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NASA NTRS2003

New Measurements of Aerosol Vertical Structure from Space Using the NASA Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS): Applications for Aerosol Transport Models

In the past, satellite measurements of aerosols have only been possible using passive sensors. Analysis of passive satellite data has lead to an improved understanding of aerosol properties, spatial distribution, and their effect on the earth s climate. However, direct measurement of aerosol vertical distribution has not been possible using only the passive data. Knowledge of aerosol vertical distribution is important to correctly assess the impact of aerosol absorption, for certain atmospheric correction procedures, and to help constrain height profiles in aerosol transport models. On January 12,2003 NASA launched the first satellite-based lidar, the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS), onboard the ICESat spacecraft. GLAS is both an altimeter and an atmospheric lidar, and obtains direct measurements of aerosol and cloud heights. Here we show an overview of GLAS, provide an update of its current status, and discuss how GUS data will be useful for modeling efforts. In particular, a strategy of using GLAS to characterize the height profile of dust plumes over source regions will be presented, along with initial results. Such information can be used to validate and improve output from aerosol transport models. Aerosol height profile comparisons between GLAS and transport models will be shown for regions downwind of aerosol sources. We will also discuss the feasibility of assimilating GLAS profiles into the models in order to improve their output,

Welton, Ellsworth J.↗

NASA NTRS2004

A Comparison of Aerosol Optical Property Measurements Made During the DOE Aerosol Intensive Operating Period and Their Effects on Regional Climate

The amount of radiant energy an aerosol absorbs has profound effects on climate and air quality. It is ironic that aerosol absorption coefficient is one of the most difficult to measure aerosol properties. One of the main purposes of the DOE Aerosol Intensive Operating Period (IOP) flown in May, 2003 was to assess our ability to measure absorption coefficient in situ. This paper compares measurements of aerosol optical properties made during the IOP. Measurements of aerosol absorption coefficient were made by Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP) aboard the CIRPAS Twin-Otter (U. Washington) and on the DOE Cessna 172 (NOAA-C,MDL). Aerosol absorption coefficient was also measured by a photoacoustic instrument (DRI) that was operated on an aircraft for the first time during the IOP. A new cavity ring-down (CRD) instrument, called Cadenza (NASA-AkC), measures the aerosol extinction coefficient for 675 nm and 1550 nm light, and simultaneously measures the scattering coefficient at 675 nm. Absorption coefficient is obtained from the difference of measured extinction and scattering within the instrument. Measurements of absorption coefficient from all of these instruments during appropriate periods are compared. During the IOP, several significant aerosol layers were sampled aloft. These layers are identified in the remote (AATS-14) as well as in situ measurements. Extinction profiles measured by Cadenza are compared to those derived from the Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14, NASA-ARC). The regional radiative impact of these layers is assessed by using the measured aerosol optical properties in a radiative transfer model.

Strawa, Anthony W.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Informing Aerosol Transport Models With Satellite Multi-Angle Aerosol Measurements

As the aerosol products from the NASA Earth Observing System's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) mature, we are placing greater focus on ways of using the aerosol amount and type data products, and aerosol plume heights, to constrain aerosol transport models. We have demonstrated the ability to map aerosol air-mass-types regionally, and have identified product upgrades required to apply them globally, including the need for a quality flag indicating the aerosol type information content, that varies depending upon retrieval conditions. We have shown that MISR aerosol type can distinguish smoke from dust, volcanic ash from sulfate and water particles, and can identify qualitative differences in mixtures of smoke, dust, and pollution aerosol components in urban settings. We demonstrated the use of stereo imaging to map smoke, dust, and volcanic effluent plume injection height, and the combination of MISR and MODIS aerosol optical depth maps to constrain wildfire smoke source strength. This talk will briefly highlight where we stand on these application, with emphasis on the steps we are taking toward applying the capabilities toward constraining aerosol transport models, planet-wide.

