The optical properties of aerosols and their chemical composition, including water-soluble ions, organic carbon （OC）, and elemental carbon （EC） in PM2.5 and PM10, were measured from 26 May to 30 June of 2012 at an urban site in Beijing. The daily average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were 103.2 and 159.6 μg/m^3, respectively. On average, the OC and EC contributed 20.1% and 4.3%, respectively, to PM2.5 and 16.3% and 3.9%, respectively, to PM10. Secondary ions （SO4^2-, NO3-, and NH4^＋） dominated the water-soluble ions and accounted for 57.9% and 62.6% of PM2.5 and PM10, respectively. The wind dependence of PM2.5, OC, SO4^2-, and NO3 implied that the pollution sources mainly came from south and southeast of Beijing during the summer. The monthly mean values of the scattering coefficient （σsc） and absorption coefficient （σab） at 525 nm were 312.9 and 28.7 Mm^-1, respectively, and the mean single-scattering albedo （ω） was 0.85. The wind dependence of σsc revealed that this value was mainly influenced by regional transport during the summer, and the relationship between aab and wind indicated that a high crab resulted from the joint effects of local emissions and regional transport. The reconstructed σsc that was derived from the revised IMPROVE equation agreed well with the observations. The contribution of different chemical species to crsc was investigated under different pollution levels, and it was found that secondary inorganic aerosols accounted for a large part of σsc during pollution episodes （35.7%）, while organic matter was the main contributor to σsc under clean conditions （33.6%）.
Ping TianGuangfu WangRenjian ZhangYunfei WuPeng Yan
The direct radiative forcing （DRF） of sulfate aerosols depends highly on the atmospheric sulfate loading and the meteorology, both of which undergo strong regional and seasonal variations. Because the optical properties of sulfate aerosols are also sensitive to atmospheric relative humidity, in this study we first examine the scheme for optical properties that considers hydroscopic growth. Next, we investigate the seasonal and regional distributions of sulfate DRF using the sulfate loading simulated from NCAR CAM-Chem together with the meteorology modeled from a spectral atmospheric general circulation model （AGCM） developed by LASG-IAP. The global annual-mean sulfate loading of 3.44 mg m-2 is calculated to yield the DRF of -1.03 and -0.57 W m-2 for clear-sky and all-sky conditions, respectively. However, much larger values occur on regional bases. For example, the maximum all-sky sulfate DRF over Europe, East Asia, and North America can be up to -4.0 W m-2. The strongest all-sky sulfate DRF occurs in the Northern Hemispheric July, with a hemispheric average of -1.26 W m-2. The study results also indicate that the regional DRF are strongly affected by cloud and relative humidity, which vary considerably among the regions during different seasons. This certainly raises the issue that the biases in model-sinmlated regional meteorology can introduce biases into the sulfate DRF. Hence, the model processes associated with atmospheric humidity and cloud physics should be modified in great depth to improve the simulations of the LASG-IAP AGCM and to reduce the uncertainty of sulfate direct effects on global and regional climate in these simulations.
Cloud–radiation processes play an important role in regional energy budgets and surface temperature changes over arid regions. Cloud radiative effects（CREs） are used to quantitatively measure the aforementioned climatic role. This study investigates the characteristics of CREs and their temporal variations over three arid regions in central Asia（CA）, East Asia（EA）, and North America（NA）, based on recent satellite datasets. Our results show that the annual mean shortwave（SW） and net CREs（SWCRE and NCRE） over the three arid regions are weaker than those in the same latitudinal zone of the Northern Hemisphere. In most cold months（November–March）, the longwave（LW）CRE is stronger than the SWCRE over the three arid regions, leading to a positive NCRE and radiative warming in the regional atmosphere–land surface system. The cold-season mean NCRE at the top of the atmosphere（TOA） averaged over EA is 4.1 W m^-2, with a positive NCRE from November to March, and the intensity and duration of the positive NCRE is larger than that over CA and NA. The CREs over the arid regions of EA exhibit remarkable annual cycles due to the influence of the monsoon in the south. The TOA LWCRE over arid regions is closely related to the high-cloud fraction, and the SWCRE relates well to the total cloud fraction. In addition, the relationship between the SWCRE and the low-cloud fraction is good over NA because of the considerable occurrence of low cloud. Further results show that the interannual variation of TOA CREs is small over the arid regions of CA and EA, but their surface LWCREs show certain decreasing trends that correspond well to their decreasing total cloud fraction. It is suggested that combined studies of more observational cloud properties and meteorological elements are needed for indepth understanding of cloud–radiation processes over arid regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Aerosol is an important component of the atmosphere,and its source,composition,distribution,and effects are highly complicated.Governments and scientists have given much attention to aerosol problems,and it has become a hot topic due to the important role it plays in climate change and the Earth's environment.In this paper,1) the importance of aerosol in climate change,the atmospheric environment,and human health is summarized;2) the recent serious problems of aerosol pollution and the shortage of current aerosol research in China are pointed out;and 3) the necessity to enhance aerosol research in China is emphasized.
This study analyzed the spatial differences of the precipitation variations in the mid-latitude Asia and their possible physical mechanisms during 1960–2009.The annual precipitation showed an opposite variations between the westerlies-dominated arid Central Asia(ACA)and monsoon-dominated North China(NC)during the study period.Given the different contributions of seasonal precipitation to annual total precipitation in ACA and NC,the atmospheric circulation anomalies during the major precipitation seasons(winter in ACA/summer in NC)were analyzed.In winter,negative North Atlantic Oscillation may cause negative height anomalies over the north side and positive anomalies over the south side of the ACA.Together,the enhanced pressure gradient and anomalous westerly wind brings more water vapor to ACA,and leaves less precipitation in NC.In summer,the low-pressure anomalies in Northeast China,along with a weaker summer monsoon and negative height anomalies in Eastern Europe together contribute to reduced(excessive)summer precipitation in NC(ACA).The interactions between ENSO and NAO may result in the opposite precipitation variations between ACA and NC.A significant 2–3-year cycle is identified in ACA,which is linked to the variations of westerly circulation in the middle troposphere.
