The characterization and distribution of aerosol and gaseous species in the winter monsoon over the western pacific ocean

In order to obtain a better understanding of the behavior of aerosols and SO₂ in the longrange transport through a marine boundary layer, a simple box-model is applied to the evaluation of the residence times of the species from the concentrations of gases and aerosols measured simulataneously on two islands in the West Pacific Ocean in the north-west monsoon. For Aitken and large particles, the residence time is varied from 3.7 to 7.4 days depending on the particle size, and their flux to the sea is equal to or slightly smaller than that of the free atmosphere. The residence time of giant particles is about one day and their flux to the sea is three times larger than that of the free atmosphere. The residence time of SO₂ is 15 hr, and the relative SO₂ mass flows of the deposition to the sea, of the diffusion to the free atmosphere and of the transformation to SO₄ ^2- are approximately 4, 1 and 1, respectively.     

The characterization and distribution of aerosol and gaseous species in the winter monsoon over the western pacific ocean

During the winters of 1981 and 1982, measurements were taken on two Japanese islands of the aerosol and gaseous species which had been carried by northwesterly monsoons over the Pacific Ocean. The aerosols were characterized as sea-salt particles; soil particles, and as particles of sulfate, nitrate, organics and elemental carbon. At Chichi-jima island, which is about 800 km away from the main islands of Japan, it was found that the level of the anthropogenic components of the aerosols was considerably higher than their background level. The mean concentrations of the species on the islands are given in tabular forms. According to a survey made on board a ferry boat, the aerosol and gaseous species were fairly uniformly distributed along the southern coast of the main Japanese islands.     

Mid-chain ketocarboxylic acids in the remote marine atmosphere: Distribution patterns and possible formation mechanisms

In remote marine aerosol samples collected from the North Pacific ocean, Enewetak Atoll, American Samoa, and New Zealand, series of mid-chain ketocarboxylic acids in the range of C₆-C₁₈ were detected. All the positional isomers, except for the 2-oxo and 3-oxo species, were detected for major ketoacid families (e.g. C₉, C₁₁ and C₁₃). Higher ketoacid concentrations (up to 19 ng/m³) were obtained in the northern North Pacific aerosol samples, which generally showed an odd carbon-numbered predominance with 5-oxoundecanoic acid being the major species. By contrast, lower concentrations were obtained in the lower-latitude or subtropical aerosol samples, where even carbon-numbered ketoacids were relatively abundant.The distribution patterns of the odd carbon-numbered ketoacids could not be explained by the primary emissions from source materials including terrestrial higher plants, soil particles, and ocean surfaces. We consider that the isomeric ketocarboxylic acids are produced in the atmosphere by the photochemical oxidation of semi-volatile monocarboxylic acids, which are counterparts of the oxidative degradation of unsaturated fatty acids emitted from seawater surfaces. Atmospheric production of the ketoacids is seemingly enhanced in the northern North Pacific, probably due to an enhanced primary productivity.     

Decadal variation of summer rainfall in the yangtzehuaihe river valley and its relationship to atmospheric circulation anomalies over east asia and western north pacific

Decadal variations of summer rainfall during 1951 through 1990 are analyzed by using summer rainfall data of 160 stations in China. Four major patterns of decadal variations are identified. The decadal variations of summer rainfall showed northward shift in the eastern China from South China through the Yangtze-Huaihe River to North China. Summer rainfall in the Yangtze-Huaihe River valley underwent two obvious decadal transitions during the 40 years: one from rainy period to drought period in the end of the 1950’s, the other from drought period to rainy period in the late 1970’s. Correspondingly, the atmospheric circulation over East Asia through the western North Pacific showed two similar obvious transitions. The East Asian/ Pacific (EAP) pattern switched from high index to low index in the end of the 1950’s and from low index to high index in the late 1970’s, respectively. Hence, summer rainfall in the Yangtze-Huaihe River valley is closely associated with the EAP pattern not only in the interannual variation but also in the decadal variation.     

Evolution of intraseasonal oscillation over the tropical western pacific / south china sea and its effect to the summer precipitation in southern china{1{

In this paper, the evolution of intraseasonal oscillation over the South China Sea and tropical western Pacific area and its effect to the summer rainfall in the southern China are studied based on the ECMWF data and TBB data) analyses. A very low-frequency waves exist in the tropics and play an important role in dominating intraseasonal oscillation and lead to special seasonal variation of intraseasonal oscillation over the South China Sea / tropical western Pacific area. The intraseasonal oscillation (convection) over the South China Sea and tropical western Pacific area is closely related to the summer rainfall (convection) in the southern China. Their relationship seems to be a seesaw feature, and this relationship resulting from the different pattern of convection in those two re-gions is caused by the different type of local meridional circulation     

Nitrate in the atmospheric boundary layer of the tropical South Pacific: Implications regarding sources and transport

Weekly bulk aerosol samples collected at Funafuti, Tuvalu (8°30S, 179°12E), American Samoa (14°15S, 170°35W), and Rarotonga (21°15S, 159°45W), from 1983 through most of 1987 have been analyzed for nitrate and other constituents. The mean nitrate concentration is about 0.11 g m^–3 at each of these stations: 0.107±0.011 g m^–3 at Funafuti; 0.116±0.008 at American Samoa; and 0.117±0.010 at Rarotonga. Previous measurements of mineral aerosol and trace metal concentrations at American Samoa are among the lowest ever recorded for the near-surface troposphere and indicate that this region is minimally affected by transport of soil material and pollutants from the continents. Consequently, the nitrate concentration of 0.11 g m^–3 can be regarded as the natural level for the remote marine boundary layer of the tropical South Pacific Ocean. In contrast, over the tropical North Pacific which is significantly impacted by the transport of material from Asia and North America, the mean nitrate concentrations are about three times higher, 0.29 and 0.36 g m^–3 at Midway and Oahu, respectively. The major sources of the nitrate over the tropical South Pacific are still very uncertain. A very significant correlation between the nitrate concentrations at American Samoa and the concentrations of ²¹⁰Pb suggests that transport from continental sources might be important. This continental source could be lightning, which occurs most frequently over the tropical continents. A near-zero correlation with ⁷Be indicates that the stratosphere and upper troposphere are probably not the major sources. A significant biogenic source would be consistent with the higher mean nitrate concentrations, 0.16 to 0.17 g m^–3, found over the equatorial Pacific at Fanning Island (3°55N, 159°20W) and Nauru (0°32S, 166°57E). The lack of correlation between nitrate and nss sulfate at American Samoa does not necessarily preclude an important role for marine biogenic sources.