scholarly journals Mobile on-Road Measurements of Aerosol Optical Properties during MOABAI Campaign in the North China Plain

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Ioana Elisabeta Popovici ◽  
Zhaoze Deng ◽  
Philippe Goloub ◽  
Xiangao Xia ◽  
Hongbin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Mass Concentration ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Gobi Desert ◽  
Concentration Profiles ◽  
Aerosol Optical Properties ◽  
Heavy Pollution ◽  
Sun Photometer

We present the mapping at fine spatial scale of aerosol optical properties using a mobile laboratory equipped with LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), sun photometer and in situ instruments for performing on-road measurements. The mobile campaign was conducted from 9 May to 19 May 2017 and had the main objective of mapping the distribution of pollutants in the Beijing and North China Plain (NCP) region. The highest AOD (Aerosol Optical Depth) at 440 nm of 1.34 and 1.9 were recorded during two heavy pollution episodes on 18 May and 19 May 2017, respectively. The lowest Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) heights (0.5–1.5 km) were recorded during the heavy pollution events, correlating with the highest AOD and southern winds. The transport of desert dust from the Gobi Desert was captured during the mobile measurements, impacting Beijing during 9–13 May 2017. Exploring the NCP outside Beijing provided datasets for regions with scarce ground measurements and allowed the mapping of high aerosol concentrations when passing polluted cities in the NCP (Baoding, Tianjin and Tangshan) and along the Binhai New Area. For the first time, we provide mass concentration profiles from the synergy of LIDAR, sun photometer and in situ measurements. The case study along the Binhai New Area revealed mean extinction coefficients of 0.14 ± 0.10 km−1 at 532 nm and a mass concentration of 80 ± 62 μg/m3 in the PBL (<2 km). The highest extinction (0.56 km−1) and mass concentrations (404 μg/m3) were found in the industrial Binhai New Area. The PM10 and PM2.5 fractions of the total mass concentration profiles were separated using the columnar size distribution, derived from the sun photometer measurements. This study offers unique mobile datasets of the aerosol optical properties in the NCP for future applications, such as satellite validation and air quality studies.

scholarly journals Measurement Report: Spatial and vertical variability of aerosol optical properties during MOABAI mobile on-road campaign in North China Plain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana Elisabeta Popovici ◽  
Zhaoze Deng ◽  
Philippe Goloub ◽  
Xiangao Xia ◽  
Hongbin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Total Mass ◽  
Mass Concentration ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Concentration Profiles ◽  
Heavy Pollution ◽  
Sun Photometer ◽  
Micro Pulse Lidar

Abstract. The North China Plain (NCP) has been experiencing serious air quality problems since the rapid urbanization and industrialization and has been the subject of many studies over the years. This work presents mapping at a fine scale of the aerosol spatial and vertical variability obtained during the MOABAI campaign (Mobile Observation of Atmosphere By vehicle-borne Aerosol measurement Instruments) using a van equipped with a micro-pulse LIDAR, a sun photometer and in situ instruments, performing on-road measurements. The campaign was conducted from 5 May to 23 May 2017 and had as a main objective to map the pollutants distribution in Beijing and NCP area. A summary of aerosol properties during all measurement days and a comprehensive case study along the industrial Binhai New Area near Tianjin are presented. The highest AOD at 440 nm (1.34 and 1.9) were recorded during two heavy pollution episodes on 18 May and 19 May 2017, respectively. The lowest PBL (Planetary Boundary Layer) heights (< 1500 m) were recorded during the heavy pollution events, correlated with the highest AOD. Transport of dust from Gobi Desert was captured during the mobile measurements, impacting Beijing in the 9–13 May period. Exploring the NCP outside Beijing provided datasets in regions with lack of aerosol observation sites and allowed mapping higher aerosol concentrations when passing by polluted cities in NCP (Baoding, Tianjin and Tangshan). In this study, we provide the first mass concentration profiles derived from a mobile micro-pulse LIDAR, making use of complementary information on aerosol type from sun photometer and in situ data. The case study of 17 May 2017 revealed mean extinction coefficients of 0.14 ± 0.10 km−1 at 532 nm and total mass concentration of 80 ± 62 μg m−3 in the PBL (< 2000 m) for the mobile transect from Tianjin to Tangshan along the coast of Bohai Sea. The highest extinction (0.56 km−1) and mass concentrations (404 μg m−3) were found in the industrial Binhai New Area. The PM10 and PM2.5 fractions of the total mass concentration profiles were separated using the columnar size distribution derived from sun photometer measurements. A general good agreement was found between the lidar-derived PM concentrations at surface level and the ones recorded at the closest air quality stations along the transect, with the only exception along the industrial region near Tianjin port, where emissions were highly variable.

