A Review of Aerosol Optical Properties and Radiative Effects

Atmospheric aerosols influence the earth's radiative balance directly through scattering and absorbing solar radiation, and indirectly through affecting cloud properties. An understanding of aerosol optical properties is fundamental to studies of aerosol effects on climate. Although many such studies have been undertaken, large uncertainties in describing aerosol optical characteristics remain, especially regarding the absorption properties of different aerosols. Aerosol radiative effects are considered as either positive or negative perturbations to the radiation balance, and they include direct, indirect (albedo effect and cloud lifetime effect), and semi-direct effects. The total direct effect of anthropogenic aerosols is negative (cooling), although some components may contribute a positive effect (warming). Both the albedo effect and cloud lifetime effect cool the atmosphere by increasing cloud optical depth and cloud cover, respectively. Absorbing aerosols, such as carbonaceous aerosols and dust, exert a positive forcing at the top of atmosphere and a negative forcing at the surface, and they can directly warm the atmosphere. Internally mixed black carbon aerosols produce a stronger warming effect than externally mixed black carbon particles do. The semi-direct effect of absorbing aerosols could amplify this warming effect. Based on observational (ground-and satellite-based) and simulation studies, this paper reviews current progress in research regarding the optical properties and radiative effects of aerosols and also discusses several important issues to be addressed in future studies.     

生物质燃烧输送对青藏高原气溶胶光学辐射特性的影响研究

利用青藏高原拉萨(Lhasa)和珠峰(QOMS_CAS)站点地基CE 318太阳光度计观测数据，研究了2012年4月2日至4月5日一次生物质燃烧输送对青藏高原气溶胶光学和辐射特性的影响；并结合卫星遥感产品以及后向轨迹模式分析了本次生物质燃烧输送的可能来源。结果表明：本次气溶胶污染期间Lhasa和QOMS_CAS站点的主要气溶胶类型变为生物质燃烧气溶胶，气溶胶粒子的消光性增大(气溶胶光学厚度(AOD)增大，Lhasa和QOMS_CAS站点AOD最大值分别为0.4和0.29)，尺度减小(消光波长指数(EAE)>1.5)，吸收性增大(吸收波长指数(AAE)>1.3)，细模态粒子体积浓度增大，而细模态粒子峰值半径减小。气溶胶辐射强迫表明此次输送过程使得Lhasa和QOMS_CAS站点的气溶胶对大气顶和地表的降温作用增强，对大气的增温作用也增强。生物质燃烧输送的可能来源为南亚的印度东北部，尼泊尔与不丹地区。     

Simulationsof Aerosol Optical Properties to Top of Atmospheric Reflected Sunlight in the Near Infrared CO2 Weak Absorption Band

Over the Asian continent,high aerosol loading is critical to ensure the high accuracy of CO₂ retrieval in the near infrared absorption band.Simulations were performed to explore the effect of light path modification by aerosol son the atmospheric CO₂ near infrared band(6140-6270 cm^-1).The Vector LInearized Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer（VLIDORT） model and the Line-By-Line Radiative Transfer Model（LBLRTM） were used for forward calculations.The U.S.standard atmosphere was used for atmospheric profiles.The results indicate that the aerosols caused similar effects to increases in CO₂ in the planetary boundary layer and became more significant with aerosol layer rising while aerosol optical depth was 0.1.This effect will cause an over estimation of the CO₂ mixing ratio in the retrieval process and an under estimation in the aerosol layer.The results also indicate that the effect of urban and industrial aerosols is smaller than that of non-absorbing and dust aerosols because of the nearly constant absorption properties in the near infrared band.     

