-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Based on balloon-borne measurements performed in India and Nepal in 2016–2017, we infer the vertical distributions of water vapor, ozone and aerosols in the atmosphere, from the surface to 30 km altitude. Our measurements show that the atmospheric dynamics of the Asian summer monsoon system over the polluted Indian subcontinent lead to increased concentrations of water vapor and aerosols in the high atmosphere (approximately 14–20 km altitude), which can have an important effect on climate.
Simeon K. Schum, Bo Zhang, Katja Džepina, Paulo Fialho, Claudio Mazzoleni, and Lynn R. Mazzoleni
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 14017–14036, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14017-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14017-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents the detailed molecular composition of free tropospheric aerosol. We studied three pollution events with different origins and residence times and observed differences in the molecular composition pertaining to the atmospheric oxidation. The results indicated that the transport pathways contributed to the observed differences and imply that emissions injected into the free troposphere are longer-lived than those in the boundary layer.
Nelli Narendra Reddy, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Ghouse Basha, and Varaha Ravikiran
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 11709–11727, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-11709-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-11709-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Cloud vertical structure affects large-scale atmosphere circulation by altering gradients in total diabatic heating and cooling and latent heat release. Detailed cloud vertical structure in all seasons, including diurnal variation over the Indian region, is made for the first time. The detected cloud layers are verified with independent observations using cloud particle sensor sonde. Heating and cooling in the troposphere and lower stratosphere due to these cloud layers are also investigated.
Quentin Bourgeois, Annica M. L. Ekman, Jean-Baptiste Renard, Radovan Krejci, Abhay Devasthale, Frida A.-M. Bender, Ilona Riipinen, Gwenaël Berthet, and Jason L. Tackett
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 7709–7720, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7709-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7709-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The altitude of aerosols is crucial as they can impact cloud formation and radiation. In this study, satellite observations have been used to characterize the global aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the boundary layer and the free troposphere. The free troposphere contributes 39 % to the global AOD during daytime. Overall, the results have implications for the description of budgets, sources, sinks and transport of aerosol particles as presently described in the atmospheric model.
Christopher R. Yost, Kristopher M. Bedka, Patrick Minnis, Louis Nguyen, J. Walter Strapp, Rabindra Palikonda, Konstantin Khlopenkov, Douglas Spangenberg, William L. Smith Jr., Alain Protat, and Julien Delanoe
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 1615–1637, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-1615-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-1615-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Accretion of cloud ice particles upon engine or instrument probe surfaces can cause engine malfunction or even power loss, and therefore it is important for aircraft to avoid flight through clouds that may have produced large quantities of ice particles. This study introduces a method by which potentially hazardous conditions can be detected using satellite imagery. It was found that potentially hazardous conditions were often located near or beneath very cold clouds and thunderstorm updrafts.
Jayanta Kar, Mark A. Vaughan, Kam-Pui Lee, Jason L. Tackett, Melody A. Avery, Anne Garnier, Brian J. Getzewich, William H. Hunt, Damien Josset, Zhaoyan Liu, Patricia L. Lucker, Brian Magill, Ali H. Omar, Jacques Pelon, Raymond R. Rogers, Travis D. Toth, Charles R. Trepte, Jean-Paul Vernier, David M. Winker, and Stuart A. Young
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 1459–1479, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-1459-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-1459-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We present the motivation for and the implementation of the version 4.1 nighttime 532 nm parallel-channel calibration of the CALIOP lidar. The accuracy of calibration is significantly improved by raising the molecular normalization altitude from 30–34 km to 36–39 km to substantially reduce stratospheric aerosol contamination. The new calibration procedure eliminates biases in earlier versions and leads to an improved representation of stratospheric aerosols.
Larry W. Thomason, Nicholas Ernest, Luis Millán, Landon Rieger, Adam Bourassa, Jean-Paul Vernier, Gloria Manney, Beiping Luo, Florian Arfeuille, and Thomas Peter
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 469–492, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-469-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-469-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We describe the construction of a continuous 38-year record of stratospheric aerosol optical properties. The Global Space-based Stratospheric Aerosol Climatology, or GloSSAC, provided the input data to the construction of the Climate Model Intercomparison Project stratospheric aerosol forcing data set (1979 to 2014) and is now extended through 2016. GloSSAC focuses on the the SAGE series of instruments through mid-2005 and on OSIRIS and CALIPSO after that time.
Thibaut Lurton, Fabrice Jégou, Gwenaël Berthet, Jean-Baptiste Renard, Lieven Clarisse, Anja Schmidt, Colette Brogniez, and Tjarda J. Roberts
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 3223–3247, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3223-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3223-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We quantify the chemical and microphysical effects of volcanic SO2 and HCl from the June 2009 Sarychev Peak eruption using a comprehensive aerosol–chemistry model combined with in situ measurements and satellite retrievals. Our results suggest that previous studies underestimated the eruption's atmospheric and climatic impact, mainly because previous model-to-satellite comparisons had to make assumptions about the aerosol size distribution and were based on biased satellite retrievals of AOD.
Sivan Thankamani Akhil Raj, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Daggumati Narayana Rao, and Boddam Venkata Krishna Murthy
Ann. Geophys., 36, 149–165, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-149-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-149-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Ozone and water vapor are two potent greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They influence the temperature structure greatly, particularly in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. We have investigated the long-term trends in these trace gases over the Indian region using long-term data (1993–2015) constructed from multi-satellite observations. A decreasing trend in ozone associated with NOx chemistry in the tropical middle stratosphere and a good correlation between N2O and O3 is found.
Nelson Bègue, Damien Vignelles, Gwenaël Berthet, Thierry Portafaix, Guillaume Payen, Fabrice Jégou, Hassan Benchérif, Julien Jumelet, Jean-Paul Vernier, Thibaut Lurton, Jean-Baptiste Renard, Lieven Clarisse, Vincent Duverger, Françoise Posny, Jean-Marc Metzger, and Sophie Godin-Beekmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 15019–15036, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-15019-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-15019-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The space–time evolutions of the Calbuco plume are investigated by combining satellite, in situ aerosol counting and lidar observations, and a numerical model. All the data at Reunion Island reveal a twofold increase in the amount of aerosol with respect to the values observed before the eruption. The dynamic context has favored the spread of the plume exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. This study highlights the role played by dynamical barriers in the transport of atmospheric species.
Hyun-Deok Choi, Hongyu Liu, James H. Crawford, David B. Considine, Dale J. Allen, Bryan N. Duncan, Larry W. Horowitz, Jose M. Rodriguez, Susan E. Strahan, Lin Zhang, Xiong Liu, Megan R. Damon, and Stephen D. Steenrod
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 8429–8452, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-8429-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-8429-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We evaluate global ozone–carbon monoxide (O3–CO) correlations in a chemistry and transport model during July–August with TES-Aura satellite observations and examine the sensitivity of model simulations to input meteorological data and emissions. Results show that O3–CO correlations may be used effectively to constrain the sources of regional tropospheric O3 in global 3-D models, especially for those regions where convective transport of pollution plays an important role.
Robert L. Herman, Eric A. Ray, Karen H. Rosenlof, Kristopher M. Bedka, Michael J. Schwartz, William G. Read, Robert F. Troy, Keith Chin, Lance E. Christensen, Dejian Fu, Robert A. Stachnik, T. Paul Bui, and Jonathan M. Dean-Day
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 6113–6124, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6113-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6113-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This study reports new aircraft field observations of elevated water vapor greater than 10 ppmv in the overworld stratosphere over the summertime continental US. Back trajectories from the flight track intersect overshooting convective tops within the previous 1 to 7 days, suggesting that ice is convectively and irreversibly transported to the stratosphere in the most energetic overshooting convective events. Satellite measurements (Aura MLS) indicate that such events are uncommon (< 1 %).
Christopher E. Sioris, Landon A. Rieger, Nicholas D. Lloyd, Adam E. Bourassa, Chris Z. Roth, Douglas A. Degenstein, Claude Camy-Peyret, Klaus Pfeilsticker, Gwenaël Berthet, Valéry Catoire, Florence Goutail, Jean-Pierre Pommereau, and Chris A. McLinden
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 1155–1168, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1155-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1155-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
A new OSIRIS NO2 retrieval algorithm is described and validated using > 40 balloon-based profile measurements. The validation results indicate a slight improvement relative to the existing operational algorithm in terms of the bias versus the balloon data, particularly in the lower stratosphere. The implication is that this new algorithm should replace the operational one. The motivation was to combine spectral fitting and the SaskTRAN radiative transfer model to achieve an improved product.
Gwenaël Berthet, Fabrice Jégou, Valéry Catoire, Gisèle Krysztofiak, Jean-Baptiste Renard, Adam E. Bourassa, Doug A. Degenstein, Colette Brogniez, Marcel Dorf, Sebastian Kreycy, Klaus Pfeilsticker, Bodo Werner, Franck Lefèvre, Tjarda J. Roberts, Thibaut Lurton, Damien Vignelles, Nelson Bègue, Quentin Bourgeois, Daniel Daugeron, Michel Chartier, Claude Robert, Bertrand Gaubicher, and Christophe Guimbaud
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 2229–2253, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2229-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2229-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Since the last major volcanic event, i.e. the Pinatubo eruption in 1991, only
moderateeruptions have regularly injected sulfur into the stratosphere, typically enhancing the aerosol loading for several months. We investigate here for the first time the chemical perturbation associated with the Sarychev eruption in June 2009, using balloon-borne instruments and model calculations. Some chemical compounds are significantly affected by the aerosols, but the impact on stratospheric ozone is weak.
Sergey M. Khaykin, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Philippe Keckhut, Alain Hauchecorne, Julien Jumelet, Jean-Paul Vernier, Adam Bourassa, Doug A. Degenstein, Landon A. Rieger, Christine Bingen, Filip Vanhellemont, Charles Robert, Matthew DeLand, and Pawan K. Bhartia
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 1829–1845, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1829-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1829-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The article is devoted to the long-term evolution and variability of stratospheric aerosol, which plays an important role in climate change and the ozone layer. We use 22-year long continuous observations using laser radar soundings in southern France and satellite-based observations to distinguish between natural aerosol variability (caused by volcanic eruptions) and human-induced change in aerosol concentration. An influence of growing pollution above Asia on stratospheric aerosol is found.
Subramanian Gurubaran, Manu Shanmugam, Kaliappan Jawahar, Kaliappan Emperumal, Prasanna Mahavarkar, and Suneel Kumar Buduru
Ann. Geophys., 35, 189–201, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-189-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-189-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Results from a high-altitude balloon experiment conducted from a low-latitude station in India are presented in this work. The objectives of this experiment were to probe and understand the processes driving the various electric field sources at low latitudes. During this experiment, electric fields in the range of 5–6 mV m−1 were observed at the balloon float altitude of 35 km. Atmospheric waves of few 100 km horizontal wavelength are suggested to be a potential source of these electric fields.
Benjamin R. Scarino, Patrick Minnis, Thad Chee, Kristopher M. Bedka, Christopher R. Yost, and Rabindra Palikonda
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 351–371, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-351-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-351-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Global coverage of remotely sensed skin temperature, along with cloud/surface radiation parameters, produced in near-real time and from historical satellite data, is beneficial for weather and climate purposes. One key drawback is the dependence on view angle. Therefore, this article serves to validate a global, satellite-based skin temperature product, while highlighting an empirically adjusted theoretical model of satellite LST angular anisotropy, and the benefits gained from its application.
Erika Brattich, Hongyu Liu, Laura Tositti, David B. Considine, and James H. Crawford
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 1061–1080, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1061-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1061-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We apply the GMI chemistry and transport model to simulate the seasonal variations of two radionuclide aerosol tracers (terrigenous 210Pb and cosmogenic 7Be) at the WMO-GAW station of Mt. Cimone during 2005, with an aim to understand the roles of transport and precipitation scavenging processes in controlling their seasonality. Results show a dominant role of precipitation scavenging in controlling the seasonality of 210Pb and 7Be concentrations at Mt. Cimone.
