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Optical properties and source analysis of aerosols over a desert area in Dunhuang, Northwest china

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Abstract

Aerosol observational data for 2012 obtained from Dunhuang Station of CARE-China (Campaign on Atmospheric Aerosol Research Network of China) were analyzed to achieve in-depth knowledge of aerosol optical properties over Dunhuang region. The results showed that the annual average aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm was 0.32±0.06, and the Ångström exponent (α) was 0.73 ± 0.27. Aerosol optical properties revealed significant seasonal characteristics. Frequent sandstorms in MAM (March–April–May) resulted in the seasonal maximum AOD, 0.41 ± 0.04, and a relatively smaller α value, 0.44±0.04. The tourism seasons, JJA (June–July–August) and SON (September–October–November) coincide with serious emissions of small anthropogenic aerosols. While in DJF (December–January–February), the composition of the atmosphere was a mixture of dust particles and polluted aerosols released by domestic heating; the average AOD and α were 0.29 ± 0.02 and 0.66 ± 0.17, respectively. Different air masses exhibited different degrees of influence on the aerosol concentration over Dunhuang in different seasons. During MAM, ranges of AOD (0.11–1.18) and α (0.06–0.82) were the largest under the dust influence of northwest-short-distance air mass in the four trajectories. Urban aerosols transported by northwest-short-distance air mass accounted for a very large proportion in JJA and the mixed aerosols observed in SON were mainly conveyed by air masses from the west. In DJF, the similar ranges of AOD and α under the three air mass demonstrated the analogous diffusion effects on regional pollutants over Dunhuang.

摘要

2012年中国气溶胶综合特性观测网 (CARE-China)敦煌站气溶胶光学特性观测分析结果表明:该地区500nm波段AOD年均值为0.32 ± 0.06, 波长指数(α)年均值为0.73 ± 0.27. 敦煌地区气溶胶光学特性呈现显著季节变化特征. 春季多沙尘天气, AOD达到最大季节均值0.41 ± 0.04, 相应α值较小, 为0.44 ± 0.04; 夏秋两季是旅游旺季, 大量游客涌入及机动车的使用排放大量人为气溶胶粒子; 冬季出现沙尘粒子和家用燃煤取暖排放的细粒子的复合型污染, AOD和α分别为0.29 ± 0.02和0.66 ± 0.17. 不同季节不同气团对该地区气溶胶浓度影响不同. 春季, 西北短程气团裹挟大量沙尘粒子影响敦煌地区, AOD和α变化范围最大, 分别为0.11–1.18和0.06–0.82; 夏季西北短程气团携带大量城市气溶胶污染敦煌地区, 而秋季主要来自西方气团对混合气溶胶的输送影响; 冬季三种气团作用下, AOD和α变化范围相似, 表明冬季不同来向气团对局地污染物具有相同的扩散作用.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41375036 and 41222033), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFC0202001, 973 Program 2014CB441200) and the CAS Strategic Priority Research Program (Grant No. XDB05020103).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Atmospheric Sciences, Key Laboratory of Arid Climatic Change and Reducing Disaster of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Yongjing Ma, Yining Ma, Lingbin Kong, Kequan Zhang & Wenyu Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Yongjing Ma, Jinyuan Xin, Yining Ma, Lingbin Kong & Yuesi Wang

  3. College of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, 610225, China

    Jinyuan Xin

  4. Dunhuang Meteorological Bureau, Dunhuang, 736200, China

    Xiuqin Wang & Yongfeng Zhu

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  1. Yongjing Ma
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Ma, Y., Xin, J., Ma, Y. et al. Optical properties and source analysis of aerosols over a desert area in Dunhuang, Northwest china. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 34, 1017–1026 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-016-6224-6

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