The spatial–temporal variations in optical properties of atmosphere aerosols derived from AERONET dataset over China

The spatial–temporal properties of aerosol types over China are studied using the radiance measurements and inversions data at four Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) stations in China. Based on a cluster analysis, five aerosol classes were identified including a coarse-sized dominated aerosol type (presumably dust) and four fine-sized dominated aerosol types ranging from non-absorbing to highly absorbing fine aerosols. The optical properties and seasonal variations of these aerosol types are investigated. The results of analysis show that: (1) the highly absorbing aerosols usually occur in winter, (2) non-absorbing aerosols are frequently observed in summer; (3) coarse-sized dominated aerosols are frequently occurred in spring.     

Model analysis of influences of aerosol mixing state upon its optical properties in East Asia

The air quality model system RAMS (Regional Atmospheric Modeling System)-CMAQ (Models-3 Community Multi-scale Air Quality) coupled with an aerosol optical/radiative module was applied to investigate the impact of different aerosol mixing states (i.e., externally mixed, half externally and half internally mixed, and internally mixed) on radiative forcing in East Asia. The simulation results show that the aerosol optical depth (AOD) generally increased when the aerosol mixing state changed from externally mixed to internally mixed, while the single scattering albedo (SSA) decreased. Therefore, the scattering and absorption properties of aerosols can be significantly affected by the change of aerosol mixing states. Comparison of simulated and observed SSAs at five AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) sites suggests that SSA could be better estimated by considering aerosol particles to be internally mixed. Model analysis indicates that the impact of aerosol mixing state upon aerosol direct radiative forcing (DRF) is complex. Generally, the cooling effect of aerosols over East Asia are enhanced in the northern part of East Asia (Northern China, Korean peninsula, and the surrounding area of Japan) and are reduced in the southern part of East Asia (Sichuan Basin and Southeast China) by internal mixing process, and the variation range can reach 5 W m－2. The analysis shows that the internal mixing between inorganic salt and dust is likely the main reason that the cooling effect strengthens. Conversely, the internal mixture of anthropogenic aerosols, including sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, black carbon, and organic carbon, could obviously weaken the cooling effect.     

2006年北京春季气溶胶吸收系数的分离研究

对2006年春季北京城区大气气溶胶中沙尘和黑碳气溶胶吸收系数的波长指数及其对总吸收系数的贡献进行了估算。结果表明：2006年春季北京城市地区测点,黑碳气溶胶吸收系数随波长的变化呈指数递减,假设某些天的气溶胶吸收无沙尘的贡献,估算的波长幂指数a＝-0.92。另外,计算了北京3次浮尘天气下沙尘气溶胶对吸收系数（520 nm波段）的贡献,计算表明,在浮尘天气影响期间,沙尘气溶胶对吸收系数的贡献平均为32.8%,黑碳气溶胶仍是浮尘影响期间城市气溶胶吸收消光的主要物质。     

Assessment of Individual Direct Radiative Effects of Major Aerosol Species in East Asia

To assess individual direct radiative effects of diverse aerosol species on a regional scale,the air quality modeling system RAMS-CMAQ(Regional Atmospheric Modeling System and Community Multiscale Air Quality) coupled with an aerosol optical properties/radiative transfer module was used to simulate the temporal and spatial distributions of their optical and radiative properties over East Asia throughout 2005.Annual and seasonal averaged aerosol direct radiative forcing(ADRF) of all important aerosols and individual components,such as sulfate,nitrate,ammonium,black carbon(BC),organic carbon(OC),and dust at top-of-atmosphere(TOA) in clear sky are analyzed.Analysis of the model results shows that the annual average ADRF of all important aerosols was in the range of 0 to-18 W m?2,with the maximum values mainly distributed over the Sichuan Basin.The direct radiative effects of sulfate,nitrate,and ammonium make up most of the total ADRF in East Asia,being concentrated mainly over North and Southeast China.The model domain is also divided into seven regions based on different administrative regions or countries to investigate detailed information about regional ADRF variations over East Asia.The model results show that the ADRFs of sulfate,ammonium,BC,and OC were stronger in summer and weaker in winter over most regions of East Asia,except over Southeast Asia.The seasonal variation in the ADRF of nitrate exhibited the opposite trend.A strong ADRF of dust mainly appeared in spring over Northwest China and Mongolia.     

