Variability of Absorption and Optical Properties of Key Aerosol Types Observed in Worldwide Locations

Aerosol radiative forcing is a critical, though variable and uncertain, component of the global climate. Yet climate models rely on sparse information of the aerosol optical properties. In situ measurements, though important in many respects, seldom provide measurements of the undisturbed aerosol in the entire atmospheric column. Here, 8 yr of worldwide distributed data from the AERONET network of ground-based radiometers were used to remotely sense the aerosol absorption and other optical properties in several key locations. Established procedures for maintaining and calibrating the global network of radiometers, cloud screening, and inversion techniques allow for a consistent retrieval of the optical properties of aerosol in locations with varying emission sources and conditions. The multiyear, multi-instrument observations show robust differentiation in both the magnitude and spectral dependence of the absorption—a property driving aerosol climate forcing, for desert dust, biomass burning, urban‐industrial, and marine aerosols. Moreover, significant variability of the absorption for the same aerosol type appearing due to different meteorological and source characteristics as well as different emission characteristics are observed. It is expected that this aerosol characterization will help refine aerosol optical models and reduce uncertainties in satellite observations of the global aerosol and in modeling aerosol impacts on climate.

[1]  Anders Ångström,et al.  On the Atmospheric Transmission of Sun Radiation and on Dust in the Air , 1929 .

[2]  Anders Ångström,et al.  On the Atmospheric Transmission of Sun Radiation. II , 1930 .

[3]  E. M. Patterson,et al.  Complex Index of Refraction Between 300 and 700 nm for Saharan Aerosols , 1977 .

[4]  E. M. Patterson,et al.  Commonalities in measured size distributions for aerosols having a soil-derived component , 1977 .

[5]  K. T. Whitby.  THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SULFUR AEROSOLS , 1978 .

[6]  J. Joseph,et al.  Properties of Sharav (Khamsin) Dust–Comparison of Optical and Direct Sampling Data , 1980 .

[7]  Stanley G. Benjamin,et al.  Radiative Heating Rates for Saharan Dust , 1980 .

[8]  T. Ackerman,et al.  Absorption of visible radiation in atmosphere containing mixtures of absorbing and nonabsorbing particles. , 1981, Applied optics.

[9]  Joseph Otterman,et al.  Characterization of tropospheric desert aerosols at solar wavelengths by multispectral radiometry from Landsat , 1982 .

[10]  G. d’Almeida,et al.  Number, Mass and Volume Distributions of Mineral Aerosol and Soils of the Sahara , 1983 .

[11]  Stuart G. Gathman,et al.  Optical Properties Of The Marine Aerosol As Predicted By The Navy Aerosol Model , 1983 .

[12]  P. Barber.  Absorption and scattering of light by small particles , 1984 .

[13]  Gerard Brogniez,et al.  Observations of Saharan Aerosols: Results of ECLATS Field Experiment. Part II: Broadband Radiative Characteristics of the Aerosols and Vertical Radiative Flux Divergence , 1987 .

[14]  B. Bonnel,et al.  Observations of Saharan Aerosols: Results of ECLATS Field Experiment. Part I: Optical Thicknesses and Aerosol Size Distributions , 1987 .

[15]  長崎における1982年5月の黄砂の光学特性 : 第1部 観測 , 1989 .

[16]  Teruyuki Nakajima,et al.  Aerosol Optical Characteristics in the Yellow Sand Events Observed in May, 1982 at Nagasaki-Part II Models , 1989 .

[17]  Mao Jietai,et al.  Properties of atmospheric aerosols inverted from optical remote sensing , 1990 .

[18]  Owen B. Toon,et al.  Simulations of microphysical, radiative, and dynamical processes in a continental-scale forest fire smoke plume , 1991 .

[19]  Jacqueline Lenoble.  The particulate matter from biomass burning - A tutorial and critical review of its radiative impact , 1991 .

