Retrieving air humidity,global solar radiation,and reference evapotranspiration from daily temperatures: development and validation of new methods for Mexico. Part II: radiation

We propose a new model to estimate daily global radiation from daily temperature range measurements. This model combines that of Majumdar et al. (Sol Energy 13(4):383–394, 1972) to estimate clear sky radiation with a Gompertz function to estimate the relation between temperature range and cloud transmittance. Model parameters are estimated from historical weather data: maximum and minimum temperatures and, if available, relative humidity; no other calibration is required. The model was parametrized and validated using 788 weather stations in Mexico. When calibrated using historical humidity data, daily global radiation was estimated with a mean root mean square error of 3.06 MJ m^?2 day^?1. The model performed well in all situations, except for a few stations around the Gulf of Mexico and in mountain areas. When using estimated humidity, the root mean square error of prediction was only slightly degraded (3.07 MJ m^?2 day^?1). Possible theoretical basis and applicability of this model to other environments are discussed.     

Quantitative detection of mass concentration of sand-dust storms via wind-profiling radar and analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis> relationship

With the aim to achieve quantitative monitoring of sand-dust storms in real time, wind-profiling radar is applied to monitor and study the process of four sand-dust storms in the Tazhong area of the Taklimakan Desert. Through evaluation and analysis of the spatial-temporal distribution of reflectivity factor, it is found that reflectivity factor ranges from 2 to 18 dBz under sand-dust storm weather. Using echo power spectrum of radar vertical beams, sand-dust particle spectrum and sand-dust mass concentration at the altitude of 600 ～ 1500 m are retrieved. This study shows that sand-dust mass concentration reaches 700?μg/m³ under blowing sand weather, 2000?μg/m³ under sand-dust storm weather, and 400?μg/m³ under floating dust weather. The following equations are established to represent the relationship between the reflectivity factor and sand-dust mass concentration: Z?=?20713.5?M ^0.995 under floating dust weather, Z?=?22988.3?M ^1.006 under blowing sand weather, and Z?=?24584.2?M ^1.013 under sand-dust storm weather. The retrieval results from this paper are almost consistent with previous monitoring results achieved by former researchers; thus, it is implied that wind-profiling radar can be used as a new reference device to quantitatively monitor sand-dust storms.     

Ultraviolet radiation in the background region over Northeast China

Measurements of broadband global solar and ultraviolet radiation (UV-KZ) by a Kipp & Zonen radiometer from 2005 to 2011 at three sites in the background region over Northeast China were used to investigate the characteristics of the temporal variability of UV-KZ radiation in Northeast China. The highest annual mean daily values of UV-KZ (0.53 MJ m^?2 d^?1) were observed at Sanjiang and Changbai Mountain. The lowest value (0.49 MJ m^?2 d^?1) was measured at Hailun due to the high aerosol burden and the long path of solar radiation. The diurnal variation in UV-KZ radiation on four clear days near the equinoxes and solstices exhibited bell-shaped curves, with a maximum at approximately noon. There was little difference in UV-KZ radiation between representative spring and autumn days except that the amount of UV-KZ radiation during the spring was higher than that during the autumn. The relationship between the maximum values of UV-KZ radiation and clearness index can be accurately demonstrated with three polynomial equations. An empirical estimation model suited for all weather conditions was developed using measurements collected at Hailun. The slope of the linear regression between the measured and modeled UV-KZ radiation was approximately 1, the intercept of the linear regression equation was near zero, and the relative error of the equation was less than 8.5 %. These validation results suggest that this model can accurately estimate the UV-KZ radiation based on more conventional measured radiation data. The empirical estimation model can also serve as a valuable method for the study of ecological processes in other regions.     

The characteristics of ultraviolet radiation in arid and semi-arid regions of China