Limbacher, J.↗

NASA NTRS2012

An Analysis of AERONET Aerosol Absorption Properties and Classifications Representative of Aerosol Source Regions

Partitioning of mineral dust, pollution, smoke, and mixtures using remote sensing techniques can help improve accuracy of satellite retrievals and assessments of the aerosol radiative impact on climate. Spectral aerosol optical depth (tau) and single scattering albedo (omega (sub 0) ) from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) measurements are used to form absorption [i.e., omega (sub 0) and absorption Angstrom exponent (alpha(sub abs))] and size [i.e., extinction Angstrom exponent (alpha(sub ext)) and fine mode fraction of tau] relationships to infer dominant aerosol types. Using the long-term AERONET data set (1999-2010), 19 sites are grouped by aerosol type based on known source regions to: (1) determine the average omega (sub 0) and alpha(sub abs) at each site (expanding upon previous work); (2) perform a sensitivity study on alpha(sub abs) by varying the spectral omega (sub 0); and (3) test the ability of each absorption and size relationship to distinguish aerosol types. The spectral omega (sub 0) averages indicate slightly more aerosol absorption (i.e., a 0.0 < delta omega (sub 0) <= 0.02 decrease) than in previous work and optical mixtures of pollution and smoke with dust show stronger absorption than dust alone. Frequency distributions of alpha(sub abs) show significant overlap among aerosol type categories and at least 10% of the alpha(sub abs) retrievals in each category are below 1.0. Perturbing the spectral omega (sub 0) by +/- 0.03 induces significant alpha(sub abs) changes from the unperturbed value by at least approx. +/- 0.6 for Dust, approx. +/-0.2 for Mixed, and approx. +/-0.1 for Urban/Industrial and Biomass Burning. The omega (sub 0)440nm and alpha(sub ext) 440-870nm relationship shows the best separation among aerosol type clusters, providing a simple technique for determining aerosol type from surface- and future space-based instrumentation.

Giles, David M.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Identification of Columnar Aerosol Types Under High Aerosol Optical Depth Conditions for a Single AERONET Site in Korea

Dominant aerosol types were classified using level 2 inversion products for the Anmyon Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) site in Korea for the period 19992007. The aerosol types were mineral dust (MD), MD mixed with carbon, and black carbonmixed coarse particles (BCCP) for coarsemode aerosols, black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), and secondary inorganic ions (SII) for fine mode aerosols, and mixed particles between. The classification was carried out using a clustering method based on parameters, including single scattering albedo (SSA), absorption Angstrom exponent (AAE), and fine mode volume fraction (FMVF). Among the seven aerosol types, MD was distinct, with the highest AAE and a very low FMVF and SII with the highest SSA and FMVF. BCCP was introduced to designate coarse particles mixed with BC, of which the AAE was lower than 1, despite a low FMVF. In addition to a large difference in AAE between BC andOC, the SSA ofOC was larger than that of BC, indicating the effects of the white smoke produced from the smoldering phase of biomass burning. Monthly variations of the aerosol types were well interpreted by meteorology and emissions and coincided with those in the previous studies. Applying our results to well-characterized global AERONET sites, we confirmed that the aerosol types at Anmyon were valid at other sites. However, the results also showed that the mean properties for aerosol types were influenced by the specific aerosols prevalent at the study sites.

Choi, Yongjoo↗

NASA NTRS2018

Improvement of Stratospheric Aerosol Extinction Retrieval from OMPS/LP Using a New Aerosol Model