Optical Properties and Source Analysis of Aerosols over a Desert Area in Dunhuang,Northwest China

Aerosol observational data for 2012 obtained from Dunhuang Station of CARE-China(Campaign on Atmospheric Aerosol Research Network of China) were analyzed to achieve in-depth knowledge of aerosol optical properties over Dunhuang region. The results showed that the annual average aerosol optical depth(AOD) at 500 nm was 0.32 ± 0.06, and the ?ngstr?m exponent(α) was 0.73 ± 0.27. Aerosol optical properties revealed significant seasonal characteristics. Frequent sandstorms in MAM(March–April–May) resulted in the seasonal maximum AOD, 0.41 ± 0.04, and a relatively smaller αvalue, 0.44 ± 0.04. The tourism seasons, JJA(June–July–August) and SON(September–October–November) coincide with serious emissions of small anthropogenic aerosols. While in DJF(December–January–February), the composition of the atmosphere was a mixture of dust particles and polluted aerosols released by domestic heating; the average AOD and αwere 0.29 ± 0.02 and 0.66 ± 0.17, respectively. Different air masses exhibited different degrees of influence on the aerosol concentration over Dunhuang in different seasons. During MAM, ranges of AOD(0.11–1.18) and α(0.06–0.82) were the largest under the dust influence of northwest-short-distance air mass in the four trajectories. Urban aerosols transported by northwest-short-distance air mass accounted for a very large proportion in JJA and the mixed aerosols observed in SON were mainly conveyed by air masses from the west. In DJF, the similar ranges of AOD and α under the three air mass demonstrated the analogous diffusion effects on regional pollutants over Dunhuang.     

气溶胶对陆生植物生长的影响研究进展

陆生植物生长过程受太阳辐射、热量、水分、土壤等多重因素的影响,气溶胶粒子通过对太阳辐射的散射和吸收,并作为云凝结核和冰核,改变云的物理特性及生命期对上述环境因子产生影响,进而影响植物的生长。气溶胶的直接影响主要表现为气溶胶覆盖植物叶片,影响植物的呼吸作用、气孔导度及对阳光的利用率等;间接影响主要表现在气溶胶可降低入射太阳辐射量并降低光合作用及净初级生产力,但同时又会增加散射辐射量,增加植物可利用光合有效辐射,产生相互矛盾的结果;气溶胶还通过影响降水和气温,进一步影响植物对光、水、热的利用等方面。气溶胶对植物的生长影响以间接影响为主,直接影响较少。其次,各种大气气溶胶对植物的伤害作用超过大气气溶胶对植物生长促进作用。在人为气溶胶中,硫酸盐、黑碳及粉尘对植物生长以抑制作用为主,而氮化物中氮沉降既可以促进植物生长,含氮气溶胶形成的酸雨及光化学烟雾又会抑制植物生长。自然气溶胶中,火山气溶胶对植物生长产生的影响差异较大,沙尘总体对植物产生不利影响,而生物气溶胶及宇宙尘埃的影响研究还较少。     