scholarly journals Aerosol optical properties in the North China Plain during HaChi campaign: an in-situ optical closure study

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5959-5973 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Ma ◽  
C. S. Zhao ◽  
A. Nowak ◽  
T. Müller ◽  
S. Pfeifer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Scattering Coefficient ◽  
Aerosol Optical Properties ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. The largest uncertainty in the estimation of climate forcing stems from atmospheric aerosols. In early spring and summer of 2009, two periods of in-situ measurements on aerosol physical and chemical properties were conducted within the HaChi (Haze in China) project at Wuqing, a town between Beijing and Tianjin in the North China Plain (NCP). Aerosol optical properties, including the scattering coefficient (σsp), the hemispheric back scattering coefficient (σbsp), the absorption coefficient (σap), as well as the single scattering albedo (ω), are presented. The diurnal and seasonal variations are analyzed together with meteorology and satellite data. The mean values of σsp, 550 nm of the dry aerosol in spring and summer are 280±253 and 379±251 Mm−1, respectively. The average σap for the two periods is respectively 47±38 and 43±27 Mm−1. The mean values of ω at the wavelength of 637 nm are 0.82±0.05 and 0.86±0.05 for spring and summer, respectively. The relative high levels of σsp and σbsp are representative of the regional aerosol pollution in the NCP. Pronounced diurnal cycle of $σsp, σap and ω are found, mainly influenced by the evolution of boundary layer and the accumulation of local emissions during nighttime. The pollutants transported from the southwest of the NCP are more significant than that from the two megacities, Beijing and Tianjin, in both spring and summer. An optical closure experiment is conducted to better understand the uncertainties of the measurements. Good correlations (R>0.98) are found between the values measured by the nephelometer and the values calculated with a modified Mie model. The Monte Carlo simulation shows an uncertainty of about 30 % for the calculations. Considering all possible uncertainties of measurements, calculated σsp and σbsp agree well with the measured values, indicating a stable performance of instruments and thus reliable aerosol optical data.

scholarly journals Aerosol optical properties in the North China Plain during HaChi campaign: an in-situ optical closure study

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 9567-9605 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Ma ◽  
C. S. Zhao ◽  
A. Nowak ◽  
T. Müller ◽  
S. Pfeifer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Aerosol Optical Properties ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Local Emissions

Abstract. The largest uncertainty in the estimation of radiative forcings on climate stems from atmospheric aerosols. In winter and summer of 2009, two periods of in-situ measurements on aerosol physical and chemical properties were conducted within the HaChi project at Wuqing, a town between Beijing and Tianjin in the North China Plain (NCP). Aerosol optical properties including scattering coefficient (σsp), hemispheric back scattering coefficient (σbsp), absorption coefficient (σap, as well as single scattering albedo (ω) are presented. The characteristics of diurnal and seasonal variations are analyzed together with the meteorological and satellite data. The mean values of σsp, 550 nm of the dry aerosol in winter and summer are 280 ± 253 and 379 ± 251 Mm−1, respectively. The average σap for the two periods are respectively 47 ± 38 and 43 ± 27 Mm−1. The mean values of ω are 0.83 ± 0.05 and 0.87 ± 0.05 for winter and summer, respectively. The relative high levels of σsp and σbsp are representative of the regional polluted aerosol of the North China Plain. Pronounced diurnal cycle of σsp, σap and ω are found, mainly influenced by the evolution of boundary layer and accumulation of local emissions during night-time. Regional transport of pollutants from southwest in the NCP is significant both in winter and summer, while high values of σsp and σap correlate with calm winds in winter, which indicating the significant contribution of local emissions. An optical closure experiment is conducted to better understand uncertainties of the measurements. Good correlations (R>0.98) are found between values measured by nephelometer and values calculated with a modified Mie model. Monte Carlo simulations show an uncertainty of about 30% for the calculations. Considering all possible uncertainties of measurements, calculated σsp and σbsp agree well with measured values, indicating a stable performance of instruments and thus a reliable aerosol optical data.