The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite Limb Profiler (OMPS/LP) has been flying on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) satellite since October 2011. It is designed to produce ozone and aerosol vertical profiles at 2-kilometer vertical resolution over the entire sunlit globe. Aerosol extinction profiles are computed with Mie theory using radiances measured at 675 nanometers. The operational Version 1.0 (V1.0) aerosol extinction retrieval algorithm assumes a bimodal lognormal aerosol size distribution (ASD) whose parameters were derived by combining an in situ measurement of aerosol microphysics with the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE II) aerosol extinction climatology. Internal analysis indicates that this bimodal lognormal ASD does not sufficiently explain the spectral dependence of LP-measured radiances. In this paper we describe the derivation of an improved aerosol size distribution, designated Version 1.5 (V1.5), for the LP retrieval algorithm. The new ASD uses a gamma function distribution that is derived from Community Aerosol and Radiation Model for Atmospheres (CARMA)-calculated results. A cumulative distribution fit derived from the gamma function ASD gives better agreement with CARMA results at small particle radii than bimodal or unimodal functions. The new ASD also explains the spectral dependence of LP-measured radiances better than the V1.0 ASD. We find that the impact of our choice of ASD on the retrieved extinctions varies strongly with the underlying reflectivity of the scene. Initial comparisons with collocated extinction profiles retrieved at 676 nanometers from the SAGE III instrument on the International Space Station (ISS) show a significant improvement in agreement for the LP V1.5 retrievals. Zonal mean extinction profiles agree to within 10 percent between 19 and 29 kilometers, and regression fits of collocated samples show improved correlation and reduced scatter compared to the V1.0 product. This improved agreement will motivate development of more sophisticated ASDs from CARMA results that incorporate latitude, altitude and seasonal variations in aerosol properties.

Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite Limb Profiler (OMPS/L↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Simulation of the Aerosol Size Distribution Using a Neural Network Surrogate for the Modal Aerosol Module (MAM7)

One objective of atmospheric simulations is to quantify the distribution of aerosols and their properties. Accurate parameterizations of the processes governing aerosol mass, particle number, and particle size distribution are important for predicting the Earth’s net radiative balance and aerosol-cloud interactions. The Modal Aerosol Module (MAM7) is a two-moment aerosol model that simulates mass, number, and size distribution of seven modes comprised of internally mixed aerosol species. The two-moment scheme adds significant computational expense but allows for the prediction of varying particle size distribution relative to the bulk method which predicts only total mass. In this work, we developed a neural network surrogate model for MAM7 (MAMnet) to predict the aerosol number concentration in NASA’s Global Earth Observing System (GEOS) without adding prohibitive computational expense. MAMnet, can be driven by output from a single moment, mass-based, aerosol scheme (Goddard Chemistry Aerosol and Radiation model (GOCART)) or from reanalysis products (Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2)). MAMnet was trained using number concentrations from a 5-year GEOS/MAM7 simulation at 1-degree horizontal resolution and using the total mass calculated across modes as inputs, as well as temperature and air density. The model architecture for MAMnet was based on AlexNet, the 2012 winner of the ImageNet Large Scale Visual Recognition Challenge. While some modifications were necessary to accommodate our problem, important aspects of the network were preserved. MAMnet was able to reproduce zonal dynamics and spatial distributions of the aerosol number concentration however predictability in the upper troposphere was poor.

Katherine H Breen↗

NASA NTRS2013

Aeronet-based Microphysical and Optical Properties of Smoke-dominated Aerosol near Source Regions and Transported over Oceans, and Implications for Satellite Retrievals of Aerosol Optical Depth

Smoke aerosols from biomass burning are an important component of the global aerosol cycle. Analysis of Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) retrievals of size distribution and refractive index reveals variety between biomass burning aerosols in different global source regions, in terms of aerosol particle size and single scatter albedo (SSA). Case studies of smoke transported to coastal/island AERONET sites also mostly lie within the range of variability at near-source sites. Two broad families of aerosol properties are found, corresponding to sites dominated by boreal forest burning (larger, broader fine mode, with midvisible SSA 0.95), and those influenced by grass, shrub, or crop burning with additional forest contributions (smaller, narrower particles with SSA 0.88-0.9 in the midvisible). The strongest absorption is seen in southern African savanna at Mongu (Zambia), with average SSA 0.85 in the midvisible. These can serve as candidate sets of aerosol microphysicaloptical properties for use in satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieval algorithms. The models presently adopted by these algorithms over ocean are often insufficiently absorbing to represent these biomass burning aerosols. A corollary of this is an underestimate of AOD in smoke outflow regions, which has important consequences for applications of these satellite datasets.