Measurements of the broadband global solar radiation (R _S) and total ultraviolet radiation (the sum of UV-A and UV-B) were conducted from 2005 to 2010 at 9 sites in arid and semi-arid regions of China. These data were used to determine the temporal variability of UV and UV/R _S and their dependence on the water vapor content and clearness index. The dependence of UV/R _S on aerosol optical depth (AOD) and water vapor content was also investigated. In addition, a simple and efficient empirically model suited for all-weather conditions was developed to estimate UV from R _s. The annual average daily UV level in arid and semi-arid areas is 0.61 and 0.59 MJ m^?2 d^?1, respectively. The highest value (0.66?±?0.25 MJ m^?2 d^?1) was recorded at an arid area at Linze. The lowest value (0.53?±?0.22 MJ m^?2 d^?1) was recorded at a semi-arid area at Ansai. The highest daily value of UV radiation was measured in May, whereas the lowest value was measured in December. The monthly variation of the UV/R _s ratio ranged from 0.41 in Aksu to 0.35 in Qira. The monthly mean value of UV/R _s gradually increased from November and then decreased in August. A small decreasing trend of UV/R _s was observed in the arid and semi-arid regions due to recently increasing amounts of fine aerosol. A simple and efficient empirically model suit for all-weather condition was developed to estimate UV from R _s. The slope a and intercept b of the regression line between the estimated and measured values were close to 1 and zero, respectively. The relative error between the estimated and measured values was less than 11.5%. Application of the model to data collected from different locations in this region also resulted in reasonable estimates of UV.     

Observed particle sizes and fluxes of Aeolian sediment in the near surface layer during sand-dust storms in the Taklamakan Desert

Monitoring, modeling and predicting the formation and movement of dust storms across the global deserts has drawn great attention in recent decades. Nevertheless, the scarcity of real-time observations of the wind-driven emission, transport and deposition of dusts has severely impeded progress in this area. In this study, we report an observational analysis of sand-dust storm samples collected at seven vertical levels from an 80-m-high flux tower located in the hinterland of the great Taklamakan Desert for ten sand-dust storm events that occurred during 2008–2010. We analyzed the vertical distribution of sandstorm particle grain sizes and horizontal sand-dust sediment fluxes from the near surface up to 80 m high in this extremely harsh but highly representative environment. The results showed that the average sandstorm grain size was in the range of 70 to 85 μm. With the natural presence of sand dunes and valleys, the horizontal dust flux appeared to increase with height within the lower surface layer, but was almost invariant above 32 m. The average flux values varied within the range of 8 to 14 kg m^?2 and the vertical distribution was dominated by the wind speed in the boundary layer. The dominant dust particle size was PM₁₀₀ and below, which on average accounted for 60–80 % of the samples collected, with 0.9–2.5 % for PM_0–2.5, 3.5–7.0 % for PM_0–10, 5.0–14.0 % for PM_0–20 and 20.0–40.0 % for PM_0–50. The observations suggested that on average the sand-dust vertical flux potential is about 0.29 kg m^?2 from the top of the 80 m tower to the upper planetary boundary layer and free atmosphere through the transport of particles smaller than PM₂₀. Some of our results differed from previous measurements from other desert surfaces and laboratory wind-dust experiments, and therefore provide valuable observations to support further improvement of modeling of sandstorms across different natural environmental conditions.     

2005年我国沙尘天气的若干特征分析

2005年我国共出现了11次沙尘天气过程,其中沙尘暴4次、强沙尘暴1次,是沙尘天气频次明显偏少、强度明显偏弱、影响范围明显偏小的一年.春季(3～5月)的沙尘天气过程明显少于近6年的平均值,沙尘暴和强沙尘暴过程远少于2000、2001和2002年,该季累计出现的沙尘天气、沙尘暴总站日数较2000～2005年同期平均水平偏少4～7成,创近6年的最低值.分析表明,2004/2005年冬季我国北方地区雨雪偏多,地表积雪偏多,土壤表层湿度偏大,是导致2005年沙尘天气明显偏少、强度偏弱的主要原因.此外,冬末春初北方气温偏低,土壤解冻晚,延迟了沙尘天气的发生,造成早春沙尘天气显著偏少,沙尘多发期偏晚.     

Quantifying the effects of climate trends in the past 43 years (1961–2003) on crop growth and water demand in the North China Plain