Sanjay Kumar Mehta, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Sukumarapillai V. Sunilkumar, Daggumati Narayana Rao, and Boddapaty V. Krishna Murthy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 531–549, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-531-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-531-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Study of the diurnal variation of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height is important for the knowledge of pollutant dispersion, crucial for all living beings. The most difficult part in the study of the diurnal variation is in identification of the stable boundary layer which occurs ~ 50% of times only and mostly during nighttime winter. Surface temperature and clouds directly affect the diurnal pattern of the ABL. Thus, stronger (weaker) diurnal variation found during pre-monsoon (winter).
Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Alladi Hemanth Kumar, and Achuthan Jayaraman
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 5735–5745, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5735-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5735-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Launch of INSAT-3D carrying a multi-spectral imager by the ISRO made it possible to obtain profiles of temperature and water vapour over India with higher temporal and vertical resolutions. Initial validation is made with the radiosonde, other satellites and reanalysis data sets. Good correlation between INSAT-3D and in situ measurements is noticed with a few cautions. Temperature data from INSAT-3D are of high quality and can be directly assimilated for better forecasts over India.
Sergey M. Khaykin, Jean-Pierre Pommereau, Emmanuel D. Riviere, Gerhard Held, Felix Ploeger, Melanie Ghysels, Nadir Amarouche, Jean-Paul Vernier, Frank G. Wienhold, and Dmitry Ionov
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 12273–12286, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12273-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12273-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The study makes use of a series of field experiments conducted in Brazil and aimed at studying the processes controlling the composition of the tropical lower stratosphere. High-resolution balloon-borne measurements together with global-coverage satellite observations and weather radar acquisitions are analysed using trajectory and transport modelling in order to evaluate the contribution of different transport pathways to the stratospheric water budget.
Jean-Baptiste Renard, François Dulac, Gwenaël Berthet, Thibaut Lurton, Damien Vignelles, Fabrice Jégou, Thierry Tonnelier, Matthieu Jeannot, Benoit Couté, Rony Akiki, Nicolas Verdier, Marc Mallet, François Gensdarmes, Patrick Charpentier, Samuel Mesmin, Vincent Duverger, Jean-Charles Dupont, Thierry Elias, Vincent Crenn, Jean Sciare, Paul Zieger, Matthew Salter, Tjarda Roberts, Jérôme Giacomoni, Matthieu Gobbi, Eric Hamonou, Haraldur Olafsson, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserova, Claude Camy-Peyret, Christophe Mazel, Thierry Décamps, Martin Piringer, Jérémy Surcin, and Daniel Daugeron
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 3673–3686, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-3673-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-3673-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We illustrate the first Light Optical Aerosol Counter (LOAC) airborne results obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a variety of scientific balloons: tethered balloons deployed in urban environments, pressurized balloons drifting in the lower troposphere over the western Mediterranean during the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx), and meteorological sounding balloons launched in the western Mediterranean region and in the south-west of France.
M. Venkat Ratnam, S. Ravindra Babu, S. S. Das, G. Basha, B. V. Krishnamurthy, and B. Venkateswararao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8581–8591, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8581-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8581-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The impact of cyclones that occurred over the north Indian Ocean during 2007–2013 on the STE process is quantified using satellite observations. It is shown that cyclones have a significant impact on the tropopause structure, ozone and water vapour budget, and consequentially STE in the UTLS region. The cross-tropopause mass flux from the stratosphere to the troposphere for cyclonic storms is found to be 0.05 ± 0.29 × 10−3 kg m−2, and for very severe cyclonic storms it is 0.5 ± 1.07 × 10−3 kg m−2.
K. K. Shukla, K. Niranjan Kumar, D. V. Phanikumar, R. K. Newsom, V. R. Kotamarthi, T. B. M. J. Ouarda, and M. V. Ratnam
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2016-162, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2016-162, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Estimation of Cloud base height was carried out by using various ground based instruments (Doppler Lidar and Ceilometer) and satellite datasets (MODIS) over central Himalayan region for the first time. The present study demonstrates the potential of Doppler Lidar in precise estimation of cloud base height and updraft velocities. More such deployments will be invaluable inputs for regional weather prediction models over complex Himalayan terrains.
Fabrice Chane Ming, Damien Vignelles, Fabrice Jegou, Gwenael Berthet, Jean-Baptiste Renard, François Gheusi, and Yuriy Kuleshov
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8023–8042, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8023-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8023-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Coupled balloon-borne observations of Light Optical Aerosol Counter (LOAC), M10 meteorological GPS sondes, ozonesondes, and GPS radio occultation data are examined to identify gravity-wave (GW)-induced fluctuations on tracer gases and on the vertical distribution of stratospheric aerosol concentrations during the 2013 ChArMEx campaign. Observed mesoscale GWs induce a strong modulation of the amplitude of tracer gases and the stratospheric aerosol background.
Jean-Baptiste Renard, François Dulac, Gwenaël Berthet, Thibaut Lurton, Damien Vignelles, Fabrice Jégou, Thierry Tonnelier, Matthieu Jeannot, Benoit Couté, Rony Akiki, Nicolas Verdier, Marc Mallet, François Gensdarmes, Patrick Charpentier, Samuel Mesmin, Vincent Duverger, Jean-Charles Dupont, Thierry Elias, Vincent Crenn, Jean Sciare, Paul Zieger, Matthew Salter, Tjarda Roberts, Jérôme Giacomoni, Matthieu Gobbi, Eric Hamonou, Haraldur Olafsson, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserova, Claude Camy-Peyret, Christophe Mazel, Thierry Décamps, Martin Piringer, Jérémy Surcin, and Daniel Daugeron
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 1721–1742, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-1721-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-1721-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
LOAC is a light aerosols counter for performing measurements at the surface and under all kinds of atmospheric balloons. LOAC performs observations at two scattering angles. The first one at 12° is insensitive to the refractive index of the particles; the second one at 60° is strongly sensitive to the refractive index. By combining the measurements, it is possible to retrieve the size distribution between 0.2 and 100 micrometeres and to estimate the nature of the dominant particles.
Siddarth Shankar Das, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Kizhathur Narasimhan Uma, Kandula Venkata Subrahmanyam, Imran Asatar Girach, Amit Kumar Patra, Sundaresan Aneesh, Kuniyil Viswanathan Suneeth, Karanam Kishore Kumar, Amit Parashuram Kesarkar, Sivarajan Sijikumar, and Geetha Ramkumar
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4837–4847, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4837-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4837-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The present study examines the role of tropical cyclones in the enhancement of tropospheric ozone. The most significant and new observation reported is the increase in the upper-tropospheric ozone by 20–50 ppbv, which has extended down to the middle and lower troposphere. The descent rate of enhanced ozone layer during the passage of tropical cyclone is 0.8–1 km day−1. Enhancement of surface ozone concentration by ~ 10 ppbv in the daytime and 10–15 ppbv at night-time is observed.
Hongyu Liu, David B. Considine, Larry W. Horowitz, James H. Crawford, Jose M. Rodriguez, Susan E. Strahan, Megan R. Damon, Stephen D. Steenrod, Xiaojing Xu, Jules Kouatchou, Claire Carouge, and Robert M. Yantosca
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4641–4659, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4641-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4641-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We assess the utility of cosmogenic beryllium-7, a natural aerosol tracer, for evaluating cross-tropopause transport in global models. We show that model excessive cross-tropopause transport of beryllium-7 corresponds to overestimated stratospheric contribution to tropospheric ozone. We conclude that the observational constraints for beryllium-7 and observed beryllium-7 total deposition fluxes can be used routinely as a first-order assessment of cross-tropopause transport in global models.
Sanjeev Dwivedi, M. S. Narayanan, M. Venkat Ratnam, and D. Narayana Rao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4497–4509, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4497-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4497-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Monsoon inversion (MI) over the Arabian Sea is one of the important characteristics associated with the monsoon activity over Indian region. The initiation and dissipation times of MI, their percentage of occurrence, strength etc., has been examined. We suggest MI could also be included as one of the semi-permanent features of southwest monsoon.
A. K. Pandit, H. S. Gadhavi, M. Venkat Ratnam, K. Raghunath, S. V. B. Rao, and A. Jayaraman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 13833–13848, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-13833-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-13833-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We present the longest (1998 to 2013) cirrus cloud climatology over a tropical station using a ground-based lidar. A statistically significant increase is found in the altitude of sub-visible cirrus clouds. Also a systematic shift from thin to sub-visible cirrus cloud type is observed. Ground-based lidar is found to detect more number of sub-visible cirrus clouds than space-based lidar. These findings have implications to global warming and stratosphere-troposphere water vapour exchange studies.
S. Ravindra Babu, M. Venkat Ratnam, G. Basha, B. V. Krishnamurthy, and B. Venkateswararao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 10239–10249, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10239-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10239-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The effect of tropical cyclones (TCs) that occurred over the north Indian Ocean in the last decade on the tropical tropopause parameters has been quantified for the first time. The vertical structure of temperature and tropopause parameters within the 5º radius away from the cyclone centre during TC period is also presented. The water vapour variability in the vicinity of TC is investigated.
It is demonstrated that the TCs can significantly affect the tropical tropopause and thus STE processes.
J. Huang, H. Liu, J. H. Crawford, C. Chan, D. B. Considine, Y. Zhang, X. Zheng, C. Zhao, V. Thouret, S. J. Oltmans, S. C. Liu, D. B. A. Jones, S. D. Steenrod, and M. R. Damon
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 5161–5179, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5161-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5161-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
High ozone concentrations (up to 94.7ppbv) were frequently observed at an altitude of ~1.5--2km over Beijing during April--May 2005. Ozone due to Asian anthropogenic pollution made major contributions to the observed ozone enhancements. These enhancements typically occurred under southerly wind and warmer conditions. An earlier onset of the Asian summer monsoon would cause more ozone enhancement events in the lower troposphere over the North China Plain in late spring and early summer.
K. Dzepina, C. Mazzoleni, P. Fialho, S. China, B. Zhang, R. C. Owen, D. Helmig, J. Hueber, S. Kumar, J. A. Perlinger, L. J. Kramer, M. P. Dziobak, M. T. Ampadu, S. Olsen, D. J. Wuebbles, and L. R. Mazzoleni
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 5047–5068, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5047-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5047-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Aerosol was sampled at the Pico Mountain Observatory located at 2.2km amsl on Pico Island of the North Atlantic Azores archipelago. Two aerosol samples characterized by ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry had biomass burning and marine emissions origins, as corroborated by collocated gas- and particle-phase measurements, air masses analyses and satellites. The paper presents the first molecular characterization of aged and processed aerosol intercepted at a remote lower free troposphere
M. Pramitha, M. Venkat Ratnam, A. Taori, B. V. Krishna Murthy, D. Pallamraju, and S. Vijaya Bhaskar Rao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 2709–2721, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-2709-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-2709-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Sources and propagation characteristics of high-frequency gravity waves observed in the mesosphere using airglow emissions from Gadanki and Hyderabad, India, are investigated using reverse ray tracing. Wave amplitudes are also traced back, including both radiative and diffusive damping. Interestingly, large vertical shears in the horizontal wind are noticed near the ray terminal points (at 10-12km altitude) and are thus identified to be the source for generating the observed gravity waves.
J.-B. Renard, F. Dulac, G. Berthet, T. Lurton, D. Vignelles, F. Jégou, T. Tonnelier, C. Thaury, M. Jeannot, B. Couté, R. Akiki, J.-L. Mineau, N. Verdier, M. Mallet, F. Gensdarmes, P. Charpentier, S. Mesmin, V. Duverger, J.-C. Dupont, T. Elias, V. Crenn, J. Sciare, J. Giacomoni, M. Gobbi, E. Hamonou, H. Olafsson, P. Dagsson-Waldhauserova, C. Camy-Peyret, C. Mazel, T. Décamps, M. Piringer, J. Surcin, and D. Daugeron
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amtd-8-1203-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amtd-8-1203-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript not accepted
J.-B. Renard, F. Dulac, G. Berthet, T. Lurton, D. Vignelle, F. Jégou, T. Tonnelier, C. Thaury, M. Jeannot, B. Couté, R. Akiki, J.-L. Mineau, N. Verdier, M. Mallet, F. Gensdarmes, P. Charpentier, S. Mesmin, V. Duverger, J.-C. Dupont, T. Elias, V. Crenn, J. Sciare, J. Giacomoni, M. Gobbi, E. Hamonou, H. Olafsson, P. Dagsson-Waldhauserova, C. Camy-Peyret, C. Mazel, T. Décamps, M. Piringer, J. Surcin, and D. Daugeron
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amtd-8-1261-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amtd-8-1261-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
We present exemples of measurements obtained by the new light optical aerosol counter LOAC. The measurement were conducted from different kinds of balloons in the troposphre and stratosphere.