塔克拉玛干沙漠与撒哈拉沙漠沙尘气溶胶光学特性对比研究

基于2007—2021年CALIPSO和MODIS主、被动卫星遥感探测数据,对塔克拉玛干沙漠和撒哈拉沙漠的气溶胶光学特性时空分布特征进行探究及对比分析。结果表明：（1）两大沙漠的沙尘气溶胶对总气溶胶的贡献率最大,气溶胶类型季节变化的相对单一性反映了塔克拉玛干沙漠和撒哈拉沙漠地区存在沙漠沙尘排放对总气溶胶成分的显著影响;（2）塔克拉玛干沙漠气溶胶光学厚度AOD的峰值出现在春季（春季>夏季>秋季>冬季）,而撒哈拉沙漠AOD的峰值出现在夏季（夏季>春季>秋季>冬季）;（3）撒哈拉沙漠总气溶胶抬升高度与塔克拉玛干沙漠相近,但近地面层消光系数明显小于塔克拉玛干沙漠;塔克拉玛干沙漠的消光系数平均值在所有季节中均大于撒哈拉沙漠,故塔克拉玛干沙漠的沙尘气溶胶AOD比撒哈拉沙漠的大;相比沙漠沙尘气溶胶,塔克拉玛干沙漠和撒哈拉沙漠都无明显的污染沙尘和抬升烟活动。上述研究结果揭示了两大沙漠源区沙尘气溶胶光学特性的观测事实与利用大气气溶胶时空变化特征反映区域气候变化的可能性。     

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.     

A study of aerosol properties over Lahore (Pakistan) by using AERONET data

It is well established that aerosols affect the climate in a variety of ways. In order to understand these effects, we require an insight into the properties of aerosols. In this paper we present a study of aerosol properties such as aerosol optical depth (AOD), single scattering albedo (SSA) and aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) over mega city of Lahore (Pakistan). The data from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) have been used for the period December 2009 to October 2011. The seasonal average values of AOD, asymmetry parameter (ASY) and volume size distribution in coarse mode were observed to be highest in summer. On the other hand, the average values of Angstrom exponent (AE) and imaginary part of refractive index (RI) were found to be maximum in winter. The average value of real part of RI was found to be higher in spring than in all other seasons. The SSA exhibited an increasing trend with wavelength in the range 440 nm–1020 nm in spring, summer and fall indicating the dominance of coarse particles (usually dust). However, a decreasing trend was found in winter in the range 675 nm–1020 nm pointing towards the dominance of biomass and urban/industrial aerosols. As far as aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) is concerned, we have found that during the spring season ARF was lowest at the surface of Earth and highest at top of the atmosphere (TOA). This indicates that the atmosphere was warmer in spring than in all the remaining seasons.     

Simulating Aerosol Optical Depth and Direct Radiative Effects over the Tibetan Plateau with a High-Resolution CAS FGOALS-f3 Model

Current global climate models cannot resolve the complex topography over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) due to their coarse resolution. This study investigates the impacts of horizontal resolution on simulating aerosol and its direct radiative effect (DRE) over the TP by applying two horizontal resolutions of about 100 km and 25 km to the Chinese Academy of Sciences Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere Land System (CAS FGOALS-f3) over a 10-year period. Compared to the AErosol RObotic NETwork observations, a high-resolution model (HRM) can better reproduce the spatial distribution and seasonal cycles of aerosol optical depth (AOD) compared to a low-resolution model (LRM). The HRM bias and RMSE of AOD decreased by 0.08 and 0.12, and the correlation coefficient increased by 0.22 compared to the LRM. An LRM is not sufficient to reproduce the aerosol variations associated with fine-scale topographic forcing, such as in the eastern marginal region of the TP. The difference between hydrophilic aerosols in an HRM and LRM is caused by the divergence of the simulated relative humidity (RH). More reasonable distributions and variations of RH are conducive to simulating hydrophilic aerosols. An increase of the 10-m wind speed in winter by an HRM leads to increased dust emissions. The simulated aerosol DREs at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and at the surface by the HRM are –0.76 W m^–2 and –8.72 W m^–2 over the TP, respectively. Both resolution models can capture the key feature that dust TOA DRE transitions from positive in spring to negative in the other seasons.     

2004年北京地区秋季大气气溶胶粒子分布特征

2004年秋季在北京地区利用机载大气气溶胶粒子探头进行了大气气溶胶观测,获得了0～7 km气溶胶细粒子数浓度和尺度谱分布的垂直、水平变化特征.结果表明:北京地区上空气溶胶粒子数浓度在1 km左右高度以下的混合层内有均匀的分布,明显递减层的高度范围约在1～2 km之间,2 km以上随高度递减很小,高层气溶胶数浓度变化不大...     