This paper explores changes in climatic variables, including solar radiation, rainfall, fraction of diffuse radiation (FDR) and temperature, during wheat season (October to May) and maize season (June to September) from 1961 to 2003 at four sites in the North China Plain (NCP), and then evaluates the effects of these changes on crop growth processes, productivity and water demand by using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator. A significant decline in radiation and rainfall was detected during the 43 years, while both temperature and FDR exhibit an increasing trend in both wheat and maize seasons. The average trend of each climatic variable for each crop season from the four sites is that radiation decreased by 13.2 and 6.2 MJ m^?2 a^?1, precipitation decreased by 0.1 and 1.8 mm a^?1, minimum temperature increased by 0.05 and 0.02°C a^?1, maximum temperature increased by 0.03 and 0.01°C a^?1, FDR increased by 0.21 and 0.38% a^?1 during wheat and maize season, respectively. Simulated crop water demand and potential yield was significantly decreased because of the declining trend in solar radiation. On average, crop water demand was decreased by 2.3 mm a^?1 for wheat and 1.8 mm a^?1 for maize if changes in crop variety were not considered. Simulated potential crop yields under fully irrigated condition declined about 45.3 kg ha^?1 a^?1 for wheat and 51.4 kg ha^?1 a^?1 for maize at the northern sites, Beijing and Tianjin. They had no significant changes in the southern sites, Jinan and Zhengzhou. Irrigation, fertilization development and crop variety improvement are main factors to contribute to the increase in actual crop yield for the wheat–maize double cropping system, contrasted to the decline in the potential crop yield. Further research on how the improvement in crop varieties and management practices can counteract the impact of climatic change may provide insight into the future sustainability of wheat–maize double crop rotations in the NCP.     

内蒙古东部春季三类沙尘天气气溶胶散射系数及其与PM10、能见度相关性分析

利用内蒙古东胜、锡林浩特两站2004~2006年春季（3~5月）积分浊度计的观测资料,结合同期PM10质量浓度、大气能见度等资料,分析了背景、扬沙、沙尘暴、强沙尘暴等不同强度沙尘天气气溶胶散射系数的分布特征,讨论了不同强度沙尘天气过程中散射系数、PM10、能见度的日变化规律,以及不同强度沙尘天气过程中散射系数与PM10质量浓度、散射系数与能见度的相关关系。结果表明:散射系数能够很好地反映沙尘天气强度;随沙尘天气强度增强,散射系数日变化从双峰型向单峰型转变;沙尘天气强度较弱时,PM10与散射系数的日变化不相似,强沙尘暴过程中PM10与散射系数的日变化有一定的相似性;能见度与散射系数日变化趋势相反;散射系数与PM10质量浓度呈正相关性,沙尘天气越强,相关性越好,背景、扬沙、沙尘暴、强沙尘暴相关系数分别为0.201、0.809、0.898和0.953;散射系数与能见度有指数相关关系,随沙尘天气强度增强二者相关性逐渐增强,背景、扬沙、沙尘暴、强沙尘暴相关系数分别为-0.773、-0.870、-0.918和-0.940。     

北京沙尘天气与源地积雪变化的关系

主要分析了北京沙尘天气变化规律及沙尘源区积雪变化与北京沙尘日数的关系,并探讨源区积雪变化影响北京沙尘天气的机制.研究表明55年来北京沙尘日数基本呈减少趋势,但1998～2000年又有所增加,沙尘暴日数也在减少,近10年北京没有出现强沙尘暴天气.而沙尘源区积雪深度和积雪面积与北京沙尘存在明显的负相关关系.冬季源区积雪减少(增加),很可能导致春季沙尘日数增加(减少),作者认为冬季积雪变化引起的土壤含水量变化是影响春季北京沙尘天气的原因之一.     

Continuous Measurement of Number Concentrations and Elemental Composition of Aerosol Particles for a Dust Storm Event in Beijing

A continuous measurement of number size distributions and chemical composition of aerosol particles was conducted in Beijing in a dust storm event during 21-26 March 2001. The number concentration of coarse particles （ 〉2μm） increased more significantly than fine particles （ 〈2μm） during the dust storm due to dust weather, while the anthropogenic aerosols collected during the non-dust-storm period tended to be associated with fine particles. Elemental compositions were analyzed by using proton-induced X-ray emission （PIXE）. The results show that 20 elements in the dust storm were much higher than in the non-dust-storm period. The calculated soil dust concentration during the dust storm was, on average, 251.8μg m^-3, while it was only 52.1μg m^-3 on non-dust-storm days. The enrichment factors for Mg, A1, P, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, C1, Cu, Pb, and Zn show small variations between the dust storm and the non-dust-storm period, while those for Ca, Ni and Cr in the dust storm were much lower than those in the non-dust-storm period due to significant local emission sources. A high concentration and enrichment factor for S were observed during the dust storm, which implies that the dust particles were contaminated by aerosol particles from anthropogenic emissions during the long-range transport. A statistical analysis shows that the elemental composition of particles collected during the dust storm in Beijing were better correlated with those of desert soil colleted from desert regions in Inner Mongolia. Air mass back-trajectory analysis further confirmed that this dust storm event could be identified as streaks of dust plumes originating from Inner Mongolia.     