K. Ramesh, A. P. Kesarkar, J. Bhate, M. Venkat Ratnam, and A. Jayaraman
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 369–384, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-369-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-369-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The study of atmospheric convection is important for the understanding of evolution of diurnal cycles of rainfall. High-resolution observations of vertical profiles of temperature and relative humidity are very useful for understanding the behaviour of these convections. Microwave radiometers are becoming useful tools for it. In this paper, we propose a new method to retrieve these profiles based on adaptive neuro-fuzzy interface systems and find that this method has a better skill of retrieval.
T. D. Fairlie, J.-P. Vernier, M. Natarajan, and K. M. Bedka
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 7045–7057, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-7045-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-7045-2014, 2014
M. Venkat Ratnam, N. Pravallika, S. Ravindra Babu, G. Basha, M. Pramitha, and B. V. Krishna Murthy
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 1011–1025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-1011-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-1011-2014, 2014
P. Kishore, M. Venkat Ratnam, I. Velicogna, V. Sivakumar, H. Bencherif, B. R. Clemesha, D. M. Simonich, P. P. Batista, and G. Beig
Ann. Geophys., 32, 301–317, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-301-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-301-2014, 2014
B. Zhang, R. C. Owen, J. A. Perlinger, A. Kumar, S. Wu, M. Val Martin, L. Kramer, D. Helmig, and R. E. Honrath
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 2267–2287, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-2267-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-2267-2014, 2014
D. V. Phanikumar, K. Niranjan Kumar, K. K. Shukla, H. Joshi, M. Venkat Ratnam, M. Naja, and K. Reddy
Ann. Geophys., 32, 175–180, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-175-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-175-2014, 2014
J.-B. Renard, S. N. Tripathi, M. Michael, A. Rawal, G. Berthet, M. Fullekrug, R. G. Harrison, C. Robert, M. Tagger, and B. Gaubicher
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 11187–11194, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11187-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11187-2013, 2013
F. Jégou, G. Berthet, C. Brogniez, J.-B. Renard, P. François, J. M. Haywood, A. Jones, Q. Bourgeois, T. Lurton, F. Auriol, S. Godin-Beekmann, C. Guimbaud, G. Krysztofiak, B. Gaubicher, M. Chartier, L. Clarisse, C. Clerbaux, J. Y. Balois, C. Verwaerde, and D. Daugeron
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 6533–6552, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-6533-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-6533-2013, 2013
G. Wetzel, H. Oelhaf, G. Berthet, A. Bracher, C. Cornacchia, D. G. Feist, H. Fischer, A. Fix, M. Iarlori, A. Kleinert, A. Lengel, M. Milz, L. Mona, S. C. Müller, J. Ovarlez, G. Pappalardo, C. Piccolo, P. Raspollini, J.-B. Renard, V. Rizi, S. Rohs, C. Schiller, G. Stiller, M. Weber, and G. Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 5791–5811, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-5791-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-5791-2013, 2013
L. W. Thomason and J.-P. Vernier
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 4605–4616, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-4605-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-4605-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Field Measurements | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
Marine organic aerosol at Mace Head: effects from phytoplankton and source region variability
Measurement report: Sources and meteorology influencing highly time-resolved PM2.5 trace elements at three urban sites in the extremely polluted Indo-Gangetic Plain in India
Formation of highly absorptive secondary brown carbon through nighttime multiphase chemistry of biomass burning emissions
Measurement report: Vertically resolved atmospheric properties observed over the Southern Great Plains with the ArcticShark uncrewed aerial system
Non-biogenic sources are an important but overlooked contributor to aerosol isoprene-derived organosulfates during winter in northern China
The critical role of aqueous-phase processes in aromatic-derived nitrogen-containing organic aerosol formation in cities with different energy consumption patterns
Characterization of atmospheric water-soluble brown carbon in the Athabasca oil sands region, Canada
Sensitivity of aerosol and cloud properties to coupling strength of marine boundary layer clouds over the northwest Atlantic
Burning conditions and transportation pathways determine biomass-burning aerosol properties in the Ascension Island marine boundary layer
Observations of high-time-resolution and size-resolved aerosol chemical composition and microphysics in the central Arctic: implications for climate-relevant particle properties
Measurement report: Brown carbon aerosol in rural Germany – sources, chemistry, and diurnal variations
Multiple eco-regions contribute to the seasonal cycle of Antarctic aerosol size distributions
Seasonal investigation of ultrafine-particle organic composition in an eastern Amazonian rainforest
High-resolution analyses of concentrations and sizes of refractory black carbon particles deposited in northwestern Greenland over the past 350 years – Part 2: Seasonal and temporal trends in refractory black carbon originated from fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning
Direct measurement of N2O5 heterogeneous uptake coefficients on atmospheric aerosols in southwestern China and evaluation of current parameterizations
Measurement report: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in particulate matter (PM10) from activated sludge aeration
Significant role of biomass burning in heavy haze formation in Nanjing, a megacity in China: molecular-level insights from intensive PM2.5 sampling on winter hazy days
Widespread trace bromine and iodine in remote tropospheric non-sea-salt aerosols
A 60-year atmospheric nitrate isotope record from a Southeast Greenland ice core with minimal post-depositional alteration
Iron isotopes reveal significant aerosol dissolution over the Pacific Ocean
Formation and chemical evolution of secondary organic aerosol in two different environments: a dual-chamber study
Technical note: Quantified organic aerosol subsaturated hygroscopicity by a simple optical scatter monitor system through field measurements
Measurement report: Oxidation potential of water-soluble aerosol components in the south and north of Beijing
Enhanced daytime secondary aerosol formation driven by gas–particle partitioning in downwind urban plumes
Technical note: Reconstructing surface missing aerosol elemental carbon data in long-term series with ensemble learning
Understanding the mechanism and importance of brown carbon bleaching across the visible spectrum in biomass burning plumes from the WE-CAN campaign
Influence of terrestrial and marine air mass on the constituents and intermixing of bioaerosols over a coastal atmosphere
A multi-site passive approach to studying the emissions and evolution of smoke from prescribed fires
The annual cycle and sources of relevant aerosol precursor vapors in the central Arctic during the MOSAiC expedition
Enhanced emission of intermediate/semi-volatile organic matters in both gas and particle phases from ship exhausts with low-sulfur fuels
African dust transported to Barbados in the Wintertime Lacks Indicators of Chemical Aging
Opinion: How will advances in aerosol science inform our understanding of the health impacts of outdoor particulate pollution?
Machine Learning Assisted Chemical Characterization and Optical Properties of Atmospheric Brown Carbon in Nanjing, China
Measurement report: Intra-annual variability of black carbon and brown carbon and their interrelation with meteorological conditions over Gangtok, Sikkim
Long-range transport of air pollutants increases the concentration of hazardous components of PM2.5 in northern South America
Molecular characterization of organic aerosols in urban and forested areas of Paris using high resolution mass spectrometry
Dominant influence of biomass combustion and cross-border transport on nitrogen-containing organic compound levels in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau
Measurement report: Wintertime aerosol characterization at an urban traffic site in Helsinki Finland
Impacts of elevated anthropogenic emissions on physicochemical characteristics of black-carbon-containing particles over the Tibetan Plateau
Online characterization of primary and secondary emissions of particulate matter and acidic molecules from a modern fleet of city buses
Atmospheric evolution of environmentally persistent free radicals in the rural North China Plain: effects on water solubility and PM2.5 oxidative potential
Measurement report: Characterization of Aerosol Hygroscopicity over Southeast Asia during the NASA CAMP2Ex Campaign
Two distinct ship emission profiles for organic-sulfate source apportionment of PM in sulfur emission control areas
Measurement report: In-depth characterization of ship emissions during operations in a Mediterranean port
Automated compound speciation, cluster analysis, and quantification of organic vapors and aerosols using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and mass spectrometry
Measurement report: Occurrence of aminiums in PM2.5 during winter in China – aminium outbreak during polluted episodes and potential constraints
Bridging gas and aerosol properties between the northeastern US and Bermuda: analysis of eight transit flights
The behaviour of charged particles (ions) during new particle formation events in urban Leipzig, Germany
Exploring the sources of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols by integrating observational and modeling results: insights from Northeast China
Measurement report: Characteristics of airborne black-carbon-containing particles during the 2021 summer COVID-19 lockdown in a typical Yangtze River Delta city, China
Emmanuel Chevassus, Kirsten N. Fossum, Darius Ceburnis, Lu Lei, Chunshui Lin, Wei Xu, Colin O'Dowd, and Jurgita Ovadnevaite
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4107–4129, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4107-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4107-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the first source apportionment of organic aerosol at Mace Head via high-resolution mass spectrometry. Introducing transfer entropy as a novel method reveals that aged organic aerosol originates from both open-ocean ozonolysis and local peat-burning oxidation. Methanesulfonic acid and organic sea spray both mirror phytoplankton activity, with the former closely tied to coccolithophore blooms and the latter linked to diatoms, chlorophytes, and cyanobacteria.
Ashutosh K. Shukla, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Shamitaksha Talukdar, Vishnu Murari, Sreenivas Gaddamidi, Manousos-Ioannis Manousakas, Vipul Lalchandani, Kuldeep Dixit, Vinayak M. Ruge, Peeyush Khare, Mayank Kumar, Vikram Singh, Neeraj Rastogi, Suresh Tiwari, Atul K. Srivastava, Dilip Ganguly, Kaspar Rudolf Daellenbach, and André S. H. Prévôt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3765–3784, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3765-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3765-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our study delves into the elemental composition of aerosols at three sites across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), revealing distinct patterns during pollution episodes. We found significant increases in chlorine (Cl)-rich and solid fuel combustion (SFC) sources, indicating dynamic emission sources, agricultural burning impacts, and meteorological influences. Surges in Cl-rich particles during cold periods highlight their role in particle growth under high-relative-humidity conditions.
Ye Kuang, Biao Luo, Shan Huang, Junwen Liu, Weiwei Hu, Yuwen Peng, Duohong Chen, Dingli Yue, Wanyun Xu, Bin Yuan, and Min Shao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3737–3752, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3737-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3737-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This research reveals the potential importance of nighttime NO3 radical chemistry and aerosol water in the rapid formation of secondary brown carbon from diluted biomass burning emissions. The findings enhance our understanding of nighttime biomass burning evolution and its implications for climate and regional air quality, especially regarding interactions with background aerosol water and water-rich fogs and clouds.
Fan Mei, Qi Zhang, Damao Zhang, Jerome D. Fast, Gourihar Kulkarni, Mikhail S. Pekour, Christopher R. Niedek, Susanne Glienke, Israel Silber, Beat Schmid, Jason M. Tomlinson, Hardeep S. Mehta, Xena Mansoura, Zezhen Cheng, Gregory W. Vandergrift, Nurun Nahar Lata, Swarup China, and Zihua Zhu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3425–3444, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3425-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3425-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study highlights the unique capability of the ArcticShark, an uncrewed aerial system, in measuring vertically resolved atmospheric properties. Data from 32 research flights in 2023 reveal seasonal patterns and correlations with conventional measurements. The consistency and complementarity of in situ and remote sensing methods are highlighted. The study demonstrates the ArcticShark’s versatility in bridging data gaps and improving the understanding of vertical atmospheric structures.