Effect of particle shape on dust shortwave direct radiative forcing calculations based on MODIS observations for a case study

Assuming spheroidal and spherical particle shapes for mineral dust aerosols, the effect of particle shape on dust aerosol optical depth retrievals, and subsequently on instantaneous shortwave direct radiative forcing (SWDRF) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), is assessed based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data for a case study. Specifically, a simplified aerosol retrieval algorithm based on the principle of the Deep Blue aerosol retrieval method is employed to retrieve dust aerosol optical depths, and the Fu-Liou radiative transfer model is used to derive the instantaneous SWDRF of dust at the TOA for cloud-free conditions. Without considering the effect of particle shape on dust aerosol optical depth retrievals, the effect of particle shape on the scattering properties of dust aerosols (e.g., extinction efficiency, single scattering albedo and asymmetry factor) is negligible, which can lead to a relative difference of at most 5% for the SWDRF at the TOA. However, the effect of particle shape on the SWDRF cannot be neglected provided that the effect of particle shape on dust aerosol optical depth retrievals is also taken into account for SWDRF calculations. The corresponding results in an instantaneous case study show that the relative differences of the SWDRF at the TOA between spheroids and spheres depend critically on the scattering angles at which dust aerosol optical depths are retrieved, and can be up to 40% for low dust-loading conditions.     

Observed changes in aerosol physical and optical properties before and after precipitation events

Precipitation scavenging of aerosol particles is an important removal process in the atmosphere that can change aerosol physical and optical properties. This paper analyzes the changes in aerosol physical and optical properties before and after four rain events using in situ observations of mass concentration, number concentration, particle size distribution, scattering and absorption coefficients of aerosols in June and July 2013 at the Xianghe comprehensive atmospheric observation station in China. The results show the effect of rain scavenging is related to the rain intensity and duration, the wind speed and direction. During the rain events, the temporal variation of aerosol number concentration was consistent with the variation in mass concentration, but their size-resolved scavenging ratios were different. After the rain events, the increase in aerosol mass concentration began with an increase in particles with diameter 0.8 μm [measured using an aerodynamic particle sizer(APS)], and fine particles with diameter 0.1 μm [measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer(SMPS)]. Rainfall was most efficient at removing particles with diameter ～0.6 μm and greater than 3.5 μm. The changes in peak values of the particle number distribution(measured using the SMPS) before and after the rain events reflect the strong scavenging effect on particles within the 100–120 nm size range. The variation patterns of aerosol scattering and absorption coefficients before and after the rain events were similar, but their scavenging ratios differed, which may have been related to the aerosol particle size distribution and chemical composition.     

Aerosol Type Identification Using PARASOL Multichannel Polarized Data

PARASOL （Polarization ＆ Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences coupled with Ob- servations from a Lidar） multi-channel and mul- ti-directional polarized data for different aerosol types were compared. The PARASOL polarized radiance data at 490 nm, 670 nm, and 865 nm increased with aerosol optical thickness （AOT） for fine-mode aerosols; however, the polarized radiances at 490 nm and 670 nm decreased as AOT increased for coarse dust aerosols. Thus, the vari- ation of the polarized radiance with AOT can be used to identify fine or coarse particle-dominated aerosols. Polar- ized radiances at three wavelengths for fine- and coarse-mode aerosols were analyzed and fitted by linear regression. The slope of the line for 670 nm and 490 nm wavelength pairs is less than 0.35 for dust aerosols. However, the value for fine-mode aerosols is greater than 0.60. The Support Vector Machine method （SVM） based on 12 vector features was used to discriminate clear sky, coarse dust aerosols, fine-mode aerosols, and cloud. Two cases were given and validated by AErosol RObotic NETwork （AERONET） measurements, MODIS （Mod- erate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer） FMF （Fine Mode Fraction at 550 nm） images, PARASOL RGB （Red Green Blue） images, and CALIOP （Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization） VFM （Vertical Feature Mask） data.     