An Experimental Study on the Variation of Atmospheric Magnetic-Field Intensity Related to Dust,Haze, Rain,Snow, and Thunderstorms

Simultaneous measurements of the vertical magnetic field (VMF), three-dimensional electric field, ambient temperature, ambient relative humidity, particle mass concentration, and three-dimensional velocity are conducted during dust, haze, rain, snow, and thunderstorms. The hourly VMF variation (the rate of VMF increment and time increment with a 1-h time interval) is used to evaluate the disturbance level of the atmospheric magnetic field during the abovementioned weather conditions. There is no significant difference in the hourly VMF variations between hazy days and fair weather. However, the hourly VMF variations on dusty, rainy, snowy, and thunderstorm days differ from those in fair weather, implying that these weather conditions significantly affect the atmospheric magnetic field. On hazy days, although the haze particles are charged, the VMF does not change compared with in fair weather, which suggests that the horizontal electric field generated by haze particles is an irrotational field. On dusty and snowy days, the heterogeneity of the charge distribution forms a rotational horizontal electric field, which can induce the VMF to disturb the atmospheric magnetic field. During rain and thunderstorms, the hourly variation in the VMF is larger than in dust and snow, which can be attributed to the rotational horizontal electric field generated by raindrops and clouds. In addition, the hourly variation in the VMF in thunderstorms is one order of magnitude larger than that during days without thunderstorms, indicating that the VMF induced by the cumulonimbus cloud electric field is more significant than that in other weather conditions.

     

The influence of vegetation variation on Northeast Asian dust activity

In this study, we investigate the influence of vegetation variations on dust activity (dust load, dust transport in the troposphere, and dust weather frequency) over Northeast Asia during springtime. By using the Integrated Wind Erosion Modeling System, two model experiments are run over four-month periods, from February 1 to May 31, for each year from 1982 to 2006; one experiment uses the observed atmospheric conditions and vegetation (OBS), and the other uses the specified atmospheric conditions in 2006 and the observed vegetation (CTRL). Comparison of the two model experiments reveals that there are sensitive regions in southeastern Mongolia and central northern China, in which vegetation has a large potential to influence dust activity due to both the high dust emission rate and large variations in vegetation coverage. Over these sensitive regions, vegetation effectively lessens dust loads on interannual and interdecadal timescales; dust load is decreased by 2864 μg m^?2 for an increment of 0.1 in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Vegetation increase in the sensitive areas also reduces two major branches of dust transports in the low troposphere; one stretches from eastern Mongolia to regions northeastward, and the other flows across the south of northeastern China to Korea. In addition to dust loads and transports, vegetation increase in the sensitive areas evidently decreases dust storm frequency and blowing dust frequency, but it exerts a weak influence on the floating dust frequency. In the sensitive regions, as NDVI increases by 0.1, dust storms, blowing dust, and floating dust decrease by 4.0 days/spring, 1.5 days/spring, and 0.2 days/spring, respectively. In summary, vegetation variations in southeastern Mongolia and central northern China have considerable impact on northeast Asian dust during springtime.     

Influence of weather conditions and spatial variability on glacier surface melt in Chilean Patagonia

In order to clarify how differences in weather conditions affect the surface heat balance of a large maritime glacier, meteorological observations were carried out in the ablation area of Glaciar Exploradores in the Chilean Patagonia during the austral summer of 2006/2007. Under cloudy/rainy weather, when the air temperature and wind speed were high due to advection, the average melting heat was 18.8 MJ m^?2 day^?1 and the turbulent heat fluxes contributed 35% of the total melt. During clear weather, the average melting heat was 16.9 MJ m^?2 day^?1 and 13% of the total was the turbulent heat fluxes. A decrease in air temperature due to the development of the glacier boundary layer on clear days will lead to an overestimation of the melt using the air temperature at a weather station outside of the glacier.     