Ting Yang, Yu Xu, Yu-Chen Wang, Yi-Jia Ma, Hong-Wei Xiao, Hao Xiao, and Hua-Yun Xiao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2967–2978, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2967-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2967-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Previous measurement–model comparisons of atmospheric isoprene levels showed a significant unidentified source of isoprene in some northern Chinese cities during winter. Here, the first combination of large-scale observations and field combustion experiments provides novel insights into biomass burning emissions as a significant source of isoprene-derived organosulfates during winter in northern cities of China.
Yi-Jia Ma, Yu Xu, Ting Yang, Lin Gui, Hong-Wei Xiao, Hao Xiao, and Hua-Yun Xiao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2763–2780, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2763-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2763-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The abundance, potential precursors, and main formation mechanisms of nitrogen-containing organic compounds (NOCs) in PM2.5 during winter were compared among cities with different energy consumption patterns. The aerosol NOC pollution during winter in China is closely associated with the intensity of precursor emissions and the aqueous-phase processes. Our results highlight the importance of emission reduction strategies in controlling aerosol NOCs pollution during winter in China.
Dane Blanchard, Mark Gordon, Duc Huy Dang, Paul Andrew Makar, and Julian Aherne
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2423–2442, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2423-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2423-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study offers the first known evaluation of water-soluble brown carbon aerosols in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR), Canada. Fluorescence spectroscopy analysis of aerosol samples from five regional sites (collected during the summer of 2021) identified oil sands operations as a measurable brown carbon source. Industrial aerosol emissions were unlikely to impact regional radiative forcing. These findings show that fluorescence spectroscopy can be used to monitor brown carbon in the AOSR.
Kira Zeider, Kayla McCauley, Sanja Dmitrovic, Leong Wai Siu, Yonghoon Choi, Ewan C. Crosbie, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Simon Kirschler, John B. Nowak, Michael A. Shook, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Christiane Voigt, Edward L. Winstead, Luke D. Ziemba, Paquita Zuidema, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2407–2422, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2407-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2407-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In situ aircraft data collected over the northwest Atlantic Ocean are utilized to compare aerosol conditions and turbulence between near-surface and below-cloud-base altitudes for different regimes of coupling strength between those two levels, along with how cloud microphysical properties vary across those regimes. Stronger coupling yields more homogenous aerosol structure vertically along with higher cloud drop concentrations and sea salt influence in clouds.
Amie Dobracki, Ernie R. Lewis, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Tyler Tatro, Maria A. Zawadowicz, and Paquita Zuidema
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2333–2363, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2333-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2333-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Biomass-burning aerosol is commonly present in the marine boundary layer over the southeast Atlantic Ocean between June and October. Our research indicates that burning conditions, aerosol transport pathways, and prolonged oxidation processes (heterogeneous and aqueous phases) determine the chemical, microphysical, and optical properties of the boundary layer aerosol. Notably, we find that the aerosol optical properties can be estimated from the chemical properties alone.
Benjamin Heutte, Nora Bergner, Hélène Angot, Jakob B. Pernov, Lubna Dada, Jessica A. Mirrielees, Ivo Beck, Andrea Baccarini, Matthew Boyer, Jessie M. Creamean, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Imad El Haddad, Markus M. Frey, Silvia Henning, Tiia Laurila, Vaios Moschos, Tuukka Petäjä, Kerri A. Pratt, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Matthew D. Shupe, Paul Zieger, Tuija Jokinen, and Julia Schmale
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2207–2241, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2207-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2207-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Limited aerosol measurements in the central Arctic hinder our understanding of aerosol–climate interactions in the region. Our year-long observations of aerosol physicochemical properties during the MOSAiC expedition reveal strong seasonal variations in aerosol chemical composition, where the short-term variability is heavily affected by storms in the Arctic. Local wind-generated particles are shown to be an important source of cloud seeds, especially in autumn.
Feng Jiang, Harald Saathoff, Uzoamaka Ezenobi, Junwei Song, Hengheng Zhang, Linyu Gao, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1917–1930, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1917-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1917-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The chemical composition of brown carbon in the particle and gas phase was determined by mass spectrometry. BrC in the gas phase was mainly controlled by secondary formation and particle-to-gas partitioning. BrC in the particle phase was mainly from secondary formation. This work helps to get a better understanding of diurnal variations and the sources of brown carbon aerosol at a rural location in central Europe.
James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Eija Asmi, Aki Virkkula, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Mikko Sipilä, Floortje Van Den Heuvel, Thomas Lachlan-Cope, Anna Jones, Markus Frey, Angelo Lupi, Jiyeon Park, Young Jun Yoon, Rolf Weller, Giselle L. Marincovich, Gabriela C. Mulena, Roy M. Harrison, and Manuel Dall'Osto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1145–1162, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1145-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1145-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our results emphasise how understanding the geographical variation in surface types across the Antarctic is key to understanding secondary aerosol sources.
Adam E. Thomas, Hayley S. Glicker, Alex B. Guenther, Roger Seco, Oscar Vega Bustillos, Julio Tota, Rodrigo A. F. Souza, and James N. Smith
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 959–977, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-959-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-959-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We present measurements of the organic composition of ultrafine particles collected from the eastern Amazon, an understudied region that is subjected to increasing human influence. We find that while isoprene chemistry is likely significant for ultrafine-particle growth throughout the year, compounds related to other sources, such as biological-spore emissions and biomass burning, exhibit striking seasonal differences, implying extensive variation in regional ultrafine-particle sources.
Kumiko Goto-Azuma, Yoshimi Ogawa-Tsukagawa, Kaori Fukuda, Koji Fujita, Motohiro Hirabayashi, Remi Dallmayr, Jun Ogata, Nobuhiro Moteki, Tatsuhiro Mori, Sho Ohata, Yutaka Kondo, Makoto Koike, Sumito Matoba, Moe Kadota, Akane Tsushima, Naoko Nagatsuka, and Teruo Aoki
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 657–683, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-657-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-657-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Monthly ice core records spanning 350 years from Greenland show trends in refractory black carbon (rBC) concentrations and sizes. rBC levels have increased since the 1870s due to the inflow of anthropogenic rBC, with larger diameters than those from biomass burning (BB) rBC. High summer BB rBC peaks may reduce the ice sheet albedo, but BB rBC showed no increase until the early 2000s. These results are vital for validating aerosol and climate models.
Jiayin Li, Tianyu Zhai, Xiaorui Chen, Haichao Wang, Shuyang Xie, Shiyi Chen, Chunmeng Li, Huabin Dong, and Keding Lu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3804, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3804, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We directly measured the dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) uptake coefficient which critical impact the NOx fate and particulate nitrate formation in a typical highland city, Kunming, in China. We found the performance of current γ(N2O5) parameterizations showed deviations with the varying aerosol liquid water content (ALWC). Such differences would lead to biased estimation on particulate nitrate production potential. Our findings suggest the directions for future studies.
Jishnu Pandamkulangara Kizhakkethil, Zongbo Shi, Anna Bogush, and Ivan Kourtchev
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3952, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3952, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Pollution with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) received attention due to their environmental persistence and bioaccumulation. PM10 collected above a scaled-down activated sludge tank treating domestic sewage for a population >10,000 people in the UK were analysed for a range of short-, medium- and long-chain PFAS. Eight PFAS were detected in the PM10. Our results suggest that wastewater treatment processes i.e. activated sludge aeration could aerosolise PFAS into airborne PM.
Mingjie Kang, Mengying Bao, Wenhuai Song, Aduburexiati Abulimiti, Changliu Wu, Fang Cao, Sönke Szidat, and Yanlin Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 73–91, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-73-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-73-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Reports on molecular-level knowledge of high-temporal-resolution particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) on hazy days are limited. We investigated various PM2.5 species and their sources. The results show biomass burning (BB) was the main source of organic carbon. Moreover, BB enhanced fungal spore emissions and secondary aerosol formation. The contribution of non-fossil sources increased with increasing haze pollution, suggesting BB may be an important driver of haze events in winter.
Gregory P. Schill, Karl D. Froyd, Daniel M. Murphy, Christina J. Williamson, Charles A. Brock, Tomás Sherwen, Mat J. Evans, Eric A. Ray, Eric C. Apel, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Alan J. Hills, Jeff Peischl, Thomas B. Ryerson, Chelsea R. Thompson, Ilann Bourgeois, Donald R. Blake, Joshua P. DiGangi, and Glenn S. Diskin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 45–71, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-45-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-45-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Using single-particle mass spectrometry, we show that trace concentrations of bromine and iodine are ubiquitous in remote tropospheric aerosol and suggest that aerosols are an important part of the global reactive iodine budget. Comparisons to a global climate model with detailed iodine chemistry are favorable in the background atmosphere; however, the model cannot replicate our measurements near the ocean surface, in biomass burning plumes, and in the stratosphere.
Zhao Wei, Shohei Hattori, Asuka Tsuruta, Zhuang Jiang, Sakiko Ishino, Koji Fujita, Sumito Matoba, Lei Geng, Alexis Lamothe, Ryu Uemura, Naohiro Yoshida, Joel Savarino, and Yoshinori Iizuka
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3937, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3937, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrate isotope records in ice cores reveal changes in NOₓ emissions, atmospheric acidity, and oxidation chemistry driven by human activity. However, nitrate in snow can be altered by UV-driven post-depositional processes, making snow accumulation rates critical for preserving these records. This study examines nitrate isotopes in an SE-Dome ice core, where high snow accumulation minimizes these effects, providing a reliable archive of atmospheric nitrogen cycling.
Capucine Camin, François Lacan, Catherine Pradoux, Marie Labatut, Anne Johansen, and James W. Murray
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3777, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3777, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This manuscript presents the chemical composition of aerosols (> 1µm) over the Equatorial and Tropical Pacific Ocean, presenting the first measurements of iron isotopes in aerosols from this region. Iron concentrations and isotopes were determined using a Neptune MC-ICPMS. Our data analysis reveals that a significant portion of the aerosols undergo dissolution and removal during atmospheric transport. These findings contribute to original conclusions about the chemistry and physics of aerosols.
Andreas Aktypis, Dontavious J. Sippial, Christina N. Vasilakopoulou, Angeliki Matrali, Christos Kaltsonoudis, Andrea Simonati, Marco Paglione, Matteo Rinaldi, Stefano Decesari, and Spyros N. Pandis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13769–13791, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13769-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13769-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A dual-chamber system was deployed in two different environments (Po Valley, Italy, and Pertouli forest, Greece) to study the potential of ambient air directly injected into the chambers, to form secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In the Po Valley, the system reacts rapidly, forming large amounts of SOA, while in Pertouli the SOA formation chemistry appears to have been practically terminated before the beginning of most experiments, so there is little additional SOA formation potential left.
Jie Zhang, Tianyu Zhu, Alexandra Catena, Yaowei Li, Margaret J. Schwab, Pengfei Liu, Akua Asa-Awuku, and James Schwab
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13445–13456, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13445-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13445-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows the derived organic aerosol hygroscopicity under high-humidity conditions based on a simple optical scatter monitor system, including two nephelometric monitors (pDR-1500), when the aerosol chemical composition is already known.
Wei Yuan, Ru-Jin Huang, Chao Luo, Lu Yang, Wenjuan Cao, Jie Guo, and Huinan Yang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13219–13230, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13219-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13219-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We characterized water-soluble oxidative potential (OP) levels in wintertime PM2.5 in the south and north of Beijing. Our results show that the volume-normalized dithiothreitol (DTTv) in the north was comparable to that in the south, while the mass-normalized dithiothreitol (DTTm) in the north was almost twice that in the south. Traffic-related emissions and biomass burning were the main sources of DTTv in the south, and traffic-related emissions contributed the most to DTTv in the north.
Mingfu Cai, Chenshuo Ye, Bin Yuan, Shan Huang, E Zheng, Suxia Yang, Zelong Wang, Yi Lin, Tiange Li, Weiwei Hu, Wei Chen, Qicong Song, Wei Li, Yuwen Peng, Baoling Liang, Qibin Sun, Jun Zhao, Duohong Chen, Jiaren Sun, Zhiyong Yang, and Min Shao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13065–13079, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13065-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13065-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigated the daytime secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation in urban plumes. We observed a significant daytime SOA formation through gas–particle partitioning when the site was affected by urban plumes. A box model simulation indicated that urban pollutants (nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds) could enhance the oxidizing capacity, while the elevated volatile organic compounds were mainly responsible for promoting daytime SOA formation.
