Impact of aerosols on terrestrial gross primary productivity in North China using an improved boreal ecosystem productivity simulator with satellite-based aerosol optical depth

ABSTRACT

Atmospheric aerosols can alter the direct and diffuse components of global solar radiation, which further influences terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP) via photosynthesis. To investigate the impact of aerosols on GPP, GPP is modeled using the Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator (BEPS) under two aerosol scenarios (S1& S2) over cropland and grassland ecosystems in the highly polluted North China. In S1, the aerosol-effect is not considered and an original empirical method is used when estimating direct and diffuse solar radiation in BEPS. In S2, BEPS is improved by a new empirical method which incorporates the impact of aerosols using the remote sensing-based aerosol optical depth (AOD). Results suggest that aerosols can reduce GPP of the sunlit leaves by decreasing direct solar radiation, but increase GPP of the shaded leaves by increasing diffuse solar radiation. The impact of aerosols on GPP is more significant over the cropland ecosystem (p < 0.05) with a more complex canopy structure during the peak period of the growing season. Furthermore, an AOD value of 0.3–0.6 with a diffuse fraction (the fraction of diffuse solar radiation in global solar radiation) around 30-40% can largely increase total GPP over the cropland ecosystem. The study improves the accuracy of GPP modeling using BEPS by highlighting the aerosol-effect on GPP via solar radiation over highly polluted regions.

Abbreviations: gross primary productivity (GPP); aerosol optical depth (AOD); boreal ecosystem productivity simulator (BEPS)