Tropospheric Aerosol Climate Forcing in Clear-Sky Satellite Observations over the Oceans

Tropospheric aerosols affect the radiative forcing of Earth's climate, but their variable concentrations complicate an understanding of their global influence. Model-based estimates of aerosol distributions helped reveal spatial patterns indicative of the presence of tropospheric aerosols in the satellite-observed clear-sky solar radiation budget over the world's oceans. The results show that, although geographical signatures due to both natural and anthropogenic aerosols are manifest in the satellite observations, the naturally occurring sea-salt is the leading aerosol contributor to the global-mean clear-sky radiation balance over oceans.     

北京沙尘天气期间气溶胶光学特性分析

利用全球地基气溶胶观测网(AERONET)资料,分析了北京地区2001—2013年沙尘天气期间气溶胶的光学特性。结果表明,北京沙尘天气期间受沙尘粒子的影响,气溶胶光学厚度值(AOD)较大,且随波长增大而减小,在波长440 nm处平均值约为1.2;气溶胶Angstrom波长指数97.62%都聚集在0.7以下,说明北京沙尘天气期间粒子较大;沙尘天气期间单次散射反照率随波长增加而增加,平均值约为0.93;复折射指数实部在波长675 nm处最大,平均约为1.55,虚部在440 nm处最大,平均值达到0.006;总的不对称因子平均值约为0.72;北京地区沙尘天气期间气溶胶粒子谱型呈双峰分布,且以粗模态粒子为主,其峰值随光学厚度的增大而增大,粗模态粒子的峰值半径平均约为2.6μm。这些参数对于深入研究沙尘气溶胶的辐射效应和气候效应都是必不可少的。     

大气气溶胶遥感反演研究进展

大气气溶胶是悬浮在地球大气中的微粒混合物,它不仅对全球气候变化产生影响,而且影响到大气环境质量和人类身体健康。目前,大气气溶胶的研究已经成为国际研究热点之一。介绍了气溶胶参数遥感反演的国内外研究进展,对利用卫星遥感资料反演气溶胶参数的方法进行了总结,分析了方法中的各种假定条件,并对该领域内现存的问题与发展方向进行探讨。     

Climate forcing by anthropogenic aerosols

Although long considered to be of marginal importance to global climate change, tropospheric aerosol contributes substantially to radiative forcing, and anthropogenic sulfate aerosol in particular has imposed a major perturbation to this forcing. Both the direct scattering of shortwavelength solar radiation and the modification of the shortwave reflective properties of clouds by sulfate aerosol particles increase planetary albedo, thereby exerting a cooling influence on the planet. Current climate forcing due to anthropogenic sulfate is estimated to be -1 to -2 watts per square meter, globally averaged. This perturbation is comparable in magnitude to current anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing but opposite in sign. Thus, the aerosol forcing has likely offset global greenhouse warming to a substantial degree. However, differences in geographical and seasonal distributions of these forcings preclude any simple compensation. Aerosol effects must be taken into account in evaluating anthropogenic influences on past, current, and projected future climate and in formulating policy regarding controls on emission of greenhouse gases and sulfur dioxide. Resolution of such policy issues requires integrated research on the magnitude and geographical distribution of aerosol climate forcing and on the controlling chemical and physical processes.     

Mount pinatubo aerosols, chlorofluorocarbons, and ozone depletion

The injection into the stratosphere of large quantities of sulfur during the June 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo (Philippines) and the subsequent formation of sulfate aerosol particles have generated a number of perturbations in the atmosphere with potential effects on the Earth's climate. Changes in the solar and infrared radiation budget caused by the eruption should produce a cooling of the troposphere and a warming of the lower stratosphere. These changes could affect atmospheric circulation. In addition, heterogeneous chemical reactions on the surface of sulfate aerosol particles render the ozone molecules more vulnerable to atmospheric chlorine and hence to man-made chlorofluorocarbons.     

Thermal blanketing: a case for aerosol-induced climatic alteration

Long-term temperature records at Phoenix, Arizona, indicate the existence of a post-1946 warming trend that may be attributed to the buildup of pollution in the lower layers of the atmosphere. The causative mechanism appears to be an enhancement of the so-called "greenhouse effect," induced by the inter-action of aerosol with long-wavelength thermal radiation in the lower atmosphere.     