Qingxiao Meng, Yunjiang Zhang, Sheng Zhong, Jie Fang, Lili Tang, Yongcai Rao, Minfeng Zhou, Jian Qiu, Xiaofeng Xu, Jean-Eudes Petit, Olivier Favez, and Xinlei Ge
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2776, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2776, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a new method to reconstruct missing elemental carbon (EC) data in four Chinese cities from 2013 to 2023. Using machine learning, we accurately filled data gaps and introduced a new approach to analyze EC trends. Our findings reveal a significant decline in EC due to stricter pollution controls, though this slowed after 2020. This study provides a versatile framework for addressing data gaps and supports strategies to reduce urban air pollution and its climate impacts.
Yingjie Shen, Rudra P. Pokhrel, Amy P. Sullivan, Ezra J. T. Levin, Lauren A. Garofalo, Delphine K. Farmer, Wade Permar, Lu Hu, Darin W. Toohey, Teresa Campos, Emily V. Fischer, and Shane M. Murphy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12881–12901, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12881-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12881-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The magnitude and evolution of brown carbon (BrC) absorption remain unclear, with uncertainty in climate models. Data from the WE-CAN airborne experiment show that model parameterizations overestimate the mass absorption cross section (MAC) of BrC. Observed decreases in BrC absorption with chemical markers are due to decreasing organic aerosol (OA) mass rather than a decreasing BrC MAC, which is currently implemented in models. Water-soluble BrC contributes 23 % of total absorption at 660 nm.
Qun He, Zhaowen Wang, Houfeng Liu, Pengju Xu, Rongbao Duan, Caihong Xu, Jianmin Chen, and Min Wei
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12775–12792, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12775-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12775-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Coastal environments provide an ideal setting for investigating the intermixing of terrestrial and marine aerosols. Terrestrial air mass constituted a larger number of microbes from anthropogenic and soil emissions, whereas saprophytic and gut microbes were predominant in marine samples. Mixed air masses indicated a fusion of marine and terrestrial aerosols, characterized by alterations in the ratio of pathogenic and saprophytic microbes when compared to either terrestrial or marine samples.
Rime El Asmar, Zongrun Li, David J. Tanner, Yongtao Hu, Susan O'Neill, L. Gregory Huey, M. Talat Odman, and Rodney J. Weber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12749–12773, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12749-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12749-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Prescribed burning is an important method for managing ecosystems and preventing wildfires. However, smoke from prescribed fires can have a significant impact on air quality. Here, using a network of fixed sites and sampling throughout an extended prescribed burning period in 2 different years, we characterize emissions and evolutions of up to 8 h of PM2.5 mass, black carbon (BC), and brown carbon (BrC) in smoke from burning of forested lands in the southeastern USA.
Matthew Boyer, Diego Aliaga, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Silvia Bucci, Hélène Angot, Lubna Dada, Benjamin Heutte, Lisa Beck, Marina Duetsch, Andreas Stohl, Ivo Beck, Tiia Laurila, Nina Sarnela, Roseline C. Thakur, Branka Miljevic, Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä, Mikko Sipilä, Julia Schmale, and Tuija Jokinen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12595–12621, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12595-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12595-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We analyze the seasonal cycle and sources of gases that are relevant for the formation of aerosol particles in the central Arctic. Since theses gases can form new particles, they can influence Arctic climate. We show that the sources of these gases are associated with changes in the Arctic environment during the year, especially with respect to sea ice. Therefore, the concentration of these gases will likely change in the future as the Arctic continues to warm.
Binyu Xiao, Fan Zhang, Zeyu Liu, Yan Zhang, Rui Li, Can Wu, Xinyi Wan, Yi Wang, Yubao Chen, Yong Han, Min Cui, Libo Zhang, Yingjun Chen, and Gehui Wang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3433, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3433, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Intermediate/semi-volatile organic compounds in both gas and particle phases from ship exhausts are enhanced due to the switch of fuels from low-sulfur to ultra-low-sulfur. The findings indicate that optimization is necessary for the forthcoming global implementation of an ultra-low-sulfur oil policy. Besides, we find that organic diagnostic markers of hopanes, in conjunction with the ratio of octadecanoic to tetradecanoic could be considered as potential tracers for HFO exhausts.
Haley M. Royer, Michael T. Sheridan, Hope E. Elliott, Nurun Nahar Lata, Zezhen Cheng, Swarup China, Zihua Zhu, Andrew P. Ault, and Cassandra J. Gaston
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3288, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3288, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Saharan dust transported across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, South America, and North America is hypothesized to undergo chemical processing by inorganic and organic acids that enhances cloud droplet formation, nutrient availability, and reflectivity of. In this study, chemical analysis performed on African dust deposited over Barbados shows that acid tracers are found mostly on sea salt and smoke particles, rather than dust, indicating that dust particles undergo minimal chemical processing.
Imad El Haddad, Danielle Vienneau, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Robin Modini, Jay G. Slowik, Abhishek Upadhyay, Petros N. Vasilakos, David Bell, Kees de Hoogh, and Andre S. H. Prevot
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11981–12011, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11981-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11981-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This opinion paper explores how advances in aerosol science inform our understanding of the health impacts of outdoor particulate pollution. We advocate for a shift in the way we target PM pollution, focusing on the most harmful anthropogenic emissions. We highlight key observations, modelling developments, and emission measurements needed to achieve this shift.
Yu Huang, Xingru Li, Dan Dan Huang, Ruoyuan Lei, Binhuang Zhou, Yunjiang Zhang, and Xinlei Ge
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2757, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2757, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This work performed a comprehensive investigation on the chemical and optical properties of the brown carbon in PM2.5 samples collected in Nanjing, China. In particular, we used the machine learning approach to identify a list of key BrC species, which can be a good reference for future studies. Our findings extend the understanding on BrC properties and are valuable to the assessment of its impact on air quality and radiative forcing.
Pramod Kumar, Khushboo Sharma, Ankita Malu, Rajeev Rajak, Aparna Gupta, Bidyutjyoti Baruah, Shailesh Yadav, Thupstan Angchuk, Jayant Sharma, Rakesh Kumar Ranjan, Anil Kumar Misra, and Nishchal Wanjari
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11585–11601, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11585-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11585-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This work monitors and assesses air pollution, especially black and brown carbon, its controlling factor, and its effect on the environment of Sikkim Himalayan region. The huge urban sprawl in recent decades has led to regional human-induced air pollution in the region. Black carbon was highest in April 2021 and March 2022, exceeding the WHO limit. The monsoon season causes huge rainfall over the region, which reduces the pollutants by scavenging (rainout and washout).
Maria P. Velásquez-García, K. Santiago Hernández, James A. Vergara-Correa, Richard J. Pope, Miriam Gómez-Marín, and Angela M. Rendón
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11497–11520, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11497-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11497-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In the Aburrá Valley, northern South America, local emissions determine air quality conditions. However, we found that external sources, such as regional fires, Saharan dust, and volcanic emissions, increase particulate concentrations and worsen chemical composition by introducing elements like heavy metals. Dry winds and source variability contribute to seasonal influences on these events. This study assesses the air quality risks posed by such events, which can affect broad regions worldwide.
Diana L. Pereira, Chiara Giorio, Aline Gratien, Alexander Zherebker, Gael Noyalet, Servanne Chevaillier, Stéphanie Alage, Elie Almarj, Antonin Bergé, Thomas Bertin, Mathieu Cazaunau, Patrice Coll, Ludovico Di Antonio, Sergio Harb, Johannes Heuser, Cécile Gaimoz, Oscar Guillemant, Brigitte Language, Olivier Lauret, Camilo Macias, Franck Maisonneuve, Bénédicte Picquet-Varrault, Raquel Torres, Sylvain Triquet, Pascal Zapf, Lelia Hawkins, Drew Pronovost, Sydney Riley, Pierre-Marie Flaud, Emilie Perraudin, Pauline Pouyes, Eric Villenave, Alexandre Albinet, Olivier Favez, Robin Aujay-Plouzeau, Vincent Michoud, Christopher Cantrell, Manuela Cirtog, Claudia Di Biagio, Jean-François Doussin, and Paola Formenti
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3015, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3015, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In order to study aerosols in environments influenced by anthropogenic and biogenic emissions, we performed analysis of samples collected during ACROSS (Atmospheric Chemistry Of the Suburban Forest) campaign in the summer 2022 in the Paris greater area. After analysis of the chemical composition by means of total carbon determination and high resolution mass spectrometry, this work highlights the influence of anthropogenic inputs into the chemical composition of both urban and forested areas.
Meng Wang, Qiyuan Wang, Steven Sai Hang Ho, Jie Tian, Yong Zhang, Shun-cheng Lee, and Junji Cao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11175–11189, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11175-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11175-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We studied nitrogen-containing organic compounds (NOCs) in particulate matter <2.5 µm particles on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. We found that biomass burning and transboundary transport are the main sources of NOCs in the high-altitude area. Understanding these aerosol sources informs how they add to regional and potentially global climate changes. Our findings could help shape effective environmental policies to enhance air quality and address climate impacts in this sensitive region.
Kimmo Teinilä, Sanna Saarikoski, Henna Lintusaari, Teemu Lepistö, Petteri Marjanen, Minna Aurela, Heidi Hellén, Toni Tykkä, Markus Lampimäki, Janne Lampilahti, Luis Barreira, Timo Mäkelä, Leena Kangas, Juha Hatakka, Sami Harni, Joel Kuula, Jarkko V. Niemi, Harri Portin, Jaakko Yli-Ojanperä, Ville Niemelä, Milja Jäppi, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Joonas Vanhanen, Liisa Pirjola, Hanna E. Manninen, Tuukka Petäjä, Topi Rönkkö, and Hilkka Timonen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2235, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2235, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Physical and chemical properties of particulate matter and concentrations of trace gases were measured in a street canyon in Helsinki, Finland and an urban background site in January–February 2022 to investigate the effect of wintertime conditions on pollutants. State-of-the-art instruments, a mobile laboratory was used, and the measurement data was further analysed with modelling tools like positive matrix factorization (PMF) and pollution detection algorithm (PDA).
Jinbo Wang, Jiaping Wang, Yuxuan Zhang, Tengyu Liu, Xuguang Chi, Xin Huang, Dafeng Ge, Shiyi Lai, Caijun Zhu, Lei Wang, Qiaozhi Zha, Ximeng Qi, Wei Nie, Congbin Fu, and Aijun Ding
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11063–11080, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11063-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11063-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we found large spatial discrepancies in the physical and chemical properties of black carbon over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Elevated anthropogenic emissions from low-altitude regions can significantly change the mass concentration, mixing state and chemical composition of black-carbon-containing aerosol in the TP region, further altering its light absorption ability. Our study emphasizes the vulnerability of remote plateau regions to intense anthropogenic influences.
Liyuan Zhou, Qianyun Liu, Christian M. Salvador, Michael Le Breton, Mattias Hallquist, Jian Zhen Yu, Chak K. Chan, and Åsa M. Hallquist
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11045–11061, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11045-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11045-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our research on city bus emissions reveals that alternative fuels (compressed natural gas and biofuels) reduce fresh particle emissions compared to diesel. However, all fuels lead to secondary air pollution. Aiming at guiding better environmental policies, we studied 76 buses using advanced emission measurement techniques. This work sheds light on the complex effects of bus fuels on urban air quality, emphasizing the need for comprehensive evaluations of future transportation technologies.
Xu Yang, Fobang Liu, Shuqi Yang, Yuling Yang, Yanan Wang, Jingjing Li, Mingyu Zhao, Zhao Wang, Kai Wang, Chi He, and Haijie Tong
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11029–11043, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11029-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11029-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A study in the rural North China Plain showed environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in atmospheric particulate matter (PM), with a notable water-soluble fraction likely from atmospheric oxidation during transport. Significant positive correlations between EPFRs and the water-soluble oxidative potential of PM2.5 were found, primarily attributable to the water-soluble fractions of EPFRs. These findings emphasize understanding EPFRs' atmospheric evolution for climate and health impacts.
