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Vertical distribution of aerosols over an urban continental site in India inferred using a micro pulse lidar
Author(s) -
Satheesh S. K.,
Vinoj V.,
Moorthy K. Krishna
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2006gl027729
Subject(s) - aerosol , lidar , atmospheric sciences , boundary layer , environmental science , planetary boundary layer , radiative forcing , radiative transfer , convective boundary layer , optical depth , atmosphere (unit) , forcing (mathematics) , geology , eddy , climatology , meteorology , remote sensing , geography , turbulence , physics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Knowledge of the vertical distribution of aerosols in the atmosphere is important in estimating its radiative forcing. While aircraft based measurements over two locations in India have provided valuable information, the temporal coverage of measurements was limited. In this paper, we examine the vertical distribution of aerosols over a continental, urban location, Bangalore in southern India, using a micro pulse lidar (MPL) operated for about two years (2004 and 2005), and infer the effects of the boundary layer dynamics. Early morning hours are characterized by a shallow aerosol layer, a few hundred meters thick. As day advances, the strong convective eddies are seen to transport the aerosols vertically up to more than 1500 m. Seasonal changes in the aerosol vertical structure, contribution of the boundary layer aerosols to the column optical depth as well as the frequency of occurrence of clouds within aerosol layer are examined.