AERONET↗

NASA NTRS2012

Climatic Effects of 1950-2050 Changes in US Anthropogenic Aerosols: Aerosol Trends and Radiative Forcing - Part 1

We calculate decadal aerosol direct and indirect (warm cloud) radiative forcings from US anthropogenic sources over the 1950-2050 period. Past and future aerosol distributions are constructed using GEOS-Chem and historical emission inventories and future projections from the IPCC A1B scenario. Aerosol simulations are evaluated with observed spatial distributions and 1980-2010 trends of aerosol concentrations and wet deposition in the contiguous US. Direct and indirect radiative forcing is calculated using the GISS general circulation model and monthly mean aerosol distributions from GEOS-Chem. The radiative forcing from US anthropogenic aerosols is strongly localized over the eastern US. We find that its magnitude peaked in 1970-1990, with values over the eastern US (east of 100 deg W) of −2.0Wm(exp−2 for direct forcing including contributions from sulfate (−2.0Wm−2), nitrate (−0.2Wm(exp−2), organic carbon (−0.2Wm(exp−2), and black carbon (+0.4Wm(exp−2). The uncertainties in radiative forcing due to aerosol radiative properties are estimated to be about 50 %. The aerosol indirect effect is estimated to be of comparable magnitude to the direct forcing. We find that the magnitude of the forcing declined sharply from 1990 to 2010 (by 0.8Wm(exp−2) direct and 1.0Wm(exp−2 indirect), mainly reflecting decreases in SO2 emissions, and project that it will continue declining post-2010 but at a much slower rate since US SO2 emissions have already declined by almost 60% from their peak. This suggests that much of the warming effect of reducing US anthropogenic aerosol sources has already been realized. The small positive radiative forcing from US BC emissions (+0.3Wm(exp−2 over the eastern US in 2010; 5% of the global forcing from anthropogenic BC emissions worldwide) suggests that a US emission control strategy focused on BC would have only limited climate benefit.

climate change↗

NASA NTRS2008

Ground-based Network and Supersite Measurements for Studying Aerosol Properties and Aerosol-Cloud Interactions

From radiometric principles, it is expected that the retrieved properties of extensive aerosols and clouds from reflected/emitted measurements by satellite (and/or aircraft) should be consistent with those retrieved from transmitted/emitted radiance observed at the surface. Although space-borne remote sensing observations contain large spatial domain, they are often plagued by contamination of surface signatures. Thus, ground-based in-situ and remote-sensing measurements, where signals come directly from atmospheric constituents, the sun, and the Earth-atmosphere interactions, provide additional information content for comparisons that confirm quantitatively the usefulness of the integrated surface, aircraft, and satellite datasets. The development and deployment of AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) sunphotometer network and SMART-COMMIT (Surface-sensing Measurements for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer - Chemical, Optical & Microphysical Measurements of In-situ Troposphere) mobile supersite are aimed for the optimal utilization of collocated ground-based observations as constraints to yield higher fidelity satellite retrievals and to determine any sampling bias due to target conditions. To characterize the regional natural and anthropogenic aerosols, AERONET is an internationally federated network of unique sunphotometry that contains more than 250 permanent sites worldwide. Since 1993, there are more than 480 million aerosol optical depth observations and about 15 sites have continuous records longer than 10 years for annual/seasonal trend analyses. To quantify the energetics of the surface-atmosphere system and the atmospheric processes, SMART-COMMIT instrument into three categories: flux radiometer, radiance sensor and in-situ probe. Through participation in many satellite remote-sensing/retrieval and validation projects over eight years, SMART-COMMIT have gradually refine( and been proven vital for field deployment. In this paper, we will demonstrate the capability of AERONET SMART-COMMIT in current Asian Monsoon Year-2008 campaigns that are designed and being executed to study the compelling variability in temporal scale of both anthropogenic and natural aerosols (e.g., airborne dust, smoke, mega-city pollutant). Feedback mechanisms between aerosol radiative effects and monsoon dynamics have been recently proposed, however there is a lack of consensus on whether aerosol forcing would be more likely to enhance or reduce the strength of the monsoon circulation. We envision robust approaches which well-collocated ground-based measurements and space-borne observations will greatly advance our understanding of absorbing aerosols (e.g., "Global Dimming" vs. "Elevated Heat-Pump" effects) on aerosol cloud water cycle interactions.