scholarly journals Vertical distributions of aerosol optical properties during the spring 2016 ARIAs airborne campaign in the North China Plain

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Wang ◽  
Zhanqing Li ◽  
Xinrong Ren ◽  
Qi Jiang ◽  
Hao He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Aerosol Optical Properties ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Scattering Coefficients ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Aerosol Scattering ◽  
Vertical Distributions

Abstract. Vertical distributions of aerosol optical properties derived from measurements made during 11 aircraft flights over the North China Plain (NCP) in May–June 2016 during the Air Chemistry Research In Asia (ARIAs) were analyzed. Aerosol optical data from in situ aircraft measurements shows good correlation with ground-based measurements. The regional variability of aerosol optical profiles such as aerosol scattering and backscattering, absorption, extinction, single scattering albedo (SSA), and the Ångström exponent (α) are for the first time thoroughly characterized over the NCP. The SSA at 550 nm showed a regional mean value of 0.85 ± 0.02 with moderate to strong absorption and the α ranged from 0.49 to 2.53 (median 1.53) indicating both mineral dust and accumulation mode aerosols. Most of the aerosol particles were located in the lowest 2 km of the atmosphere. We describe three typical planetary boundary layer (PBL) scenarios and associated transport pathways as well as the correlation between aerosol scattering coefficients and relative humidity (RH). Aerosol scattering coefficients decreased slowly with height in the clean PBL condition, but decreased sharply above the PBL under polluted conditions, which showed a strong correlation (R2 &amp;geq; 0.78) with ambient RH. Back-trajectory analysis shows that clean air masses generally originated from the distant north-western part of China while most of the polluted air masses were from the heavily polluted interior and coastal areas near the campaign area.

scholarly journals Mobile Observations by Lidar, Sun Photometer and in Situ in North China Plain

2020 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
pp. 02024
Author(s):  
Ioana Elisabeta Popovici ◽  
Philippe Goloub ◽  
Luc Blarel ◽  
Xiangao Xia ◽  
Zhaoze Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Mobile Laboratory ◽  
Sun Photometer

A mobile laboratory integrating lidar, sun photometer and in situ instruments has been deployed to observe the aerosol spatial variability in North China Plain in May 2017. Results from the campaign are presented.

scholarly journals Vertical distributions of aerosol optical properties during the spring 2016 ARIAs airborne campaign in the North China Plain

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 8995-9010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Wang ◽  
Zhanqing Li ◽  
Xinrong Ren ◽  
Qi Jiang ◽  
Hao He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Aerosol Optical Properties ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Scattering Coefficients ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Aerosol Scattering ◽  
Vertical Distributions

Abstract. Vertical distributions of aerosol optical properties derived from measurements made during 11 aircraft flights over the North China Plain (NCP) in May–June 2016 during the Air Chemistry Research In Asia (ARIAs) were analyzed. Aerosol optical data from in situ aircraft measurements show good correlation with ground-based measurements. The regional variability of aerosol optical profiles such as aerosol scattering and backscattering, absorption, extinction, single scattering albedo (SSA), and the Ångström exponent (α) are thoroughly characterized for the first time over the NCP. The SSA at 550 nm showed a regional mean value of 0.85 ± 0.02 with moderate to strong absorption and the α ranged from 0.49 to 2.53 (median 1.53), indicating both mineral dust and accumulation-mode aerosols. Most of the aerosol particles were located in the lowest 2 km of the atmosphere. We describe three typical planetary boundary layer (PBL) scenarios and associated transport pathways as well as the correlation between aerosol scattering coefficients and relative humidity (RH). Aerosol scattering coefficients decreased slowly with height in the clean PBL condition, but decreased sharply above the PBL under polluted conditions, which showed a strong correlation (R2 ≥ 0.78) with ambient RH. Back-trajectory analysis shows that clean air masses generally originated from the distant northwestern part of China, while most of the polluted air masses were from the heavily polluted interior and coastal areas near the campaign region.