Genevieve Rose Lorenzo, Luke D. Ziemba, Avelino F. Arellano, Mary C. Barth, Ewan C. Crosbie, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Richard Ferrare, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Michael A. Shook, Simone Tilmes, Jian Wang, Qian Xiao, Jun Zhang, and Armin Sorooshian
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2604, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2604, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Novel aerosol hygroscopicity analysis of CAMP2Ex field campaign data show low aerosol hygroscopicity values in Southeast Asia. Organic carbon from smoke decreases hygroscopicity to levels more like those in continental than in polluted marine regions. Hygroscopicity changes at cloud level demonstrate how surface particles impact clouds in the region affecting model representation of aerosol and cloud interactions in similar polluted marine regions with high organic carbon emissions.
Kirsten N. Fossum, Chunshui Lin, Niall O'Sullivan, Lu Lei, Stig Hellebust, Darius Ceburnis, Aqeel Afzal, Anja Tremper, David Green, Srishti Jain, Steigvilė Byčenkienė, Colin O'Dowd, John Wenger, and Jurgita Ovadnevaite
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10815–10831, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10815-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10815-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The chemical composition and sources of submicron aerosol in the Dublin Port area were investigated over a month-long campaign. Two distinct types of ship emissions were identified and characterised: sulfate-rich plumes from the use of heavy fuel oil with scrubbers and organic-rich plumes from the use of low-sulfur fuels. The latter were more frequent, emitting double the particle number and having a typical V / Ni ratio for ship emission.
Lise Le Berre, Brice Temime-Roussel, Grazia Maria Lanzafame, Barbara D’Anna, Nicolas Marchand, Stéphane Sauvage, Marvin Dufresne, Liselotte Tinel, Thierry Leonardis, Joel Ferreira de Brito, Alexandre Armengaud, Grégory Gille, Ludovic Lanzi, Romain Bourjot, and Henri Wortham
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2903, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2903, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A summer campaign in a Mediterranean port examined pollution caused by ships. Two stations in the port measured pollution levels and captured over 350 ship plumes to study their chemical composition. Results showed that pollution levels, like ultra-fine particles, were higher in the port than in the city and offer a strong support to improve emission inventories. These findings may also serve as reference for assessing the benefits of a Sulphur Emission Control Area in the Mediterranean in 2025.
Xiao He, Xuan Zheng, Shuwen Guo, Lewei Zeng, Ting Chen, Bohan Yang, Shupei Xiao, Qiongqiong Wang, Zhiyuan Li, Yan You, Shaojun Zhang, and Ye Wu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10655–10666, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10655-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10655-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study introduces an innovative method for identifying and quantifying complex organic vapors and aerosols. By combining advanced analytical techniques and new algorithms, we categorized thousands of compounds from heavy-duty diesel vehicles and ambient air and highlighted specific tracers for emission sources. The innovative approach enhances peak identification, reduces quantification uncertainties, and offers new insights for air quality management and atmospheric chemistry.
Yu Xu, Tang Liu, Yi-Jia Ma, Qi-Bin Sun, Hong-Wei Xiao, Hao Xiao, Hua-Yun Xiao, and Cong-Qiang Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10531–10542, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10531-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10531-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the characteristics of aminiums and ammonium in PM2.5 on clean and polluted winter days in 11 Chinese cities, highlighting the possibility of the competitive uptake of ammonia versus amines on acidic aerosols or the displacement of aminiums by ammonia under high-ammonia conditions. The overall results deepen the understanding of the spatiotemporal differences in aminium characteristics and formation in China.
Cassidy Soloff, Taiwo Ajayi, Yonghoon Choi, Ewan C. Crosbie, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Marta A. Fenn, Richard A. Ferrare, Francesca Gallo, Johnathan W. Hair, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Simon Kirschler, Richard H. Moore, Taylor J. Shingler, Michael A. Shook, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Christiane Voigt, Edward L. Winstead, Luke D. Ziemba, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10385–10408, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10385-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10385-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using aircraft measurements over the northwestern Atlantic between the US East Coast and Bermuda and trajectory modeling of continental outflow, we identify trace gas and particle properties that exhibit gradients with offshore distance and quantify these changes with high-resolution measurements of concentrations and particle chemistry, size, and scattering properties. This work furthers our understanding of the complex interactions between continental and marine environments.
Alex Rowell, James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Zongbo Shi, Avinash Kumar, Matti Rissanen, Miikka Dal Maso, Peter Mettke, Kay Weinhold, Maik Merkel, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10349–10361, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10349-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10349-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ions enhance the formation and growth rates of new particles, affecting the Earth's radiation budget. Despite these effects, there is little published data exploring the sources of ions in the urban environment and their role in new particle formation (NPF). Here we show that natural ion sources dominate in urban environments, while traffic is a secondary source. Ions contribute up to 12.7 % of the formation rate of particles, indicating that they are important for forming urban PM.
Yuan Cheng, Xu-bing Cao, Sheng-qiang Zhu, Zhi-qing Zhang, Jiu-meng Liu, Hong-liang Zhang, Qiang Zhang, and Ke-bin He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9869–9883, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9869-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9869-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The agreement between observational and modeling results is essential for the development of efficient air pollution control strategies. Here we constrained the modeling results of carbonaceous aerosols by field observation in Northeast China, a historically overlooked but recently targeted region of national clean-air actions. Our study suggested that the simulation of agricultural fire emissions and secondary organic aerosols remains challenging.
Yuan Dai, Junfeng Wang, Houjun Wang, Shijie Cui, Yunjiang Zhang, Haiwei Li, Yun Wu, Ming Wang, Eleonora Aruffo, and Xinlei Ge
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9733–9748, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9733-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9733-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Short-term strict emission control can improve air quality, but its effectiveness needs assessment. During the 2021 summer COVID-19 lockdown in Yangzhou, we found that PM2.5 levels did not decrease despite reduced primary emissions. Aged black-carbon particles increased substantially due to higher O3 levels and transported pollutants. High humidity and low wind also played key roles. The results highlight the importance of a regionally balanced control strategy for future air quality management.
Cited articles
Andreae, M. O. and Merlet, P.: Emissions of trace gases and
aerosols from biomass burning: Global Biogeochem. Cy., 15,
955–966, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000GB001382, 2001.
Bela, M. M., Barth, M. C., Toon, O. B., Fried, A., Homeyer, C. R., Morrison,
H., Cummings, K. A., Li, Y., Pickering, K. E., Allen, D. J., et al.: Wet
scavenging of soluble gases in DC3 deep convective storms using WRF-Chem
simulations and aircraft observations, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 121, 4233–4257, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024623, 2016.
Belikov, D. A., Maksyutov, S., Krol, M., Fraser, A., Rigby, M., Bian, H., Agusti-Panareda, A., Bergmann, D., Bousquet, P., Cameron-Smith, P., Chipperfield, M. P., Fortems-Cheiney, A., Gloor, E., Haynes, K., Hess, P., Houweling, S., Kawa, S. R., Law, R. M., Loh, Z., Meng, L., Palmer, P. I., Patra, P. K., Prinn, R. G., Saito, R., and Wilson, C.: Off-line algorithm for calculation of vertical tracer transport in the troposphere due to deep convection, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 1093–1114, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-1093-2013, 2013.
Bey, I., Jacob, J.D., Yantosca, M. R., Logan, a, J., Field, D.B., Fiore, M. A., Li, Q., Liu, Y. H., Mickley, J. L., and Schultz, G. M.: Global Modeling of Tropospheric Chemistry with Assimilated Meteorology: Model Description and Evaluation, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 106, 23073–23095, https://doi.org/:10.1029/2001JD000807, 2001.
Bond, T. C., Bhardwaj, E., Dong, R., Jogani, R., Jung, S., Roden, C., Streets, D. G., and Trautmann, N.: Historical emissions of black and organic carbon aerosol from
energy-related combustion, 1850–2000, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 21,
GB2018, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GB002840, 2007.
Bossolasco, A., Jegou, F., Sellitto, P., Berthet, G., Kloss, C., and Legras, B.: Global modeling studies of composition and decadal trends of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 2745–2764, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2745-2021, 2021.
Brabec, M., Wienhold, F. G., Luo, B. P., Vömel, H., Immler, F., Steiner, P., Hausammann, E., Weers, U., and Peter, T.: Particle backscatter and relative humidity measured across cirrus clouds and comparison with microphysical cirrus modelling, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 9135–9148, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-9135-2012, 2012.
Conrad, R.: Soil microorganisms as controllers of atmospheric trace gases (H2, CO, CH4, OCS, N2O, and NO), Microb. Rev., 60, 609–640, https://doi.org/10.1128/mr.60.4.609-640, 1996.
Darmenov, A. and da Silva, A.: The Quick Fire Emissions Dataset (QFED): Documentation of versions 2.1, 2.2, and 2.4, NASA Technical Report Series on Global
Modeling and Data Assimilation NASA TM-2015-104606, Volume 38, http://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/pubs/docs/Darmenov796.pdf, last access: 1 September 2015.
Dentener, F. J. and Crutzen, P. J.: A three-dimensional model of the global
Ammonia cycle, J. Atmos. Chem., 19, 331–369,
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00694492, 1994.
Eastham, S. D., Weisenstein, D. K., Barrett, and S. R. H.: Development and
evaluation of the unified tropospheric-stratospheric chemistry extension (UCX) for the global chemistrytransport model GEOS-Chem, Atmos. Environ., 89, 52–63, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.02.001, 2014.
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.
Fairlie, T. D., Jacob, D. J., and Park, R. J.: The impact of transpacific transport of mineral dust in the United States,
Atmos. Environ.,
41,
1251–1266,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.09.048, 2007.
Fairlie, T. D., Vernier, J.-P., Natarajan, M., and Bedka, K. M.: Dispersion of the Nabro volcanic plume and its relation to the Asian summer monsoon, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 7045–7057, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-7045-2014, 2014.
Fairlie, T. D., Liu, H., Vernier, J.-P., Campuzanoâ-Jost, P., Jimenez,
J. L., Jo, D. S., Zhang, B., Natarajan, M., Avery, M. A., and Huey, G.:
Estimates of Regional Source Contributions to the Asian Tropopause Aerosol
Layer Using a Chemical Transport Model, J. Geophys. Res., 125, e2019JD031506,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD031506, 2020.
Fountoukis, C. and Nenes, A.: ISORROPIA II: a computationally efficient thermodynamic equilibrium model for
K+-Ca2+-Mg2+-NH
Fromm, M., Lindsey, D. T., Servranckx, R., Yue, G.,
Trickl, T., Sica, R., Doucet, P., and Beekmann, S. B.: The untold story of pyrocumulonimbus, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 91,
1193–1210, 2010.
Gelaro, R., McCarthy, W., Suárez, M. J., Todling, R., Molod, A., Takacs,
L., Randles, C. A., Darmenov, A., Bosilovich, M. G., Reichle, R., Wargan, K.,
Coy, L., Cullather, R., Draper, C., Akella, S., Buchard, V., Conaty, A., da
Silva, A. M., Gu, W., Kim, G.-K., Koster, R., Lucchesi, R., Merkova, D.,
Nielsen, J. E., Partyka, G., Pawson, S., Putman, W., Rienecker, M., Schubert,
S. D., Sienkiewicz, M., and Zhao, B.: The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for
Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), J. Climate, 30, 5419–5454,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0758.1, 2017.
Ghude, D. S., Van der A, R. J., Beig, G., Fadnavis, S., and Polade, S. D.:
Satellite derived trends in NO2 over the major global hotspot regions during the past decade and their inter-comparison,
Environmental Pollution,
157, 1873–1878,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2009.01.013, 2009.
Goode, J. G., Yokelson, R. J., Ward, D. E., Susott, R. A., Babitt, R. E., Davies, A., and Hao, W. M.: Measurements of excess O3, CO2, CO, CH4, C2H4, C2H2, HCN, NO, NH3, HCOOH, HCHO, and CH3OH in 1997 Alaskan biomass burning plumes by Airborne Fourier transform Infrared Spectrometer (AFTIR), J. Geophys. Res., 105, D17, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JD900287, 2000.