Tsay, Si-Chee↗

NASA NTRS2010

Cloud Cover Increase with Increasing Aerosol Absorptivity: A Counterexample to the Conventional Semidirect Aerosol Effect

We reexamine the aerosol semidirect effect using a general circulation model and four cases of the single-scattering albedo of dust aerosols. Contrary to the expected decrease in low cloud cover due to heating by tropospheric aerosols, we find a significant increase with increasing absorptivity of soil dust particles in regions with high dust load, except during Northern Hemisphere winter. The strongest sensitivity of cloud cover to dust absorption is found over land during Northern Hemisphere summer. Here even medium and high cloud cover increase where the dust load is highest. The cloud cover change is directly linked to the change in relative humidity in the troposphere as a result of contrasting changes in specific humidity and temperature. More absorption by aerosols leads to larger diabatic heating and increased warming of the column, decreasing relative humidity. However, a corresponding increase in the specific humidity exceeds the temperature effect on relative humidity. The net effect is more low cloud cover with increasing aerosol absorption. The higher specific humidity where cloud cover strongly increases is attributed to an enhanced convergence of moisture driven by dust radiative heating. Although in some areas our model exhibits a reduction of low cloud cover due to aerosol heating consistent with the conventional description of the semidirect effect, we conclude that the link between aerosols and clouds is more varied, depending also on changes in the atmospheric circulation and the specific humidity induced by the aerosols. Other absorbing aerosols such as black carbon are expected to have a similar effect.

Perlwitz, Jan↗

NASA NTRS2017

AOD Distributions and Trends of Major Aerosol Species over a Selection of the World's Most Populated Cities Based on the 1st Version of NASA's MERRA Aerosol Reanalysis

NASA recently extended the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Application (MERRA) with an atmospheric aerosol reanalysis which includes five particulate species: sulfate, organic matter, black carbon, mineral dust and sea salt. The MERRA Aerosol Reanalysis (MERRAero) is an innovative tool to study air quality issues around the world for its global and constant coverage and its distinction of aerosol speciation expressed in the form of aerosol optical depth (AOD). The purpose of this manuscript is to apply MERRAero to the study of urban air pollution at the global scale by analyzing the AOD over a period of 13 years (2003-2015) and over a selection of 200 of the world's most populated cities in order to assess the impacts of urbanization, industrialization, air quality regulations and regional transport which affect urban aerosol load. Environmental regulations and the recent global economic recession have helped to decrease the AOD and sulfate aerosols in most cities in North America, Europe and Japan. Rapid industrialization in China over the last two decades resulted in Chinese cities having the highest AOD values in the world. China has nevertheless recently implemented emission control measures which are showing early signs of success in many cities of Southern China where AOD has decreased substantially over the last 13 years. The AOD over South American cities, which is dominated by carbonaceous aerosols, has also decreased over the last decade due to an increase in commodity prices which slowed deforestation activities in the Amazon rainforest. At the opposite, recent urbanization and industrialization in India and Bangladesh resulted in a strong increase of AOD, sulfate and carbonaceous aerosols in most cities of these two countries. The AOD over most cities in Northern Africa and Western Asia changed little over the last decade. Emissions of natural aerosols, which cities in these two regions tend to be mostly composed of, don't tend to fluctuate significantly on an annual basis.

Urban air pollution↗

NASA NTRS2022

Aerosol Detection from the Cloud Aerosol Transport System on the International Space Station: Algorithm Overview and Implications for Diurnal Sampling

Concentrations of particulate aerosols and their vertical placement in the atmosphere determine their interaction with the Earth system and their impact on air quality. Space-based lidar, such as the Cloud–Aerosol Transport System (CATS) technology demonstration instrument, is well-suited for determining the vertical structure of these aerosols and their diurnal cycle. Through the implementation of aerosol-typing algorithms, vertical layers of aerosols are assigned a type, such as marine, dust, and smoke, and a corresponding extinction-to-backscatter (lidar) ratio. With updates to the previous aerosol-typing algorithms, we find that CATS, even as a technology demonstration, observed the documented seasonal cycle of aerosols, comparing favorably with the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) space-based lidar and the NASA Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) model reanalysis. By leveraging the unique orbit of the International Space Station, we find that CATS can additionally resolve the diurnal cycle of aerosol altitude as observed by ground-based instruments over the Maritime Continent of Southeast Asia.