Vertical distributions of aerosol optical properties during haze and floating dust weather in Shanghai

A comparative study on the vertical distributions of aerosol optical properties during haze and floating dust weather in Shanghai was conducted based on the data obtained from a micro pulse lidar.There was a distinct difference in layer thickness and extinction coefficient under the two types of weather conditions.Aerosols were concentrated below 1 km and the aerosol extinction coefficients ranged from 0.25 to 1.50km^-1 on haze days.In contrast,aerosols with smaller extinction coefficients(0.20 0.35 km^-1) accumulated mainly from the surface to 2 km on floating dust days.The seasonal variations of extinction and aerosol optical depth（AOD） for both haze and floating dust cases were similar greatest in winter,smaller in spring,and smallest in autumn.More than 85%of the aerosols appeared in the atmosphere below 1 km during severe haze and floating dust weather.The diurnal variation of the extinction coefficient of haze exhibited a bimodal shape with two peaks in the morning or at noon,and at nightfall,respectively.The aerosol extinction coefficient gradually increased throughout the day during floating dust weather.Case studies showed that haze aerosols were generated from the surface and then lifted up,but floating dust aerosols were transported vertically from higher altitude to the surface.The AOD during floating dust weather was higher than that during haze.The boundary layer was more stable during haze than during floating dust weather.     

Impact of a dust storm on characteristics of particle matter (PM) in Guangzhou, China

A strong dust-storm (23–25 April, 2009) occurred in the provinces of Inner Mongolia, Gansu, and Shanxi, North China. Cities along the storm path (from north to south: Xi’ning, Lanzhou, Chengdu, Changsha, and Guangzhou) all experienced a sharp increase in particle matter (PM₁₀) concentration. This is the first case that an Asian dust storm hit Guangzhou in Southern China. The impacts of dust storm on the characteristics of PM were investigated using samples collected in Guangzhou during 27–29 April, 2009. In addition, the mass concentration and chemical composition during a normal non-dust period (12–14 May, 2009) were compared with those in dust period. The results show that the concentration of PM₁₀ during the dust episode (0.231 mg m^?3) was twice higher than that in the non-dust episode (0.103 mg m^?3). Chemical analysis showed that concentrations of metal elements, enrichment factors of metal elements, and soluble ions during the dust episode were very different from those of non-dust. The total concentration of metal elements content in PM₁₀ was 53.5 μg m^?3 in the dust episode, which is about two times higher than that in non-dust episode (28.5 μg m^?3). Increases in concentrations of Na, Ti, Zn, Cu, and Cr ranged from zero to 100% during the dust episode. However, the enrichment factors in non-dust episode were higher than that in dust-storm period, indicating that the above five chemicals originated mainly from local sources in Guangzhou. The concentrations of K, Mg, Al, Fe, Mn, V, and Co increased by over 100% in the dust episode, indicating their origins of remote sources. In the dust period, some water-soluble ions increased in PM₁₀, but the main components in PM₁₀ were SO₄ ^?, NO₃ ^? and NH₄ ⁺. At last, we assessed the sources of dusts by analyzing synoptic situation and back trajectories of air mass in Guangzhou, and demonstrated that the main source of the dust storm was from Mongolia.     

1961～2005年云贵高原太阳辐射变化特征及其影响因子

利用云贵高原1961～2005年9个日射站辐射和气候观测资料以及能见度观测资料等,采用数理统计方法,研究了该区域到达地表太阳总辐射量(以下简称总辐射)变化特征及其影响因子.结果表明:该区年总辐射的空间分布特点是西部高于东部,丽江站最高(6207MJ·m-2·a-1),遵义站最低(3340MJ·m-2·a-1).1961...     

Biogenic hydrogen sulphide emissions and non-sea sulfate aerosols over the Indian Sundarban mangrove forest

Temporal variations in atmospheric hydrogen sulphide concentrations and its biosphere-atmosphere exchanges were studied in the World’s largest mangrove ecosystem, Sundarbans, India. The results were used to understand the possible contribution of H₂S fluxes in the formation of atmospheric aerosol of different size classes (e.g. accumulation, nucleation and coarse mode). The mixing ratio of hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) over the Sundarban mangrove atmosphere was found maximum during the post-monsoon season (October to January) with a mean value of 0.59?±?0.02 ppb and the minimum during pre-monsoon (February to May) with a mean value of 0.26?±?0.01 ppb. This forest acted as a perennial source of H₂S and the sediment-air emission flux ranged between 1213?±?276 μg S m^?2 d^?1(December) and 457?±?114 μg S m^?2 d^?1 (August) with an annual mean of 768?±?240 μg S m^?2d^?1. The total annual emissions of H₂S from the Indian Sundarban were estimated to be 1.2?±?0.6 Tg S. The accumulation mode of aerosols was found to be more enriched with non-sea salt sulfate with an average loading of 5.74 μg m^?3 followed by the coarse mode (5.18 μg m^?3) and nucleation mode (1.18 μg m^?3). However, the relative contribution of Non-sea salt sulfate aerosol to total sulfate aerosol was highest in the nucleation mode (83%) followed by the accumulation (73%) and coarse mode (58%). Significant positive relations between H₂S flux and different modes of NSS indicated the likely link between H₂S, a dominant precursor for the non-sea salt sulfate, and non-sea sulfate aerosol particles. An increase in H₂S emissions from the mangrove could result in an increase in enhanced NSS in aerosol and associated cloud albedo, and a decrease in the amount of incoming solar radiation reaching the Sundarban mangrove forest.     