Guenther, A. B., Jiang, X., Heald, C. L., Sakulyanontvittaya, T., Duhl, T., Emmons, L. K., and Wang, X.: The Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature version 2.1 (MEGAN2.1): an extended and updated framework for modeling biogenic emissions, Geosci. Model Dev., 5, 1471–1492, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-5-1471-2012, 2012.
Gu, Y., Liao, H., and Bian, J.: Summertime nitrate aerosol in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere over the Tibetan Plateau and the South Asian summer monsoon region, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 6641–6663, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-6641-2016, 2016.
Guo, H., Sullivan, A. P., Jost, P. C., Schroder, J. C., Hilfiker, J. E., Dibb, J. L., Jimenez, F. D. L., Thornton, J. A., Brown, S. S., Nenes, A., and Weber, R. J.: Fine particle pH and the partitioning of nitric acid during
winter in the northeastern United States, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 121, 10355–10376,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD025311, 2016.
Guo, H., Liu, J., Froyd, K. D., Roberts, J. M., Veres, P. R., Hayes, P. L., Jimenez, J. L., Nenes, A., and Weber, R. J.: Fine particle pH and gas–particle phase partitioning of inorganic species in Pasadena, California, during the 2010 CalNex campaign, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 5703–5719, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5703-2017, 2017.
Hayden, K. L., Macdonald, A. M., Gong, W., Toom-Sauntry, D., Anlauf, K. G., Leithead, A.,
Li, S.-M., Leaitch, W. R., and Noone, K.: Cloud processing of
nitrate, J. Geophys. Res., 113, D18201, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD009732, 2008.
Hill, K. A., Shepson, P. B., Galbavy, E. S., Anastasio, C., Kourtev, P. S., Konopka, A.,
and Stirm, B. H.: Processing of atmospheric nitrogen by clouds
above a forest environment, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D11301,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD008002, 2007.
Höpfner, M., Volkamer, R., Grabowski, U., Grutter, M., Orphal, J., Stiller, G., von Clarmann, T., and Wetzel, G.: First detection of ammonia (NH3) in the Asian summer monsoon upper troposphere, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 14357–14369, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14357-2016, 2016.
Höpfner, M., Ungermann, J., Borrmann, S., et al.: Ammonium nitrate
particles formed in upper troposphere from ground ammonia sources during
Asian monsoons, Nat. Geosci., 12, 608–612, 2019.
Huneeus, N., Schulz, M., Balkanski, Y., Griesfeller, J., Prospero, J., Kinne, S., Bauer, S., Boucher, O., Chin, M., Dentener, F., Diehl, T., Easter, R., Fillmore, D., Ghan, S., Ginoux, P., Grini, A., Horowitz, L., Koch, D., Krol, M. C., Landing, W., Liu, X., Mahowald, N., Miller, R., Morcrette, J.-J., Myhre, G., Penner, J., Perlwitz, J., Stier, P., Takemura, T., and Zender, C. S.: Global dust model intercomparison in AeroCom phase I, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 7781–7816, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-7781-2011, 2011.
Ibikunle, I., Beyersdorf, A., Campuzano-Jost, P., Corr, C., Crounse, J. D., Dibb, J., Diskin, G., Huey, G., Jimenez, J.-L., Kim, M. J., Nault, B. A., Scheuer, E., Teng, A., Wennberg, P. O., Anderson, B., Crawford, J., Weber, R., and Nenes, A.: Fine particle pH and sensitivity to NH3 and HNO3 over summertime South Korea during KORUS-AQ, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-501, 2020.
Issac, G. A., Leaitch, W. R., and Strapp, J. W.: The vertical distribu-tion of aerosols and acid related compounds in air and cloudwater, Atmos. Environ., 24, 3033–3046, https://doi.org/10.1016/0960-1686(90)90482-3, 1990.
Issac, G. A., Leaitch, W. R., and Strapp, J. W.: The vertical distribution of
aerosols and acid-related compounds in air and cloud water, Atmos. Environ., 24, 3033–3046, 1990.
Jaeglé, L., Quinn, P. K., Bates, T. S., Alexander, B., and Lin, J.-T.: Global distribution of sea salt aerosols: new constraints from in situ and remote sensing observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 3137–3157, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-3137-2011, 2011.
Kar, J., Bremer, H., Drummond, J. R., Rochon, Y. I., Jones, D. B. A., Nichitiu, F., Zou, J., Liu, J., Gille, J. C., Edwards, D. P., Deeter, M. N., Francis, G., Juying, D. Z.: Evidence of vertical transport of carbon monoxide from
measurements of pollution in the troposphere (MOPITT), Geophys. Res. Lett., 31,
L23105, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL021128, 2004.
Kloss, C., Berthet, G., Sellitto, P., Ploeger, F., Bucci, S., Khaykin, S., Jégou, F., Taha, G., Thomason, L. W., Barret, B., Le Flochmoen, E., von Hobe, M., Bossolasco, A., Bègue, N., and Legras, B.: Transport of the 2017 Canadian wildfire plume to the tropics via the Asian monsoon circulation, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 13547–13567, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13547-2019, 2019.
Lau, W. K. M., Yuan, C., and Li, Z.: Origin, Maintenance and Variability of
the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL): The Roles of Monsoon Dynamics,
Sci. Rep., 8, 3960, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22267-z,
2018.
Lazarus, A. L., Lorange, E., and Lodge, J. P.: Lead and other metal ions in United States Precipitation, Environ. Sci. Technol., 4, 55–58, 1970.
Leaitch, W. R., Strapp, J. W., Wiebe, H. A., Anlauf, K. G., and Issac, G. A.:
Chemical and microphysical studies of nonprecipitating summer clouds in
Ontario, Canada, J. Geophys. Res., 91, 11821–11831,
https://doi.org/10.1029/JD091iD11p11821, 1986.
Lelieveld, J., Bourtsoukidis, E., Brühl, C., Fischer, H., Fuchs, H., Harder,H., Hofzumahaus, A.,Holland, F., Marno, D., Neumaier, M., Pozzer, A., Schlager, H., Williams, J., Zahn, A., and Ziereis, H.: The South Asian monsoon: pollution pump and purifier,
Science, 361, 270–273, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aar2501, 2018.
Li, J., Posfai, M., Hobbs, P. V., and Buseck, P. R.:
Individual aerosol particles from biomass burning in southern Africa: 2,
Compositions and aging of inorganic particles, J. Geophys. Res., 108,
8484, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD002310, 2003.
Li, M., Zhang, Q., Streets, D. G., He, K. B., Cheng, Y. F., Emmons, L. K., Huo, H., Kang, S. C., Lu, Z., Shao, M., Su, H., Yu, X., and Zhang, Y.: Mapping Asian anthropogenic emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds to multiple chemical mechanisms, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 5617–5638, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-5617-2014, 2014.
Liu, H., Jacob, D. J., Bey, I., and Yantosca, R. M.: “Constraints from 210Pb and 7Be on Wet Deposition and Transport in a Global Three-Dimensional Chemical Tracer Model Driven by Assimilated Meteorological Fields.” J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 106, 12109–12128, doi:10.1029/2000jd900839, 2001.
Liu, X., Penner, J. E., and Wang M.: Influence of anthropogenic sul-fate and black carbon on upper tropospheric clouds in the NCARCAM3 model coupled to the IMPACT global aerosol model, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D03204, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD010492, 2009.
Lightstone, J. M., Onasch, T. B., Imre, D., and Oatis, S.: Deliquescence
Efflorescence, and Water Activity in Ammonium nitrate and mixed Ammonium
nitrate/succinic acid Microparticles, J. Phys. Chem. A, 104, 9337–9346,
https://doi.org/10.1021/jp002137h, 2000.
Lammel, G. and Cape, N. J.: Nitrous acid and nitrite in the atmo-sphere, Chem.
Soc. Rev., 25, 361–369, 1996.
Lammel, G. and Metzig, G.: On the occurrence of nitrite in urbanfog
water, Chemosphere, 37, 1603–1614, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmores.2007.11.002, 1998.
Lucchesi, R.: File Specification for GEOS FP. GMAO Office Note No. 4
(Version 1.2), 61 pp.,
https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/pubs/docs/Lucchesi1203.pdf, last access: 7 November 2018.
Ma, J., Brühl, C., He, Q., Steil, B., Karydis, V. A., Klingmüller, K., Tost, H., Chen, B., Jin, Y., Liu, N., Xu, X., Yan, P., Zhou, X., Abdelrahman, K., Pozzer, A., and Lelieveld, J.: Modeling the aerosol chemical composition of the tropopause over the Tibetan Plateau during the Asian summer monsoon, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 11587–11612, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-11587-2019, 2019.
Martin, R. V., Sauvage, B., Folkins, I., Sioris, C. E., Boone, C., Bernath, P., and Ziemke, J.: Space-based constraintson the production of nitric oxide by lightning, J. Geophys. Res., 112, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD007831, 2007.
Murray, L. T., Jacob, D. J., Logan, J. A., Hudman, R. C., and Koshak,
W. J.: Optimized regional and interannual variability of lightning in a
global chemical transport model constrained by LIS/OTD satellite data,
J. Geophys. Res., 117, D20307,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD017934, 2012.
Nault, B. A., Laughner, J. L., Wooldridge, J., Crounse, J. D., Dibb, J.,
Diskin, G., and Cohen, R. C.: Lightning NOx emissions: reconciling measured and
modeled estimates with updated NOx chemistry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 9479–9488, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074436,
2017.
Newman, L.: Measurement challenges in Atmospheric chemistry-Sampling of Selected Labile Atmospheric Pollutants, Am. Chem. Soc., 1–40, https://doi.org/10.1021/ba-1993-0232.ch001, 1993.
Okita, T.: Concentration of sulfate and other inorganic materials in fog and
cloud water and in aerosol, J. Met. Soc. Jpn., 46, 120–127,
https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj1965.46.2_120, 1968.
Olivier, J. G. J. and Berdowski, J. J. M.: Global Emissions Sources and Sinks,
in the Climate System, in: The Climate System, edited by: Berdowski, J., Guicherit, R., Heij, B. J., and
Lisse, A. A., Balkema Publishers/Swets and
Zeitlinger Publishers, The Netherlands, 33–78, 2001.
Orbe, C., Waugh, D. W., and Newman, P. A.: Air-mass origin in the tropical
lower stratosphere: The influence of Asian boundary layer air, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 42, 4240–4248, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL063937, 2015.
Park, M., Randel, W. J., Gettelman, A., Massie, S., and Jiang, J.: Transport
above the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone inferred from Aura MLS tracers,
J. Geophys. Res., 112, D16309, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD008294, 2007.
Park, M., Randel, W. J., Emmons, L. K., Bernath, P. F., Walker, K. A., and Boone, C. D.: Chemical isolation in the Asian monsoon anticyclone observed in Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE-FTS) data, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 757–764, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-8-757-2008, 2008.
Park, R. J., Jacob, D. J., Chin, M., and Martin, R. V.: Sources of
carbonaceous aerosols over the United States and implications for natural
visibility, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4355, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD003190,
2003.
Park, R. J., Jacob, D. J., Field, B. D., Yantosca, R. M., and Chin, M.: Natural
and transboundary pollution influences on sulfate-nitrate-ammonium aerosols
in the United States: Implications for policy, J. Geophys. Res., 109,
D15204, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JD004473, 2004.
Paugam, R., Wooster, M., Freitas, S., and Val Martin, M.: A review of approaches to estimate wildfire plume injection height within large-scale atmospheric chemical transport models, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 907–925, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-907-2016, 2016.
Peterson, D. A., Hyer, E. S., Campbell, J. R., Solbrig, J. E., and Fromm,
M. D.: A conceptual model for development of intense pyro cumulonimbus in
western north America, Mon. Weather Rev., 145, 2235–2255,
https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-16-0232.1, 2017.
