Aerosol Radiative Forcing

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Aerosols".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 January 2023) | Viewed by 5713

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Interests: aerosol optical properties; aerosol radiative forcing; air pollution; atmospheric boundary layer physics; atmospheric chemistry

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Arid Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: aerosols; radiative forcing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aerosol radiation effect plays an important role in boundary layers. Aerosols can reduce surface solar radiation and increase the temperature in the upper layer by absorbing or backscattering solar radiation. Changes due to aerosols in the PBL temperature have led to a more stable atmospheric stratification and reduced energy transfer. Moreover, more aerosols can suppress the dispersion of pollutants, leading to further increases in aerosol concentrations in the lower PBL.

In different typical regions, there are considerable differences in the type and magnitude of aerosols due to local developments and human influence. There is a complex correlation between these compositional information and the optical and radiation properties of aerosols. Therefore, further research based on aerosol composition and radiation are needed.

Aerosols can affect solar radiation through absorption, reflection, and scattering. Northwest China is an important source of sand and dust. Dust aerosols not only affect local radiation, but also a wider range of radiations due to long-distance transmission. In addition, a large increase in local aerosols inhibits the diffusion of pollutants and leads to further increases in low-level aerosol concentrations.

There are great differences in the types and physical and chemical properties of aerosols between economically developed areas and relatively backward areas. There is a complex correlation between the chemical composition information of aerosols and the optical and radiative properties of aerosols, requiring further investigation.

Prof. Dr. Jinyuan Xin
Dr. Chongshui Gong
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4128 KiB  
Article
Effect of Major Dust Events on Ambient Temperature and Solar Irradiance Components over Saudi Arabia
by Abdulhaleem Labban and Ashraf Farahat
Atmosphere 2023, 14(2), 408; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14020408 - 20 Feb 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3214
Abstract
The Saudi government targets building eight solar plants across the country by 2030, which are expected to produce more than 3600 MW, enough to power more than 500,000 homes. However, the vast desert environment in Saudi Arabia increases dust and aerosol loading in [...] Read more.
The Saudi government targets building eight solar plants across the country by 2030, which are expected to produce more than 3600 MW, enough to power more than 500,000 homes. However, the vast desert environment in Saudi Arabia increases dust and aerosol loading in the atmosphere, which affect the performance of photovoltaic systems due to scattering and absorption of the solar radiation by dust particles. In this work, ground-based data from weather stations located in six Saudi cities, Dammam, Hafar Al Batin, Riyadh, Jeddah, Najran, and Arar, along with data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are used to examine the effects of dust loading on aerosol optical parameters, air temperature, and solar irradiance. The effects of three major dust storms that blew over different regions in Saudi Arabia on 20 March 2017, 23 April 2018, and 15 April 2021 have been investigated. It is found that there is a strong correlation between dust loading and aerosol optical parameters. The maximum Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) was recorded over Jeddah on 19 March 2017 (about 2), over Riyadh on 20 March 2017 (about 2.3), over Riyadh on 24 April 2018 (about 1.5), and over Najran on 15 April 2021 (about 0.9). Strong dust events are found to reduce air temperature by a few degrees in high dust loading regions. The study found that such large dust loading decreases the direct and global solar irradiance components, while it increases the diffuse component over the cities of Jeddah, Riyadh, and Najran. This could be an indication that scattering from dust particles can play a significant role in the solar irradiance intensity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosol Radiative Forcing)
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27 pages, 2428 KiB  
Article
Effect of Anthropogenic Aerosols on Wheat Production in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain
by Shreemat Shrestha, Murray C. Peel, Graham A. Moore, Donald S. Gaydon, Perry L. Poulton and Swaraj K. Dutta
Atmosphere 2022, 13(11), 1896; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13111896 - 13 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2144
Abstract
The Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP) is a food basket of South Asia and is considered a hotspot for air pollution due to persistently high emissions of anthropogenic aerosols. High levels of aerosols in the IGP not only affect the health of people but [...] Read more.
The Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP) is a food basket of South Asia and is considered a hotspot for air pollution due to persistently high emissions of anthropogenic aerosols. High levels of aerosols in the IGP not only affect the health of people but also the health of the natural system and the climate of the region. Aerosol effects on crop production in the IGP is an emerging area of interest for policymakers and the scientific community due to their possible effect on the food security and livelihood of millions of people in the region. To investigate the effect of anthropogenic aerosols on wheat production in the eastern IGP, we used a calibrated and validated Agricultural Production System Simulator (APSIM) model at nodes in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, 2015–2017. The effects of anthropogenic aerosols on wheat production were examined by running the APSIM model under three conditions: firstly, the condition with anthropogenic aerosols, using the observed meteorological data; secondly, the condition without anthropogenic aerosols, considering only the radiative effect of anthropogenic aerosols (adding the reduced radiation due to anthropogenic aerosols on the observed data); thirdly, the condition without anthropogenic aerosols, considering the radiation as well as temperature effects (by adding the reduced solar radiation and temperature due to anthropogenic aerosols on the observed data). The study revealed that, on average, anthropogenic aerosols reduced the wheat grain yield, biomass yield, and crop evapotranspiration by 11.2–13.5%, 21.2–22%, and 13.5–15%, respectively, when considering the 2015–2017 seasons at the target sites of eastern IGP. The study also showed an average reduction of more than 3.2 kg per capita per annum of wheat production in the eastern IGP due to anthropogenic aerosols, which has a substantial effect on food security in the region. Moreover, the loss of wheat grain yield due to anthropogenic aerosols in the eastern IGP is estimated to be more than 300 million USD per annum during the study period, which indicates a significant effect of anthropogenic aerosols on wheat production in the eastern IGP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosol Radiative Forcing)
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