Hierarchical clustering algorithms for atmospheric back-trajectories with application to long range transport of air pollution

Abstract. This paper introduces a reliable and comprehensive Lagrangian output (Concentration Trajectory Route of Air pollution with Integrated Lagrangian model, C-TRAIL version 1.0) from an Eulerian air quality model for validating the source-receptor link by following real polluted air masses. To investigate the concentrations and trajectories of air masses simultaneously, we implement the trajectory-grid (TG) Lagrangian advection scheme in the CMAQ (Community Multiscale Air Quality) Eulerian model version 5.2. The TG algorithm follows the concentrations of representative air packets of species along trajectories determined by the wind field. The generated output from C-TRAIL accurately identifies the origins of pollutants. For validation, we analyzed the results of C-TRAIL during the KORUS-AQ campaign over South Korea. Initially, we implemented C-TRAIL in a simulation of CO concentrations with an emphasis on the long- and short-range transport effect. The output from C-TRAIL reveals that local trajectories were responsible for CO concentrations over Seoul during the stagnant period (May 17–22, 2016) and during the extreme pollution period (May 25–28, 2016), highly polluted air masses from China were distinguished as sources of CO transported to the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA). We conclude that long-range transport played a crucial role in high CO concentrations over the receptor area during this period. Furthermore, for May 2016, we find that the potential sources of CO over that SMA were the result of either local transport or long-range transport from the Shandong Peninsula and, in some cases, from north of the SMA. By identifying the trajectories of CO concentrations, one can use the results from C-TRAIL to directly link strong potential sources of pollutants to a receptor in specific regions during various time frames.

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Measurement report: Long-range transport patterns into the tropical northwest Pacific during the CAMP<sup>2</sup>Ex aircraft campaign: chemical composition, size distributions, and the impact of convection

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-21-3777-2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (5) ◽

pp. 3777-3802

Author(s):

Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario ◽

Ewan Crosbie ◽

Michael Shook ◽

Jeffrey S. Reid ◽

Maria Obiminda L. Cambaliza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Long Range ◽

Southwest Monsoon ◽

Long Range Transport ◽

Northwest Pacific ◽

Back Trajectories ◽

Air Masses ◽

China Sea ◽

Range Transport ◽

Transport Patterns ◽

The Impact

Abstract. The tropical Northwest Pacific (TNWP) is a receptor for pollution sources throughout Asia and is highly susceptible to climate change, making it imperative to understand long-range transport in this complex aerosol-meteorological environment. Measurements from the NASA Cloud, Aerosol, and Monsoon Processes Philippines Experiment (CAMP2Ex; 24 August to 5 October 2019) and back trajectories from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT) were used to examine transport into the TNWP from the Maritime Continent (MC), peninsular Southeast Asia (PSEA), East Asia (EA), and the West Pacific (WP). A mid-campaign monsoon shift on 20 September 2019 led to distinct transport patterns between the southwest monsoon (SWM; before 20 September) and monsoon transition (MT; after 20 September). During the SWM, long-range transport was a function of southwesterly winds and cyclones over the South China Sea. Low- (high-) altitude air generally came from MC (PSEA), implying distinct aerosol processing related to convection and perhaps wind shear. The MT saw transport from EA and WP, driven by Pacific northeasterly winds, continental anticyclones, and cyclones over the East China Sea. Composition of transported air differed by emission source and accumulated precipitation along trajectories (APT). MC air was characterized by biomass burning tracers while major components of EA air pointed to Asian outflow and secondary formation. Convective scavenging of PSEA air was evidenced by considerable vertical differences between aerosol species but not trace gases, as well as notably higher APT and smaller particles than other regions. Finally, we observed a possible wet scavenging mechanism acting on MC air aloft that was not strictly linked to precipitation. These results are important for understanding the transport and processing of air masses with further implications for modeling aerosol lifecycles and guiding international policymaking to public health and climate, particularly during the SWM and MT.

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