Pitari, G., Aquila, V., Kravitz, B., Robock, A., Watanabe, S., Cionni, I., De Luca, N.;, Di Genova, G., Mancini, E., and
Tilmes, S.: Stratospheric Ozone Response to Sulfate Geoengineering: Results from the Geoengineering Model
Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP), J. Geophys. Res., 119, 2629–2653, 2014.
Pye, H. O. T., Chan, A. W. H., Barkley, M. P., and Seinfeld, J. H.: Global modeling of organic aerosol: the importance of reactive nitrogen (NOx and NO3), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 11261–11276, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-11261-2010, 2010.
Ploeger, F., Konopka, P., Walker, K., and Riese, M.: Quantifying pollution transport from the Asian monsoon anticyclone into the lower stratosphere, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 7055–7066, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-7055-2017, 2017.
Ramanathan, V. and Crutzen, P. J.: New Directions: Atmospheric Brown
“Clouds”, Atmos. Environ., 37, 4033–4035,
https://doi.org/10.1016/s1352-2310(03)00536-3, 2003.
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.
Rasch, P. J., Tilmes, S., Turco, R. P., Robock, A., Oman, L., and Chen, R. R.: An
overview of geoengineering of climate using stratospheric sulphate aerosols,
Philos. T. Roy. Soc. A, 366, 4007–4037, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta. 2008.0131, 2008.
Ridley, D. A., Heald, C. L., and Prospero, J. M.: What controls the recent changes in African mineral dust aerosol across the Atlantic?, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 5735–5747, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-5735-2014, 2014.
Rienecker, M. M., Suarez, M. J., Gelaro, R., et al.: MERRA: NASA's Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for
Research and Applications, J. Climate, 24, 3624–3648, 2011.
Santee, M. L., Manney, G. L., Livesey, N. J., Schwartz, M. J., Neu, J. L., and Read, W. G.: A comprehensive overview of the climatological
composition of the Asian summer monsoon Anticyclone based on 10 years of
Aura microwave limb sounder measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 122, 5491–5514,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD026408, 2017.
Scanza, R. A., Mahowald, N., Ghan, S., Zender, C. S., Kok, J. F., Liu, X., Zhang, Y., and Albani, S.: Modeling dust as component minerals in the Community Atmosphere Model: development of framework and impact on radiative forcing, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 537–561, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-537-2015, 2015.
Schüpbach, S., Federer, U., Kaufmann, P. R., Albani, S., Barbante, C., Stocker, T. F., and Fischer, H.: High-resolution mineral dust and sea ice proxy records from the Talos Dome ice core, Clim. Past, 9, 2789–2807, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2789-2013, 2013.
Seinfeld, J. H. and Pandis, S. N.: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From
Air Pollution to Climate Change, John Wiley, Hoboken, N. J., 1326 pp., 1998.
Solomon, S., Kinnison, D., Garcia, R. R., Justin Bandoro, J., Mills, M., Wilka, C., Neely III, R. R., Schmidt, A., Barnes, J. E., Vernier, J.-P., and Höpfner, M.: Monsoon circulations and tropical heterogeneous
chlorine chemistry in the stratosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 12624–12633,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL071778, 2016.
Stelson, A. W. and Steinfield, J. H.: Relative Humidity and temperature dependence of ammonium nitrate dissociation constant, Atmos. Environ., 16, 983–993, 1982.
Stocker, M., Ladstädter, F., and Steiner, A. K.: Observing the climate
impact of large wildfires on stratospheric temperature, Sci. Rep., 11, 22994,
https://doi.org/10.11038/541598-021-02335-7, 2021.
Thomason, L. W. and Vernier, J.-P.: Improved SAGE II cloud/aerosol categorization and observations of the Asian tropopause aerosol layer: 1989–2005, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 4605–4616, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-4605-2013, 2013.
Torres, O., Bhartia, P. K., Taha, G., Jethva, H., Das, S., Colarco, P., Krotkov, N., Omar, A., and Ahn, C.: Stratospheric injection of massive smoke plume from Canadian boreal
fires in 2017 as seen by DSCOVR-EPIC, CALIOP, and OMPS-LP observations,
J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 125, e2020JD032579,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD032579, 2020.
Travis, K. R., Jacob, D. J., Fisher, J. A., Kim, P. S., Marais, E. A., Zhu, L., Yu, K., Miller, C. C., Yantosca, R. M., Sulprizio, M. P., Thompson, A. M., Wennberg, P. O., Crounse, J. D., St. Clair, J. M., Cohen, R. C., Laughner, J. L., Dibb, J. E., Hall, S. R., Ullmann, K., Wolfe, G. M., Pollack, I. B., Peischl, J., Neuman, J. A., and Zhou, X.: Why do models overestimate surface ozone in the Southeast United States?, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 13561–13577, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-13561-2016, 2016.
Ungermann, J., Ern, M., Kaufmann, M., Müller, R., Spang, R., Ploeger, F., Vogel, B., and Riese, M.: Observations of PAN and its confinement in the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone in high spatial resolution, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8389–8403, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8389-2016, 2016.
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.
Vernier, J.-P., Fairlie, T. D., Natarajan, M., Wienhold, F. G., Bian, J.,
Martinsson, B. G., Crumeyrolle, S., Thomason, L. W., and Bedka, K.
M.: Increase in upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric aerosol levels
and its potential connection with Asian pollution, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 120, 1608–1619,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD022372, 2015.
Vernier, J. P., Fairlie, T. D., Deshler, T., Venkat Ratnam, M., Gadhavi, H.,
Kumar, B. S., Natarajan, M., Pandit, A. K., Akhil Raj, S. T., Hemanth Kumar,
A., Jayaraman, A., Singh, A. K., Rastogi, N., Sinha, P. R., Kumar, S., Tiwari,
S., Wegner, T., Baker, N., Vignelles, D., Stenchikov, G., Shevchenko, I.,
Smith, J., Bedka, K., Kesarkar, A., Singh, V., Bhate, J., Ravikiran, V.,
Durga Rao, M., Ravindrababu, S., Patel, A., Vernier, H., Wienhold, F. G.,
Liu, H., Knepp, T. N., Thomason, L., Crawford, J., Ziemba, L., Moore, J.,
Crumeyrolle, S., Williamson, M., Berthet, G., Jégou, F., and Renard,
J.: BATAL: The Balloon Measurement Campaigns of the Asian
Tropopause Aerosol Layer, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 99, 955–973,
https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0014.1, 2018.
Vernier, H.: BATAL_S2017_W2018-IC_Data_7-28-2022.xlsx, figshare, [data set], https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20398653.v1, 2022a.
Vernier, H.: Imet data inside impactor box (2017/2018) and outside for 2015, figshare, [data set], https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20398764.v2, 2022b.
Vernier, H.: Trajectory files ZF2/ZF3, figshare, [data set], https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20398812.v1, 2022c.
Vernier, H.: GEOS-Chem simulation results-2017, figshare, [data
set], https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20398839.v1, 2022d.
Voigt, C., Schlager, H., Roiger, A., Stenke, A., de Reus, M., Borrmann, S., Jensen, E., Schiller, C., Konopka, P., and Sitnikov, N.: Detection of reactive nitrogen containing particles in the tropopause region – evidence for a tropical nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) belt, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 7421–7430, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-8-7421-2008, 2008.
Voigt, C., Schreiner, J., Kohlmann, A., Zink, P., Mauersberger, K., Larsen, N., Deshler,
T., Kröger, C., Rosen, J., Adriani, A., Cairo, F., Di Donfrancesco, G., Viterbini,
M., Ovarlez, J., Ovarlez, H., David, C., and Dörnbrack, A.: Nitric acid trihydrate
(NAT) in polar stratospheric clouds, Science, 2290, 1756–1758,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.290.5497.1756, 2000.
Wagner, R., Bertozzi, B., Höpfner, M., Höhler, K., Möhler, O.,
Saathoff, H., and Leisner, T.: Solid ammonium nitrate aerosols as efficient
ice nucleating particles at cirrus temperatures, J. Geophys. Res., 125,
e2019JD032248, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD032248, 2020.
Wang, Q., Jacob, D. J., Fisher, J. A., Mao, J., Leibensperger, E. M., Carouge, C. C., Le Sager, P., Kondo, Y., Jimenez, J. L., Cubison, M. J., and Doherty, S. J.: Sources of carbonaceous aerosols and deposited black carbon in the Arctic in winter-spring: implications for radiative forcing, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 12453–12473, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-12453-2011, 2011.
Wang, X., Zhang, L., and Moran, M. D.: Development of a new semi-empirical parameterization for below-cloud scavenging of size-resolved aerosol particles by both rain and snow, Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 799–819, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-799-2014, 2014.
Wang, Q., Jacob, D. J., Spackman, J. R., Perring, A. E., Schwarz, J. P., Moteki, N., Marais, E. A., Ge, C., Wang, J., and Barrett, S. R. H.: Global budget and radiative forcing of black carbon aerosol: constraints from pole-to-pole (HIPPO) observations across the Pacific, J. Geophys. Res., 119, 195–206, 2014.
Wang, T., Song, Y., Xu, Z., Liu, M., Xu, T., Liao, W., Yin, L., Cai, X., Kang, L., Zhang, H., and Zhu, T.: Why is the Indo-Gangetic Plain the region with the largest NH3 column in the globe during pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons?, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 8727–8736, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8727-2020, 2020.
Wesely, M. L.: Parameterization of surface resistances to gaseous dry
deposition in regional-scale numerical models, Atmos. Environ., 23, 1293–1304,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0004-6981(89)90153-4, 1989.
Yienger, J. J. and Levy, H.: Empirical model of global soil‐biogenic NOχ emissions, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 100, 11447–11464, https://doi.org/10.1029/95JD00370, 1995.
Yevich, R. and Logan, J. A.: An assessment of biofuel uses and burning of
agricultural waste in the developing world, Global Biogeochem. Cy.,
17, 1095, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GB001952, 2003.
Yu, P., Toon, O. B., Neely, R. R., Martinson, B. G., and Brenninkmeijer,
C. A. M.: Composition and physical properties of the Asian tropopause aerosol
layer and the North American tropospheric aerosol layer, Geophys. Res. Lett.,
42, 2540–2546 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL063181, 2015.
Yu, P., Rosenlof, K. H., Liu, S., Telg, H., Thornberry, T. D., Rollins, A.
W., Portmann, R. W., Bai, Z., Ray, E. A., Duan, Y., Pan, L. L., Toon, O. B.,
Bian, J., and Gao, R.-S.: Efficient transport of tropospheric aerosol into
the stratosphere via the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone, P. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA., 114, 6972–6977, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1701170114, 2017.
Yu, K., Keller, C. A., Jacob, D. J., Molod, A. M., Eastham, S. D., and Long, M. S.: Errors and improvements in the use of archived meteorological data for chemical transport modeling: an analysis using GEOS-Chem v11-01 driven by GEOS-5 meteorology, Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 305–319, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-305-2018, 2018.
Yu, P., Yoon, B. O., Bardeen, G. C., Zhu, Y., Rosenlof, H. K., Thornberry, D. T., Gao, R.-S., Davis, M. S., Wolf, T. E., Gouw, W. J., Peterson, A. D., Fromm, D. M., and Robock, A.: Black carbon lofts wildfire smoke high into the stratosphere to form a persistent plume, Science 365, 587–590, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax1748, 2019.
Yuan, C., Lau, W. K. M., Li, Z., and Cribb, M.: Relationship between Asian monsoon strength and transport of surface aerosols to the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL): interannual variability and decadal changes, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 1901–1913, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1901-2019, 2019.
Zawadowicz, M. A., Proud, S. R., Seppalainen, S. S., and Cziczo, D. J.: Hygroscopic and phase separation properties of ammonium sulfate/organics/water ternary solutions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 8975–8986, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-8975-2015, 2015.
Short summary
The chemical composition of the stratospheric aerosols collected aboard high-altitude balloons above the summer Asian monsoon reveals the presence of nitrate/nitrite. Using numerical simulations and satellite observations, we found that pollution as well as lightning could explain some of our observations.
The chemical composition of the stratospheric aerosols collected aboard high-altitude balloons...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint