Growth of fine aerosol particles is investigated during the Aerosol-CCN-Cloud Closure Experiment campaign in June 2013 at an urban site near Beijing. Analyses show a high frequency （- 50%） of fine ...aerosol particle growth events, and show that the growth rates range from 2.1 to 6.5 nm h-1 with a mean value of - 5.1 nm h-1. A review of previous studies indicates that at least four mechanisms can affect the growth of fine aerosol particles： vapor condensation, intramodal coagulation, extramodal coagulation, and multi-phase chemical reaction. At the initial stage of fine aerosol particle growth, condensational growth usually plays a major role and coagulation efficiency generally increases with particle sizes. An overview of previous studies shows higher growth rates over megacity, urban and boreal forest regions than over rural and oceanic regions. This is most likely due to the higher condensational vapor, which can cause strong condensational growth of fine aerosol particles. Associated with these multiple factors of influence, there are large uncertainties for the aerosol particle growth rates, even at the same location.
The TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) aboard the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite has been used to detect the atmospheric environment since 2017, and it is of great significance to ...investigate the accuracy of its products. In this work, we present comparisons between TROPOMI tropospheric NO2 and total SO2 products against ground-based MAX-DOAS at a single site (Xianghe) and OMI products over a seriously polluted region (North China Plain, NCP) in China. The results show that both NO2 and SO2 data from three datasets exhibit a similar tendency and seasonality. In addition, TROPOMI tropospheric NO2 columns are generally underestimated compared with collocated MAX-DOAS and OMI data by about 30–60%. In contrast to NO2, the monthly average SO2 retrieved from TROPOMI is larger than MAX-DOAS and OMI, with a mean bias of 2.41 (153.8%) and 2.17 × 1016 molec cm−2 (120.7%), respectively. All the results demonstrated that the TROPOMI NO2 as well as the SO2 algorithms need to be further improved. Thus, to ensure reliable analysis in NCP area, a correction method has been proposed and applied to TROPOMI Level 3 data. The revised datasets agree reasonably well with OMI observations (R > 0.95 for NO2, and R > 0.85 for SO2) over the NCP region and have smaller mean biases with MAX-DOAS. In the application during COVID-19 pandemic, it showed that the NO2 column in January-April 2020 decreased by almost 25–45% compared to the same period in 2019 due to the lockdown for COVID-19, and there was an apparent rebound of nearly 15–50% during 2021. In contrast, a marginal change of the corresponding SO2 is revealed in the NCP region. It signifies that short-term control measures are expected to have more effects on NO2 reduction than SO2; conversely, we need to recognize that although the COVID-19 lockdown measures improved air quality in the short term, the pollution status will rebound to its previous level once industrial and human activities return to normal.
In recent years, new and strict air quality regulations have been implemented in China. Therefore, it is of great significance to evaluate the current air pollution situation and effectiveness of ...actions. In this study, Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite data were used to detect the spatiotemporal characteristics of tropospheric NO2 columns over China from 2005 to 2018, including spatial distribution, seasonal cycles and long-term trends. The averaged NO2 pollution is higher in southeastern China and lower in the northwest, which are well delineated by the Heihe–Tengchong line. Furthermore, the NO2 loadings are highest in the North China Plain, with vertical column density (VCD) exceeding 13 × 1015 molec cm−2. Regarding the seasonal cycle, the NO2 loadings in eastern China is highest in winter and lowest in summer, while the western region shows the opposite feature. The amplitude of annual range increase gradually from the south to the north. If the entire period of 2005–2018 is taken into account, China has experienced little change in NO2. In fact, however, there appears to be significant trends of an increase followed by a downward tendency, with the turning point in the year 2012. In the former episode of 2005–2012, increasing trends overwhelm nearly the whole nation, especially in the Jing–Jin–Tang region, Shandong Province, and Northern Henan and Southern Hebei combined regions, where the rising rates were as high as 1.0–1.8 × 1015 molec cm−2 year−1. In contrast, the latter episode of 2013–2018 features remarkable declines in NO2 columns over China. Particularly, the regions where the decreased degree was remarkable in 2013–2018 were consistent with the regions where the upward trend was obvious in 2005–2012. Overall, this upward–downward pattern is true for most parts of China. However, some of the largest metropolises, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, witnessed a continuous decrease in the NO2 amounts, indicating earlier and more stringent measures adopted in these areas. Finally, it can be concluded that China’s recent efforts to cut NO2 pollution are successful, especially in mega cities.
The North China Plain experiences frequent severe haze pollution during all seasons. Here we present the results from a summer campaign that was conducted at Xianghe, a suburban site located between ...the megacities of Beijing and Tianjin. Aerosol particle composition was measured in situ by an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor along with a suite of collocated measurements during 1–30 June 2013. Our results showed that aerosol composition at the suburban site was overall similar to that observed in Beijing, which was mainly composed of organics (39%), nitrate (20%), and sulfate (18%). Positive matrix factorization of organic aerosol (OA) identified four OA factors with different sources and processes. While secondary organic aerosol dominated OA, on average accounting for 70%, biomass burning OA (BBOA) was also observed to have a considerable contribution (11%) for the entire study period. The contribution of BBOA was increased to 21% during the BB period in late June, indicating a large impact of agricultural burning on air pollution in summer. Biomass burning also exerted a significant impact on aerosol optical properties. It was estimated that ~60% enhancement of absorption at the ultraviolet spectral region was caused by the organic compounds from biomass burning. The formation mechanisms and sources of severe haze pollution episodes were investigated in a case study. The results highlighted two different mechanisms, i.e., regional transport and local sources, driving the haze life cycles differently in summer in the North China Plain. While secondary aerosol species dominated aerosol composition in the episode from regional transport, organics and black carbon comprised the major fraction in the locally formed haze episode.
Key Points
Similar aerosol composition between a suburban site in North China and the megacity of Beijing
Significant impacts of biomass burning on aerosol composition and absorption coefficients
Two different mechanisms, i.e., regional transport and local sources driving haze life cycles
Methane (CH4) is an important greenhouse as well as a chemically active gas. Accurate monitoring and understanding of its spatiotemporal distribution are crucial for effective mitigation strategies. ...Nowadays, satellite measurements are widely used for CH4 studies. Here, we use the CH4 products from four commonly used satellites (GOSAT, TROPOMI, ARIS, and IASI) during the period from 2018 to 2020 to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of CH4 in China. In spite of the same target (CH4) for the four satellites, differences among them exist in terms of the instrument, spectrum, and retrieval algorithm. The GOSAT and TROPOMI CH4 retrievals use shortwave infrared spectra, with a better sensitivity near the surface, while the IASI and AIRS CH4 retrievals use thermal infrared spectra, showing a good sensitivity in the mid–upper troposphere but a weak sensitivity in the lower troposphere. The GOSAT and TROPOMI observe high CH4 concentrations in the east and south and low concentrations in the west and north, which is highly related to the CH4 emissions. The IASI and AIRS show a more uniform CH4 distribution over China, which reflects the variation of CH4 at a high altitude. However, a large discrepancy is observed between the IASI and AIRS despite using a similar retrieval band, e.g., significant differences in the seasonal variations of CH4 are observed between the IASI and AIRS across several regions in China. This study highlights the CH4 differences observed by the four satellites in China, and caution must be taken when using these satellite products.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important long-lived greenhouse gas and can be retrieved using solar absorption spectra recorded by a ground-based Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). In ...this study, we investigate the CO2 retrieval strategy using the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change–Infrared Working Group (NDACC–IRWG) type spectra between August 2018 and April 2022 (~4 years) at Xianghe, China, aiming to find the optimal observed spectra, retrieval window, and spectroscopy. Two spectral regions, near 2600 and 4800 cm−1, are analyzed. The differences in column-averaged dry-air mole fraction of CO2 (XCO2) derived from spectroscopies (ATM18, ATM20, HITRAN2016, and HITRAN2020) can be up to 1.65 ± 0.95 ppm and 7.96 ± 2.02 ppm for NDACC-type 2600 cm−1 and 4800 cm−1 retrievals, respectively, which is mainly due to the CO2 differences in air-broadened Lorentzian HWHM coefficient (γair) and line intensity (S). HITRAN2020 provides the best fitting, and the retrieved CO2 columns and profiles from both 2600 and 4800 cm−1 are compared to the co-located Total Column Carbon Observing Network (TCCON) measurements and the greenhouse gas reanalysis dataset from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The amplitude of XCO2 seasonal variation derived from the NDACC-type (4800 cm−1) is closer to the TCCON measurements than that from the NDACC-type (2600 cm−1). Moreover, the NDACC-type (2600 cm−1) retrievals are strongly affected by the a priori profile. For tropospheric XCO2, the correlation coefficient between NDACC-type (4800 cm−1) and CAMS model is 0.73, which is higher than that between NDACC-type (2600 cm−1) and CAMS model (R = 0.56).
