Assessments of urban aerosol pollution in Moscow and its radiative effects

Abstract. Simultaneous long-term measurements by the collocated AERONET CIMEL sun/sky photometers at the Moscow State University Meteorological Observatory (MSU MO) and at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station (ZSS) of the A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics during September 2006–April 2009 provide the estimates of the effects of urban pollution on different aerosol properties in different seasons. The average difference in aerosol optical thickness between MO MSU and ZSS, which can characterize the effect of aerosol pollution, has been estimated to be about dAOT = 0.02 in visible spectral region. The most pronounced difference is observed in winter conditions when relative AOT difference can reach 30%. The high correlation of the AOT's, the Angstrom exponent values and the effective radii between the sites confirms that natural processes are the dominating factor in the changes of the aerosol properties even over the Moscow megacity area. The existence of positive correlation between dAOT and difference in water vapor content explains many cases with large dAOT between the sites by the time lag in the airmass advection. However, after excluding the difference due to this factor, AOT in Moscow remains higher even in more number of cases (more than 75%) with the same mean dAOT = 0.02. Due to the negative average difference in aerosol radiative forcing at the TOA of about dARF = −0.9 W/m2, the aerosol urban pollution provides a distinct cooling effect of the atmosphere. Due to the pollution effects, the PAR and UV irradiance reaching the ground is only 2–3% lower, though in some situations the attenuation can reach 13% in visible and more than 20% in UV spectral region.

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Assessments of urban aerosol pollution in Moscow and its radiative effects

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques ◽

10.5194/amt-4-367-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 367-378 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

N. Y. Chubarova ◽

M. A. Sviridenkov ◽

A. Smirnov ◽

B. N. Holben

Keyword(s):

Spectral Region ◽

Radiative Forcing ◽

Time Lag ◽

Urban Pollution ◽

Average Difference ◽

Pollution Effects ◽

Pronounced Difference ◽

Meteorological Observatory ◽

Aerosol Pollution ◽

Aerosol Properties

Abstract. Simultaneous measurements by the collocated AERONET CIMEL sun/sky photometers at the Moscow State University Meteorological Observatory (MSU MO) and at the Zvenigorod Scientific Station (ZSS) of the A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics during September 2006–April 2009 provide the estimates of the effects of urban pollution on various aerosol properties in different seasons. The average difference in aerosol optical thickness between MO MSU and ZSS, which can characterize the effect of aerosol pollution, has been estimated to be about dAOT = 0.02 in visible spectral region. The most pronounced difference is observed in winter conditions when relative AOT difference can reach 26%. The high correlation of the AOT's, the Angstrom exponent values and the effective radii between the sites confirms that natural processes are the dominating factor in the changes of the aerosol properties even over the Moscow megacity area. The existence of positive correlation between dAOT and difference in water vapor content explains many cases with large dAOT between the sites by the time lag in the airmass advection. However, after excluding the difference due to this factor, AOT in Moscow remains higher even in a larger number of cases (more than 75%) with the same mean dAOT = 0.02. Due to the negative average difference in aerosol radiative forcing at the TOA of about dARFTOA = −0.9 W m−2, the aerosol urban pollution provides a distinct cooling effect of the atmosphere. The PAR and UV irradiance reaching the ground is only 2–3% lower in Moscow due to the pollution effects, though in some situations the attenuation can reach 13% in visible and more than 20% in UV spectral region.

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Сhanges in air quality and aerosol pollution in Moscow megacity and its direct and indirect impact on radiative and meteorological properties of the atmosphere due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in spring 2020 according to modelling and measurements.

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-4160 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nataly Chubarova ◽

Elizaveta Androsova ◽

Alexander Kirsanov ◽

Alexei Poliukhov ◽

Ekaterina Zhdanova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Solar Radiation ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Regional Climate ◽

Urban Pollution ◽

Urban Aerosol ◽

Geochemical Processes ◽

Noticeable Effect ◽

Meteorological Observatory ◽

Aerosol Pollution

Atmospheric aerosol has a noticeable effect on the microphysical and optical properties of the atmosphere, solar radiation, temperature and humidity conditions, thereby determining the quality of the forecast of important meteorological elements and affecting the regional climate and the dynamics of geochemical processes. Using the results of the spring AeroRadCity experiment at the MSU Meteorological Observatory in 2018-2019, and numerical calculations on the base of modern COSMO and COSMO-ART mesoscale models using Russian (-Ru) configurations we determined the level and main features of urban air/aerosol pollution, and assessed its magnitude and its impact on the radiative and meteorological characteristics of the atmosphere in typical conditions (Chubarova et al., 2020). In the context of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, especially during the period of lockdown in the spring, there was a significant decrease in emissions of pollutants in many countries, including Russia. The aim of this study is to show the consequences of decrease in emissions of pollutants on the air quality and on urban aerosol pollution. A special attention is paid to the division between the effects of meteorological factors and the influence of pollution emission on aerosol and gas concentration. The effects of the air pollution decrease on solar radiation and air temperature during this period have been analyzed using COSMO-Ru-ART&#160;model.&#160;&#160;For a more detailed study of the observed spatial aerosol distribution on solar radiation and air temperature, we have developed a methodology of the implementation of the satellite aerosol optical thickness (AOT) data in the COSMO-Ru model. Using this approach we evaluated the radiative and temperature effects observed due to aerosol in typical conditions during the spring of 2018-2019 and during the period of lockdown in the spring of 2020 under various meteorological conditions. To do this, the satellite AOT data from the MAIAC/MODIS algorithm and aerosol measurements from Cimel sun photometers data were used for characterising the urban aerosol in typical and lockdown conditions. We also discuss the aerosol indirect effects on cloud properties using an experimental scheme of COSMO-Ru model and their influence on solar radiation and surface temperature during this period. The aerosol study has been partially supported by the RSF grant number 18-17-00149; the analysis of gas species has been partially funded by the megagrant number 2020-220-08-5835.Reference:Chubarova N.Ye., Ye.Yu. Zhdanova., Ye.Ye. Androsova, A.A. Kirsanov, M.V. Shatunova, Yu.O. Khlestova, Ye.V. Volpert, A.A. Poliukhov, I.D. Eremina, D.V. Vlasov, O.B. Popovicheva, A.S. Ivanov, Ye.V. Gorbarenko, Ye.I. Nezval, D.V. Blinov, G.S. Rivin. The aerosol urban pollution and its effects on weather, regional climate and geochemical processes: Monograph / Edited by N.Ye. Chubarova &#8211; Moscow, MAKS Press, 2020. 339 pp.&#160;&#160;ISBN 978-5-317-06464-8

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Comment on "Radiative forcings for 28 potential Archean greenhouse gases" by Byrne and Goldblatt (2014)

Climate of the Past ◽

10.5194/cp-11-1097-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1097-1105 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

R. V. Kochanov ◽

I. E. Gordon ◽

L. S. Rothman ◽

S. W. Sharpe ◽

T. J. Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Cross Sections ◽

Spectral Region ◽

Radiative Forcing ◽

The effect of physical and chemical aerosol properties on warm cloud droplet activation

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-5-8507-2005 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 8507-8646 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

G. McFiggans ◽

P. Artaxo ◽

U. Baltensperger ◽

H. Coe ◽

M. C. Facchini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atmospheric Aerosol ◽

Radiative Forcing ◽

Cloud Droplet ◽

Size Composition ◽

Radiative Properties ◽

Atmospheric Measurements ◽

Derived Properties ◽

Aerosol Effects ◽

Physical And Chemical ◽

Aerosol Properties

Abstract. The effects of atmospheric aerosol on climate forcing may be very substantial but are quantified poorly at present; in particular, the effects of aerosols on cloud radiative properties, or the "indirect effects" are credited with the greatest range of uncertainty amongst the known causes of radiative forcing. This manuscript explores the effects that the composition and properties of atmospheric aerosol can have on the activation of droplets in warm clouds, so potentially influencing the magnitude of the indirect effect. The effects of size, composition, mixing state and various derived properties are assessed and a range of these properties provided by atmospheric measurements in a variety of locations is briefly reviewed. The suitability of a range of process-level descriptions to capture these aerosol effects is investigated by assessment of their sensitivities to uncertainties in aerosol properties and by their performance in closure studies. The treatment of these effects within global models is reviewed and suggestions for future investigations are made.

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Direct Aerosol Radiative Forcing Uncertainty Based on a Radiative Perturbation Analysis

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/2010jcli3543.1 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 23 (19) ◽

pp. 5288-5293 ◽

Cited By ~ 81

Author(s):

Norman G. Loeb ◽

Wenying Su

Keyword(s):

Radiative Forcing ◽

Single Scattering ◽

Single Scattering Albedo ◽

Aerosol Radiative Forcing ◽

Clear Sky ◽

Radiative Perturbation ◽

Sky Conditions ◽

Global Mean ◽

Aerosol Properties ◽

Aerosol Radiative

Abstract To provide a lower bound for the uncertainty in measurement-based clear- and all-sky direct aerosol radiative forcing (DARF), a radiative perturbation analysis is performed for the ideal case in which the perturbations in global mean aerosol properties are given by published values of systematic uncertainty in Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) aerosol measurements. DARF calculations for base-state climatological cloud and aerosol properties over ocean and land are performed, and then repeated after perturbing individual aerosol optical properties (aerosol optical depth, single-scattering albedo, asymmetry parameter, scale height, and anthropogenic fraction) from their base values, keeping all other parameters fixed. The total DARF uncertainty from all aerosol parameters combined is 0.5–1.0 W m−2, a factor of 2–4 greater than the value cited in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Fourth Assessment Report. Most of the total DARF uncertainty in this analysis is associated with single-scattering albedo uncertainty. Owing to the greater sensitivity to single-scattering albedo in cloudy columns, DARF uncertainty in all-sky conditions is greater than in clear-sky conditions, even though the global mean clear-sky DARF is more than twice as large as the all-sky DARF.

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Parallels and Contrasts Between Deliberate Cloud Seeding and Aerosol Pollution Effects

Aerosol Pollution Impact on Precipitation ◽

10.1007/978-1-4020-8690-8_8 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 277-294 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

William R. Cotton

Keyword(s):

Cloud Seeding ◽

Pollution Effects ◽

Aerosol Pollution

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Microscale Heat Island Characterization of Rigid Pavements

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.3141/2639-10 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2639 (1) ◽

pp. 73-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Sushobhan Sen ◽

Jeffery Roesler

Keyword(s):

Radiative Forcing ◽

Time Lag ◽

Thermal Inertia ◽

Concrete Pavements ◽

Heat Island ◽

Rigid Pavements ◽

Subsurface Layers ◽

Urban Heat ◽

Base Course

Rigid pavements have an impact on the urban heat island (UHI) and hence the surrounding environment and human comfort. Currently, most studies use a mesoscale approach in UHI characterization of pavements. This study proposes a microscale approach that can be incorporated into a pavement life-cycle assessment (LCA). The heat flux of various concrete pavements containing layers of varying thermal diffusivity and inertia was simulated. The surface pavement radiative forcing (RFp) was developed as a metric for use in a pavement LCA. Additionally, the heat conducted and stored in each concrete pavement system was analyzed using an average seasonal day metric to understand the temporal pavement energetics. Of the various thermal cases, only a higher albedo surface significantly changed the RFp for a fixed climate. However, a time lag was induced by the thermal inertia of the base course, which decreased the amount of heat conducted out of the pavement at night by storing heat in the base course for a longer time, effectively reducing nighttime UHI. Diurnal variations in thermal behavior can be controlled by changing the thermal properties of subsurface layers, which can be used to partially mitigate UHI.

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