气溶胶间接气候效应研究进展

由于工业和人类活动的影响,大气中气溶胶含量明显增加。它们通过直接吸收和散射太阳辐射以及改变其他辐射强迫因子（云和臭氧等）的大小间接影响地－气系统的能量收支。在对大气气溶胶概述的基础上,就近年来国内外在气溶胶对气候系统的间接辐射强迫效应研究状况做了简要总结。     

Lead aerosol baseline: concentration at White Mountain and Laguna Mountain, California

The lead aerosol concentration at White Mountain, California, may be regarded as the present baseline concentration for atmospheric lead for the continental United States. The seasonal trend of lead aerosols at White Mountain and Laguna Mountain shows a summer maximum and a winter minimum. This is because both mountain sampling sites are well above the thermal (radiation) inversion, which normally occurs in the winter, trapping pollutants below the inversion boundary.     

叶片的灰尘对高光谱遥感中植被冠层反射率的影响

灰尘作为气溶胶的一部分由于沉降现象而附着于植物叶子的表面,当遥感探测器扫描植被冠层时,所得反射率数据就具有了一定的相似性。在平时我们处理卫星数据时忽略了附着于叶子表面灰尘的影响,没有把植被表面的灰尘作为影响因子考虑进去。随着探测器的发展,光谱分辨率的提高,灰尘对于某些波段的影响越来越大。由于天气变化如降雨可以使植被叶片表面灰尘减少甚至消失,引起植被反射率发生变化,于是本文通过模拟降雨前后植被叶片反射率变化,来研究灰尘的影响程度大小。具体方法为采用ASD野外光谱仪分别测量小麦、冬青等植被采摘后表层附有灰尘的叶片和模拟雨水冲洗灰尘后的叶片。通过同一片叶子两次测得的不同数据处理、比较得出以下结论:1.附着于植被冠层的灰尘对其反射率有很大影响。2.没有去尘处理的叶片反射曲线不是灰尘反射曲线和经除尘处理的叶片反射曲线简单的线性叠加。3.灰尘并不会造成“红边”移动,不会发生“蓝移”和“红移”。     

Sulfate Cooling Effect on Climate Through In-Cloud Oxidation of Anthropogenic SO2

Anthropogenic SO(2) emissions may exert a significant cooling effect on climate in the Northern Hemisphere through backscattering of solar radiation by sulfate particles. Earlier estimates of the sulfate climate forcing were based on a limited number of sulfate-scattering correlation measurements from which a high sulfate-scattering efficiency was derived. Model results suggest that cloud processing of air is the underlying mechanism. Aqueous phase oxidation of SO(2) into sulfate and the subsequent release of the dry aerosol by cloud evaporation render sulfate a much more efficient scatterer than through gas-phase SO(2) oxidation.     

Applications of laser radiation pressure

Use of lasers has revolutionized the study and applications of radiation pressure. Light forces have been achieved which strongly affect the dynamics of individual small particles. It is now possible to optically accelerate, slow, stably trap, and manipulate micrometer-sized dielectric particles and atoms. This leads to a diversity of new scientific and practical applications in fields where small particles play a role, such as light scattering, cloud physics, aerosol science, atomic physics, quantum optics, and high-resolution spectroscopy.     

Size matters more than chemistry for cloud-nucleating ability of aerosol particles

Size-resolved cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectra measured for various aerosol types at a non-urban site in Germany showed that CCN concentrations are mainly determined by the aerosol number size distribution. Distinct variations of CCN activation with particle chemical composition were observed but played a secondary role. When the temporal variation of chemical effects on CCN activation is neglected, variation in the size distribution alone explains 84 to 96% of the variation in CCN concentrations. Understanding that particles' ability to act as CCN is largely controlled by aerosol size rather than composition greatly facilitates the treatment of aerosol effects on cloud physics in regional and global models.     

In situ measurements of organics, meteoritic material, mercury, and other elements in aerosols at 5 to 19 kilometers

In situ measurements of the chemical composition of individual aerosol particles at altitudes between 5 and 19 kilometers reveal that upper tropospheric aerosols often contained more organic material than sulfate. Although stratospheric aerosols primarily consisted of sulfuric acid and water, many also contained meteoritic material. Just above the tropopause, small amounts of mercury were found in over half of the aerosol particles that were analyzed. Overall, there was tremendous variety in aerosol composition. One measure of this diversity is that at least 45 elements were detected in aerosol particles. These results have wide implications for the complexity of aerosol sources and chemistry. They also offer possibilities for understanding the transport of atmospheric aerosols.     