Satellite remote sensing is a promising technique for estimating global or regional evapotranspiration (ET). A simple and accurate method is essential when estimating ET using remote sensing data. ...Such a method is investigated by taking advantage of satellite measurements and the extensive ground‐based measurements available at eight enhanced surface facility sites located throughout the Southern Great Plains (SGP) area of the United States from January 2002 to May 2005. Data analysis shows that correlation coefficients between ET and surface net radiation are the highest, followed by temperatures (air temperature or land surface temperature, Ts), and vegetation indices (enhanced vegetation index (EVI) or normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)). A simple regression equation is proposed to estimate ET using surface net radiation, air or land surface temperatures and vegetation indices. ET can be estimated using daytime‐averaged air temperature and EVI with a root mean square error (RMSE) of ∼30 W m−2 and a correlation coefficient of 0.91 across all sites and years. ET can also be estimated with comparable accuracy using NDVI and Ts. More importantly, the daytime‐averaged ET can also be estimated using only one measurement per day of temperatures (the daytime maximum air temperature or Ts) with comparable accuracy. A sensitivity analysis shows that the proposed method is only slightly sensitive to errors of temperatures, vegetation indices and net surface radiation. An independent validation was made using the measurements colleted by the eddy covariance method at six AmeriFlux sites throughout the United States from 2001 to 2006. The land cover associated with the AmeriFlux sites varies from grassland, to cropland and forest. The results show that ET can be reasonably predicted with a correlation coefficient that varies from 0.84 to 0.95 and a bias that varies from 3 W m−2 to 15 W m−2 and RMSE varying from ∼30 W m−2 to ∼40 W m−2. The positive bias partly comes from the energy imbalance problem encountered in the eddy covariance method. The proposed method can predict ET under a wide range of soil moisture contents and land cover types.
Using 22 months of sunphotometer observations at Nam Co, an Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) site located in the central Tibetan Plateau, the background level of aerosol in this remote continental ...site was analyzed for the first time. An extraordinary pollution episode with an aerosol optical depth at 500 nm (
τ) of an order of magnitude higher than the baseline was further studied using ground-based and satellite remote-sensing data. The annual aerosol baseline at Nam Co is
τ = 0.029, which is about half of that over the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Sunphotometer observations at Nam Co recorded an intense spring atmospheric pollution episode, with the maximum
τ of 0.42 on 16 March 2009. The episode was characterized by dominant fine particles with strong absorption. A large
τ value with similar size and absorption also occurred in the Indo-Gangetic plains and South Asia, suggesting the transportation of aerosols to the Tibetan Plateau from surrounding regions. The passive satellite data showed dense plumes associated with active fires in the Himalayan foothills, the Indo-Gangetic plains, and South Asia and a thick, widespread haze piling up against the Himalayan ridges and impinging upon adjacent valleys. A pollution pool with a thick layer rich with aerosol over the Ganges Plain in Northern India, as revealed by the active satellite data, extended up to 3–5 km during this period, making it possible for the transportation of aerosols to the central Tibetan Plateau by the southwesterly wind prevailing at that level. Further studies are urgently required to identify the transport mechanism and to reveal the potential climatic impacts of aerosol transportation to the Tibetan Plateau.
► The background level of aerosol at a Tibetan site is revealed. ► A spring atmospheric pollution episode over the central TP is shown. ► Aerosol transportation from South Asia to the central TP is revealed.
Knowledge of the statistical characteristics of inversions and their effects on aerosols under different large-scale synoptic circulations is important for studying and modeling the diffusion of ...pollutants in the boundary layer. Based on results gen- erated using the self-organizing map （SOM） weather classification method, this study compares the statistical characteristics of surface-based inversions （SBIs） and elevated inversions （EIs）, and quantitatively evaluates the effect of SBIs on aerosol condensation nuclei （CN） concentrations and the relationship between temperature gradients and aerosols for six prevailing synoptic patterns over the the Southern Great Plains （SGP） site during 2001-10. Large-scale synoptic patterns strongly influ- ence the statistical characteristics of inversions and the accumulation of aerosols in the low-level atmosphere. The activity, frequency, intensity, and vertical distribution of inversions are significantly different among these synoptic patterns. The verti- cal distribution of inversions varies diurnally and is significantly different among the different synoptic patterns. Anticyclonic patterns affect the accumulation of aerosols near the ground more strongly than cyclonic patterns. Mean aerosol CN con- centrations increase during SBIs compared to no inversion cases by 16.1%, 22.6%, 24.5%, 58.7%, 29.8% and 23.7% for the six synoptic patterns. This study confirms that there is a positive correlation between temperature gradients and aerosol CN concentrations near the ground at night under similar large-scale synoptic patterns. The relationship is different for different synoptic patterns and can be described by linear functions. These findings suggest that large-scale synoptic patterns change the static stability of the atmosphere and inversions in the lower atmosphere, thereby influencing the diffusion of aerosols near the ground.
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