北京地区不同天气条件下近地面大气电场特征

利用2004年8月—2005年11月近地面大气电场仪的观测资料, 对北京地区不同天气条件下近地面大气电场特征进行分析。结果表明:北京地区晴天近地面大气电场日变化呈双峰双谷, 谷值分别出现在北京时05:00和12:00, 峰值分别出现在07:00和23:00, 并且表现出一定的季节变化; 晴天大气电场的变化与气溶胶含量的变化有密切关系, 两者呈正相关; 晴天大气电场与绝对湿度之间也表现出很强的相关性, 在一定程度上反应了水汽对大气电场的作用; 沙尘天气下风速均达到一定强度, 近地面大气电场为负值, 并且变化剧烈, 电场强度与PM₁₀之间呈现较强的负相关, 而电场强度与风速之间没有表现出明显的相关性。     

内蒙古科尔沁沙地起沙近地层动力学阈值的试验研究

利用内蒙古科尔沁沙地沙尘暴探测与监测试验站2008年和2009年春季沙尘和近地层观测资料,研究了不同沙尘天气条件下沙尘浓度随摩擦速度的变化规律,对比分析了不同天气(晴天、扬沙、沙尘暴和强沙尘暴)入射短波辐射和净辐射的演变,并利用两层高度沙尘浓度差,区分局地起沙和非局地起沙,有效地避免了沙尘水平输送引起的起沙阈值的低估。结果表明,起沙前,摩擦速度和沙尘浓度数值都较低;临近起沙阶段,摩擦速度迅速增大而沙尘浓度基本保持不变;起沙时,摩擦速度数值较高,沙尘浓度迅速增大;沙尘天气减弱阶段,沙尘浓度随摩擦速度近似呈线性减小。科尔沁沙地春季临界起沙摩擦速度u*t和临界起沙风速ut分别为0.62m.s-1和9.5m.s-1,扬沙、沙尘暴和强沙尘暴天气的起沙阈值依次略有增加。与晴天天气相比,沙尘天气到达地面的短波辐射和净辐射明显减少。     

Observation of new particle formation and growth under cloudy conditions at Gosan Climate Observatory,Korea

Under cloudy conditions at the Gosan Climate Observatory (GCO), Korea, we observed distinct new particle formation and growth (NPF) events from simultaneous co-located measurements of aerosol and cloud profiles, cloud cover, shortwave radiation, and the number concentration and size distribution of aerosols. The high frequency of NPF was observed at GCO under decreased downwelling solar radiation caused by clouds. Although we observed about 15 and 40 % decreases in downwelling surface shortwave radiations, in the presence of thick mid-level (low-level) clouds, on January 28 and 30, 2012, respectively, distinct NPFs with a growth rate of 3.3 (3.9) nm h^?1 were observed. We examined a 4-year series (May 2008 to April 2012) of continuous measurements of the size distribution of aerosol numbers and visually observed cloud cover. We found that approximately 13 % (i.e., 35 days out of 280 days) of total NPF events were observed under cloud-free conditions (i.e., cloud cover of 0/10). About 20 % (i.e., 57 days out of 280 days) of total NPF events occurred under mostly overcast conditions (i.e., cloud cover of 9/10–10/10). Although NPF events occurring under cloudy conditions were also found elsewhere, the frequency of NPF occurring at GCO seems much higher. The average value of relative humidity for the strong-NPF event days is lower than that of the weak and non-NPF event days for all cloud categories. No significant difference in the condensation sink was found among strong-, weak-, and non-NPF days, but the condensation sink showed a slight decreasing tendency with increasing cloudiness. Further investigations on precursor gases and preexisting aerosols under cloudy conditions are needed.