Identification of polymers as major components of atmospheric organic aerosols

Results from photooxidation of aromatic compounds in a reaction chamber show that a substantial fraction of the organic aerosol mass is composed of polymers. This polymerization results from reactions of carbonyls and their hydrates. After aging for more than 20 hours, about 50% of the particle mass consists of polymers with a molecular mass up to 1000 daltons. This results in a lower volatility of this secondary organic aerosol and a higher aerosol yield than a model using vapor pressures of individual organic species would predict.     

In situ observations of aerosol and chlorine monoxide after the 1991 eruption of mount pinatubo: effect of reactions on sulfate aerosol

Highly resolved aerosol size distributions measured from high-altitude aircraft can be used to describe the effect of the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo on the stratospheric aerosol. In some air masses, aerosol mass mixing ratios increased by factors exceeding 100 and aerosol surface area concentrations increased by factors of 30 or more. Increases in aerosol surface area concentration were accompanied by increases in chlorine monoxide at mid-latitudes when confounding factors were controlled. This observation supports the assertion that reactions occurring on the aerosol can increase the fraction of stratospheric chlorine that occurs in ozone-destroying forms.     

Abundance of cellular material and proteins in the atmosphere

Suspended atmospheric particles play a crucial role in any global climate scenario: They can both enforce and suppress radiative forcing. In developing climate modeling further, a deeper understanding of atmospheric aerosol is needed. Because of extreme local and temporal variations, proper incorporation of aerosols into models requires modeling of the aerosol itself. It turns out that cellular material and proteins compose up to 25% of the atmospheric aerosol. Consequently, the source strength of the biogenic aerosol in general must be corrected and should be estimated on the order of other major aerosol sources.     

Pollution aerosol in the northeast: northeastern-midwestern contributions

In recent years, atmospheric scientists have been endeavoring to determine the relative contributions of local and distant sources to pollution aerosol in eastern North America. Elemental analysis of aerosol from various sites in the northeastern United States has revealed a persistent northeastern "foreground" upon which pulses of midwestern aerosol are superimposed every few days, in response to large-scale meteorological features. Regional apportionment of tracer element and sulfate in summer and winter samples from Narragansett, Rhode Island, and Underhill, Vermont, shows that most of the elements come predominantly from northeastern sources. Notable exceptions include arsenic and indium, for which Canadian nonferrous smelters are important sources, and sulfur and selenium, for which the Midwest is an important source. During 1982 and 1983, the Northeast and the Midwest contributed comparably to aerosol sulfate at Narragansett and Underhill, in spite of the fact that the emissions of sulfur dioxide in the Midwest were ten times those in the Northeast; Canadian smelters accounted for less than 10 percent of the total sulfate. During a major pollution episode in July 1982, northeastern and midwestern sources produced comparable sulfate concentration in Rhode Island, whereas midwestern sources dominated northeastern sources in Vermont. Thus, although distant midwestern sources affect the quantity of pollution aerosol in the Northeast and may dominate episodically, nearer northeastern sources are comparably important on the long term.     

大气气溶胶介电常数的研究

由于气溶胶的介电常数不易直接测量,气溶胶的复折射指数的实部与其介电常数之间存在的一定关系,利用这一关系,可以用气溶胶的复折射指数的实部来求出其介电常数,并对4种基本粒子、3种常见类型的气溶胶以及任意体积比混和建立的气溶胶类型的介电常数进行了研究。     

Sulfate aerosol: its geographical extent in the midwestern and southern United States

Sulfate particles (sulfuric acid and its neutralization products with ammonia) dominate the submicrometer-sized, light-scattering component of the aerosol in more than 90 percent of 2850 pairs of humidographic measurements made over a 3-month period at three rural midwestern and southern sites. The nearly continuous optical dominance by sulfate in the aerosol at these spatially varied locations, particularly in the Ozark Mountains, suggests that sulfate is a component of the submicrometer-sized aerosol that is distributed over a large geographical region and is not due to local sources.     

Internal mixture of sea salt, silicates, and excess sulfate in marine aerosols

Individual aerosol particles from the remote marine atmosphere were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe analysis. A large fraction of the silicate mineral component of the aerosol was found to be internally mixed with sea-salt aerosol particles. This observation explains the unexpected similarity in the size distributions of silicates and sea salt that has been observed in remote marine aerosols. Reentrainment of dust particles previously deposited onto the sea surface and collision between aerosol particles can be excluded as possible source mechanisms for these internally mixed aerosols. The internal mixing could be produced by processes within clouds, including droplet coalescence. Cloud processes may also be responsible for the observed enrichment of excess (nonsea-salt) sulfate on sea-salt particles.