First global assessment of modelled aerosol hygroscopicity in the context of other aerosol optical properties

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Ángeles Burgos Simón ◽  
Elisabeth Andrews ◽  
Gloria Titos ◽  
Angela Benedetti ◽  
Huisheng Bian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Light Scattering ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Water Uptake ◽  
Chem Phys ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Aerosol Optical Properties ◽  
System Models ◽  
Earth System Models

&lt;p&gt;The particle hygroscopic growth impacts the optical properties of aerosols and, in turn, affects the aerosol-radiation interaction and calculation of the Earth&amp;#8217;s radiative balance. The dependence of particle light scattering on relative humidity (RH) can be described by the scattering enhancement factor f(RH), defined as the ratio between the particle light scattering coefficient at a given RH divided by its dry value.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first effort of the AeroCom Phase III &amp;#8211; INSITU experiment was to develop an observational dataset of scattering enhancement values at 26 sites to study the uptake of water by atmospheric aerosols, and evaluate f(RH) globally (Burgos et al., 2019). Model outputs from 10 Earth System Models (CAM, CAM-ATRAS, CAM-Oslo, GEOS-Chem, GEOS-GOCART, MERRAero, TM5, OsloCTM3, IFS-AER, and ECMWF) were then evaluated against this in-situ dataset. Building on these results, we investigate f(RH) in the context of other aerosol optical and chemical properties, making use of the same 10 Earth System Models (ESMs) and in-situ measurements as in Burgos et al. (2020) and Titos et al. (2021).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Given the difficulties of deploying and maintaining instrumentation for long-term, accurate and comprehensive f(RH) observations, it is desirable to find an observational proxy for f(RH). This observation-based proxy would also need to be reproduced in modelling space. Our aim here is to evaluate how ESMs currently represent the relationship between f(RH), scattering &amp;#197;ngstr&amp;#246;m exponent (SAE), and single scattering albedo (SSA). This work helps to identify current challenges in modelling water-uptake by aerosols and their impact on aerosol optical properties within Earth system models.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We start by analyzing the behavior of SSA with RH, finding the expected increase with RH for all site types and models. Then, we analyze the three variables together (f(RH)-SSA-SAE relationship). Results show that hygroscopic particles tend to be bigger and scatter more than non-hygroscopic small particles, though variability within models is noticeable. This relationship can be further studied by relating SAE to model chemistry, by selecting those grid points dominated by a single chemical component (mass mixing ratios &gt; 90%). Finally, we analyze model performance at three specific sites representing different aerosol types: Arctic, marine and rural. At these sites, the model data can be exactly temporally and spatially collocated with the observations, which should help to identify the models which exhibit better agreement with measurements and for which aerosol type.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Burgos, M.A.&amp;#160;et al.:&amp;#160;A global view on the effect of water uptake on aerosol particle light scattering.&amp;#160;Sci Data&amp;#160;6,&amp;#160;157. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-019-0158-7, 2019.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Burgos, M.A. et al.: A global model&amp;#8211;measurement evaluation of particle light scattering coefficients at elevated relative humidity, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 10231&amp;#8211;10258, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10231-2020, 2020.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Titos, G. et al.: A global study of hygroscopicity-driven light scattering enhancement in the context of other in-situ aerosol optical properties, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-1250, in review, 2020.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals A new approach to estimate pollutant emissions based on trajectory modelling and its application in the North China Plain

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 31137-31158 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Y. Xu ◽  
C. S. Zhao ◽  
P. F. Liu ◽  
L. Ran ◽  
N. Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Source Contributions ◽  
Co Emission

Abstract. Emission information is crucial for air quality modelling and air quality management. In this study, a new approach based on the understanding of the relationship between emissions and measured pollutant concentrations has been proposed to estimate pollutant emissions and source contributions. The retrieval can be made with single point in-situ measurements combined with backward trajectory analyses. The method takes into consideration the effect of meteorology on pollutant transport when evaluating contributions and is independent of energy statistics, therefore can provide frequent updates on emission information. The spatial coverage can be further improved by using measurements from several sites and combining the derived emission fields. The method was applied to yield the source distributions of black carbon (BC) and CO in the North China Plain (NCP) using in-situ measurements from the HaChi (Haze in China) Campaign and to evaluate contributions from specific areas to local concentrations at the measurement site. Results show that this method can yield a reasonable emission field for the NCP and can directly quantify areal source contributions. Major BC and CO emission source regions are Beijing, the western part of Tianjin and Langfang, Hebei, with Tangshan being an additional important CO emission source area. The source contribution assessment suggests that, aside from local emissions in Wuqing, Tianjin and Hebei S, SW (d < 100 km) are the greatest contributors to measured local concentrations, while emissions from Beijing contribute little during summertime.

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