[20]  Joel S. Levine,et al.  Particulate and Trace Gas Emissions from Large Biomass Fires in North America , 1991 .

[21]  P. Riggan,et al.  Particulate and trace gas emissions from large biomass fire in North America , 1991 .

[22]  Steven N. Ward,et al.  An application of synthetic seismicity in earthquake statistics - The Middle America Trench , 1992 .

[23]  Yoram J. Kaufman,et al.  Smoke and fire characteristics for cerrado and deforestation burns in Brazil: BASE-B experiment , 1992 .

[24]  J. Coakley,et al.  Climate Forcing by Anthropogenic Aerosols , 1992, Science.

[25]  C. Liousse,et al.  Measurement of black carbon aerosols in the atmosphere of two different source regions : real-time data for the Paris region and a Savanna site of the Ivory coast , 1992 .

[26]  I. Sokolik,et al.  Complex refractive index of atmospheric dust aerosols , 1993 .

[27]  Yoram J. Kaufman,et al.  Size distribution and scattering phase function of aerosol particles retrieved from sky brightness measurements , 1994 .

[28]  O. B. Vasilyev,et al.  Spectral optical properties of the polluted atmosphere of Mexico City (spring‐summer 1992) , 1995 .

[29]  J. Houghton,et al.  Climate change 1995: the science of climate change. , 1996 .

[30]  Irina N. Sokolik,et al.  Direct radiative forcing by anthropogenic airborne mineral aerosols , 1996, Nature.

[31]  K. Liou,et al.  Geometric-optics-integral-equation method for light scattering by nonspherical ice crystals. , 1996, Applied optics.

[32]  Andrew A. Lacis,et al.  Modeling of particle size distribution and its influence on the radiative properties of mineral dust aerosol , 1996 .

[33]  A. Lacis,et al.  The influence on climate forcing of mineral aerosols from disturbed soils , 1996, Nature.

[34]  C. Justice,et al.  Effect of fuel composition on combustion efficiency and emission factors for African savanna ecosystems , 1996 .

[35]  B. Holben,et al.  Urban/industrial aerosol: Ground‐based Sun/sky radiometer and airborne in situ measurements , 1997 .

[36]  M. Wendisch,et al.  Measurements and modelling of aerosol single-scattering albedo : Progress, problems and prospects , 1997 .

[37]  J. Hansen,et al.  Radiative forcing and climate response , 1997 .

[38]  D. Tanré,et al.  Remote sensing of aerosol properties over oceans using the MODIS/EOS spectral radiances , 1997 .

[39]  Philip B. Russell,et al.  Chemical apportionment of aerosol column optical depth off the mid‐Atlantic coast of the United States , 1997 .

[40]  Y. Kaufman,et al.  Passive remote sensing of tropospheric aerosol and atmospheric , 1997 .

[41]  Alexander Ignatov,et al.  Development, validation, and potential enhancements to the second‐generation operational aerosol product at the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , 1997 .

[42]  E. Vermote,et al.  Operational remote sensing of tropospheric aerosol over land from EOS moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer , 1997 .

[43]  M. Mishchenko,et al.  Modeling phase functions for dustlike tropospheric aerosols using a shape mixture of randomly oriented polydisperse spheroids , 1997 .

[44]  R. Duce,et al.  Mass‐particle size distributions of atmospheric dust and the dry deposition of dust to the remote ocean , 1997 .

[45]  Robert A. West,et al.  Sensitivity of multiangle remote sensing observations to aerosol sphericity , 1997 .

[46]  W. R. Cofer,et al.  Crown fire emissions of CO2, CO, H2, CH4, and TNMHC from a dense Jack pine boreal forest fire , 1998 .

[47]  A. Smirnov,et al.  AERONET-a federated instrument network and data archive for aerosol Characterization , 1998 .

[48]  J. Reid,et al.  Physical and optical properties of young smoke from individual biomass fires in Brazil , 1998 .