Edward P Nowottnick↗

NASA NTRS2020

Applying Orbital Multi-Angle Photopolarimetric Observations to Study Properties of Aerosols in the Earth's Atmosphere: Implications of Measurements in the 1.378 µm Spectral Channel to Retrieve Microphysical Characteristics and Composition of Stratospheric Aerosols

We analyze the possibilities of orbital photopolarimetric measurements to study properties of aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere. As an example, we consider the case when such measurements are performed within a narrow spectral channel centered at 1.378 µm that allows to retrieve microphysical characteristics of stratospheric aerosols separately from those of tropospheric aerosols. We consider the case of stratospheric aerosols caused by volcanic eruption, and adopt the model of the stratosphere in the form of a homogeneous plane-parallel layer composed of polydisperse spherical particles. We use numerically exact solutions of the vector radiative transfer equation to theoretically simulate measurements carried out at various numbers of scattering angles, including: (i) radiance measurements alone; (ii) polarization measurements alone; and (iii) radiance and polarization measurements together. The results of computations show that the simultaneous use of radiance and polarization measurements at a sufficiently large number of scattering angles enables one to retrieve the optical thickness, effective radius, and refractive index of aerosols with adequate accuracy. We demonstrate how the accuracy of the derived values of the optical parameters of aerosols depends on the accuracy of measurements of the intensity and polarization of the reflected light, optical thickness of aerosol layer itself, effective radius of aerosols, width of the particle size distribution, and number of viewing angles.

Aerosols↗

NASA NTRS2023

Retrieval of Aerosol Optical Properties From GOCI-II Observations: Continuation of Long-Term Geostationary Aerosol Monitoring Over East Asia

Since the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) was successfully launched in 2010, the GOCI Yonsei aerosol retrieval (YAER) algorithm has been continuously updated to retrieve hourly aerosol optical properties. GOCI-II has 4 more channels including UV, finer spatial resolution (250 m), and daily full disk coverage as compared to GOCI, and was launched in February 2020, onboard the GEO-KOMPSAT-2B (GK-2B) satellite. In this study, we extended the YAER algorithm to GOCI-II data based on its improved performance in many aspects and present the first results of aerosol optical properties retrieved from GOCI-II data. Utilizing the overlapping period between the GOCI-II and GOCI in geostationary Earth orbit, we present GOCI-II aerosol retrievals for high aerosol-loading cases over East Asia and show that these have a consistent spatial distribution with those from GOCI. Furthermore, GOCI-II provides AOD at an even higher spatial resolution, revealing finer changes in aerosol concentrations. Validation results for one year data show that the GOCI-II AOD has a correlation coefficient of 0.83 and a ratio within the expected error (EE) of 59.4 % when compared with the aerosol robotic network (AERONET) data. We compared statistical metrics for the GOCI and GOCI-II AODs to assess the consistency between the two datasets. In addition, it was found that there is a strong correlation between the two datasets from the comparison of gridded GOCI and GOCI-II AOD products. It is expected that data from GOCI-II will continue long-term aerosol records with high accuracy that can be used to address air-quality issues over East Asia.

AOD↗

NASA NTRS1994

Aerosol effect on Umkehr ozone profiles using Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II measurements