东亚沙尘源区与下游地区气溶胶光学特性比较

利用AERONET观测资料从气候学的角度比较分析了2001-2011年东亚地区沙尘天气发生时沙尘源区和下游区大气气溶胶光学特性。结果表明：沙尘期间沙尘源区气溶胶光学厚度明显大于下游区,而Angstr?m波长指数却小于下游区,当沙尘暴出现时会降至零甚至负值。气溶胶粒子尺度体积谱分布除敦煌为单峰外,其余各站均呈双峰分布,香河和北京的细粒子浓度明显大于西北地区,这可能是由细的沙尘粒子和污染气溶胶共同造成。在440-1020 nm范围内,中国地区气溶胶单次散射反照率平均值为0.93,韩国和日本站分别为0.93和0.94。沙尘源区与下游区相比,复折射指数实部偏大,虚部偏小。总体来说,沙尘天气下东亚地区在4个波段内平均不对称因子为0.70。     

Chemical Composition Based Aerosol Optical Properties According to Size Distribution and Mixture Types during Smog and Asian Dust Events in Seoul,Korea

This study investigated the optical properties of aerosols involved in different meteorological events, including smog and Asian dust days. Carbonaceous components and inorganic species were measured in Seoul, Korea between 25 and 31 March 2012. Based on the measurements, the optical properties of aerosols were calculated by considering composition, size distribution, and mixing state of aerosols. To represent polydisperse size distributions of aerosols, a lognormal size distribution with a wide range of geometric mean diameters and geometric standard deviations was used. For the optical property calculations, the Mie theory was used to compute single-scattering properties of aerosol particles with varying size and composition. Analysis of the sampled data showed that the water-soluble components of organic matter increased on smog days, whereas crustal elements increased on dust days. The water content significantly influenced the optical properties of aerosols during the smog days as a result of high relative humidity and an increase in the water-soluble component. The absorption coefficients depended on the aerosol mixture type and the aerosol size distributions. Therefore, to improve our knowledge on radiative impacts of aerosols, especially the regional impacts of aerosols in East Asia, accurate measurements of aerosols, such as size distribution, composition, and mixture type, under different meteorological conditions are required.     

Detection of Sahara dust intrusions during mixed advection patterns over south-east Italy: A case study

Measurements from July 4 to July 8, 2005 by a high resolution visible radiometer, a Raman lidar, a ground particulate matter sampler, and ground meteorological sensors have been combined in synergy to infer the intrusion over south-east Italy, of air masses from north-west Sahara, the Atlantic Ocean, and the continental Europe. It is shown that backscatter coefficient, depolarization-ratio, and lidar ratio vertical profiles represent the best tools to detect the intrusion of long range transported air masses and to monitor their effects on the vertical distribution of aerosol optical and microphysical properties. High resolution radiometers are instead important tools to monitor changes on columnar aerosol properties and size distributions.Backscatter coefficient, depolarization-ratio, and lidar ratio vertical profiles have revealed that aerosol optical and microphysical properties significantly changed with time and space during African dust outbreaks: the intrusion of dust particles that at first occurred above 2 km of altitude extending up to 6 km, affected the all aerosol load down to ground within few hours. Aerosol size distributions showed during dust events a clear bimodality with an accumulation mode maximum at 0.24 µm and a coarse mode maximum at 0.94 μm. Conversely, we have found that during the advection of air masses from the Atlantic and continental Europe, aerosol particles were mainly located below 2 km, their optical and microphysical properties were affected by smaller changes in time and space, and were characterized by depolarization ratios rather close to those due to a pure molecular atmosphere. In this case bimodal size distributions with an accumulation mode showing two sub-modes at 0.16 μm and 0.24 μm, respectively and a coarse mode centred at 0.94 μm have also been observed.