[49]  Yoram J. Kaufman,et al.  Retrieval of the real part of the refractive index of smoke particles from Sun/sky measurements during SCAR‐B , 1998 .

[50]  Thomas F. Eck,et al.  Measurements of irradiance attenuation and estimation of aerosol single scattering albedo for biomass burning aerosols in Amazonia , 1998 .

[51]  Larry D. Travis,et al.  Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles , 1998 .

[52]  Bernard Pinty,et al.  Techniques for the retrieval of aerosol properties over land and ocean using multiangle imaging , 1998, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[53]  David J. Diner,et al.  Sensitivity of multiangle imaging to aerosol optical depth and to pure‐particle size distribution and composition over ocean , 1998 .

[54]  P. Koepke,et al.  Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds: The Software Package OPAC , 1998 .

[55]  Y. Kaufman,et al.  Effects of black carbon content, particle size, and mixing on light absorption by aerosols from biomass burning in Brazil , 1998 .

[56]  D. Blake,et al.  Physical, chemical, and optical properties of regional hazes dominated by smoke in Brazil , 1998 .

[57]  J. Prospero,et al.  Variations in the size distribution of non‐sea‐salt sulfate aerosol in the marine boundary layer at Barbados: Impact of African dust , 1998 .

[58]  P. Bhartia,et al.  Derivation of aerosol properties from satellite measurements of backscattered ultraviolet radiation , 1998 .

[59]  Irina N. Sokolik,et al.  Modeling the radiative characteristics of airborne mineral aerosols at infrared wavelengths , 1998 .

[60]  Y. Kaufman,et al.  Dynamic aerosol model: Urban/industrial aerosol , 1998 .

[61]  Yoram J. Kaufman,et al.  Biomass burning aerosol size distribution and modeled optical properties , 1998 .

[62]  Yoram J. Kaufman,et al.  Single-scattering albedo of smoke retrieved from the sky radiance and solar transmittance measured from ground , 1998 .

[63]  J. Reid,et al.  Relationships between cloud droplet effective radius, liquid water content, and droplet concentration for warm clouds in Brazil embedded in biomass smoke , 1999 .

[64]  D. Tanré,et al.  Remote Sensing of Tropospheric Aerosols from Space: Past, Present, and Future. , 1999 .

[65]  T. Eck,et al.  Accuracy assessments of aerosol optical properties retrieved from AERONET Sun and sky-radiance measurements , 1999 .

[66]  A. Lacis,et al.  Aerosol retrievals over the ocean by use of channels 1 and 2 AVHRR data: sensitivity analysis and preliminary results. , 1999, Applied optics.

[67]  G. Raga,et al.  Some aspects of boundary layer evolution in Mexico City , 1999 .

[68]  Arlin J. Krueger,et al.  Effect of particle non-sphericity on satellite monitoring of drifting volcanic ash clouds , 1999 .

[69]  Y. Balkanski,et al.  Modeling the mineralogy of atmospheric dust sources , 1999 .

[70]  D. Tanré,et al.  Retrieval of aerosol optical thickness and size distribution over ocean from the MODIS airborne simulator during TARFOX , 1999 .

[71]  Peter V. Hobbs,et al.  Humidification factors for atmospheric aerosols off the mid‐Atlantic coast of the United States , 1999 .

[72]  O. Boucher,et al.  Uncertainties in assessing radiative forcing by mineral dust , 1998 .

[73]  S. Kinne,et al.  Aerosol-induced radiative flux changes off the United States mid-Atlantic coast: Comparison of values calculated from sunphotometer and in situ data with those measured by airborne pyranometer , 1999 .

[74]  Jonathan P. Taylor,et al.  Comparison of observed and modeled direct aerosol forcing during TARFOX , 1999 .

[75]  Irina N. Sokolik,et al.  Incorporation of mineralogical composition into models of the radiative properties of mineral aerosol from UV to IR wavelengths , 1999 .