This study examines 1211 cases of coincident ozone profiles derived from 1164 Umkehrs and 928 Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) profiles within 1000 km and 12 hours between October 1984 and April 1989 to study the stratospheric-aerosol effect on Umkehr ozone profiles. Because of the close correspondence of stratospheric aerosol optical depth at the SAGE II-measured 0.525-micrometer wavelength and the extrapolated 0.32 Umkehr wavelength determined in this study we use the 0.525-micrometer data to determine the aerosol effect on Umkehr profiles. At the 95% confidence level, we find the following errors to the Umkehr ozone amounts: in Umkehr layer 9 (-2.9 +/- 2.1), layer 8 (-2.3 +/- 1.1), layer 7 (0.1 +/- 1.1), layer 6 (2.2 +/- 1.0), layer 5 (-1.5 +/- 0.8), and layer 4 (-2.4 +/- 1.7) in percent ozone amount per 0.01 stratospheric aerosol optical depth. These results agree with previous theoretical and empirical studies within their respective error bounds in layers 9, 8, and 7. The results in layers 6, 5, and 4 differ significantly from those in previous works. Using only those eight stations with more than 47 coincidences results in mean aerosol effects that are not significantly different from the 14-station results. Because SAGE II and Umkehr produce different ozone retrievals in layer 9 and because the intralayer correlation of SAGE II ozone and aerosol in layer 9 is nonzero, one must exercise some caution in attributing the entire SAGE II-Umkehr difference in this layer to an aerosol effect.

Newchurch, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Global Aerosol Radiative Forcing Derived from Sea WiFS-Inferred Aerosol Optical Properties

Aerosol optical properties inferred from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) radiance measurements are used to compute the aerosol shortwave radiative forcing using a radiative transfer model. The aerosol optical thickness at the wavelength of 865-nm is taken from the SeaWIFS archive. It is found that the nominal optical thickness over oceans ranges from 0.1 to 0.2. Using a maritime aerosol model and the radiances measured at the various SeaWiFS channels, the Angstrom exponent is determined to be 0.2174, the single-scattering albedo to be 0.995, and the asymmetry factor to be 0.786. The radiative transfer model has eight bands in the visible and ultraviolet spectral regions and three bands in the near infrared. It includes the absorption due to aerosols, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and oxygen, and the scattering due to aerosols and gases (Rayleigh scattering). The radiative forcing is computed over global oceans for four months (January, April, July, and October, 1998) to represent four seasons. It is found that the aerosol radiative forcing is large and changes significantly with seasons near the continents with large-scale forest fires and desert dust. Averaged over oceans and the four months, the aerosol radiative forcing is approximately 7 W/sq m at the top of the atmosphere. This large radiative forcing is expected to have a significant cooling effect on the Earth's climate as implied from simulations of a number of general circulation models.

Chou, Ming-Dah↗

NASA NTRS2000

North Atlantic Aerosol Radiative Impacts Based on Satellite Measurements and Aerosol Intensive Properties from TARFOX and ACE-2

We estimate the impact of North Atlantic aerosols on the net short-wave flux at the tropopause by combining satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) maps with model aerosol properties determined via closure analyses in TARFOX and ACE 2. We exclude African dust, primarily by restricting latitudes to 25-60 N. The analyses use in situ aerosol composition measurements and air- and ship-borne sun-photometer measurements of AOD spectra. The aerosol model yields computed flux sensitivities (dFlux/dAOD) that agree with measurements by airborne flux radiometers in TARFOX. Its midvisible single-scattering albedo is 0.9. which is in the range obtained from in situ measurements of scattering and absorption in both TARFOX and ACE 2. Combining satellite-derived AOD maps with the aerosol model yields maps of 24-hour average net radiative flux changes. For simultaneous AVHRR, radiance measurements exceeded the sunphotometer AODs by about 0.04. However. shipboard sunphotometer and AVHRR AODs agreed Within 0.02 for data acquired during satellite overflights on two other days. We discuss attempts to demonstrate column closure within the MBL by comparing shipboard sunphotometer AODs and values calculated from simultaneous shipboard in-situ aerosol size distribution measurements. These comparisons were mostly unsuccessful, but they illustrate the difficulties inherent in this type of closure analysis. Specifically, AODs derived from near-surface in-situ size distribution measurements are extremely sensitive to the assumed hygroscopic growth model that itself requires an assumption of particle composition as a function of height and size, to the radiosonde-measured relative humidity, and to the vertical profile of particle number. We investigate further the effects of hygroscopic particle growth within the MBL by using shipboard lidar aerosol backscatter profiles together with the sunphotometer AOD.

Russell, P. B.↗