[76]  S. K. Satheesh,et al.  A model for the natural and anthropogenic aerosols over the tropical Indian Ocean derived from Indian Ocean Experiment data , 1999 .

[77]  Thomas W. Kirchstetter,et al.  Origin of carbonaceous aerosols over the tropical Indian Ocean: Biomass burning or fossil fuels? , 2000 .

[78]  Alexander Smirnov,et al.  Cloud-Screening and Quality Control Algorithms for the AERONET Database , 2000 .

[79]  Michael D. King,et al.  A flexible inversion algorithm for retrieval of aerosol optical properties from Sun and sky radiance measurements , 2000 .

[80]  O. Arino,et al.  Verification of the consistency of POLDER Aerosol Index over land with ATSR‐2/ERS‐2 fire product , 2000 .

[81]  J. Hansen,et al.  Global warming in the twenty-first century: an alternative scenario. , 2000, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[82]  H. Maring,et al.  Aerosol physical and optical properties and their relationship to aerosol composition in the free troposphere at Izaña, Tenerife, Canary Islands, during July 1995 , 2000 .

[83]  Beat Schmid,et al.  Retrieving the vertical structure of the effective aerosol complex index of refraction from a combination of aerosol in situ and remote sensing measurements during TARFOX , 2000 .

[84]  T. Eck,et al.  Accuracy assessments of aerosol optical properties retrieved from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Sun and sky radiance measurements , 2000 .

[85]  M. Mishchenko,et al.  Scattering properties of needlelike and platelike ice spheroids with moderate size parameters. , 2000, Applied optics.

[86]  G. Raga,et al.  On the evolution of aerosol properties at a mountain site above Mexico City , 2000 .

[87]  Oleg Dubovik,et al.  Measurement of atmospheric optical parameters on U.S. Atlantic coast sites, ships, and Bermuda during TARFOX , 2000 .

[88]  John L. Ross,et al.  Properties of aerosols aloft relevant to direct radiative forcing off the mid‐Atlantic coast of the United States , 2000 .

[89]  M. Mishchenko,et al.  Efficient finite-difference time-domain scheme for light scattering by dielectric particles: application to aerosols. , 2000, Applied optics.

[90]  V. Ramanathan,et al.  Reduction of tropical cloudiness by soot , 2000, Science.

[91]  S. H. Melfi,et al.  Comparison of Aerosol Optical Properties and Water Vapor Among Ground and Airborne Lidars and Sun Photometers During TARFOX , 2000 .

[92]  M. Jacobson,et al.  Strong radiative heating due to the mixing state of black carbon in atmospheric aerosols , 2022 .

[93]  T. Eck,et al.  An emerging ground-based aerosol climatology: Aerosol optical depth from AERONET , 2001 .

[94]  Alexander Smirnov,et al.  Characterization of the optical properties of biomass burning aerosols in Zambia during the 1997 ZIBBEE field campaign , 2001 .

[95]  Yoram J. Kaufman,et al.  Absorption of sunlight by dust as inferred from satellite and ground‐based remote sensing , 2001 .

[96]  Hélène Cachier,et al.  Characterisation of fresh particulate vehicular exhausts near a Paris high flow road , 2001 .

[97]  Yoram J. Kaufman,et al.  Climatology of dust aerosol size distribution and optical properties derived from remotely sensed data in the solar spectrum , 2001 .

[98]  Glenn E. Shaw,et al.  Indian Ocean Experiment: An integrated analysis of the climate forcing and effects of the great Indo-Asian haze , 2001 .

[99]  Jonathan P. Taylor,et al.  Optical properties and direct radiative effect of Saharan dust: A case study of two Saharan dust outbreaks using aircraft data , 2001 .

[100]  T. Eck,et al.  Optical Properties of Atmospheric Aerosol in Maritime Environments , 2002 .

[101]  T. Eck,et al.  Atmospheric Aerosol Optical Properties in the Persian Gulf , 2002 .