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Space‐Borne Estimation of Volcanic Sulfate Aerosol Lifetime
Author(s) -
Li Chi,
Cohen Ronald C.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1029/2020jd033883
Subject(s) - aerosol , sulfate , sulfate aerosol , volcano , plume , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , sulfur dioxide , satellite , visibility , atmosphere (unit) , meteorology , geology , chemistry , geography , geochemistry , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , aerospace engineering , engineering
Abstract Aerosols are an important component of the climate system affecting visibility, clouds, and climate. They are also transported over short and long distances with consequences for continental‐scale nutrient availability. Processes that remove aerosols from the atmosphere are difficult to evaluate with observations in isolation from aerosol sources. As a result, a quantitative assessment of uncertainties in our understanding of aerosols is limited and narrowing of those uncertainties is difficult to demonstrate. In this study, we use satellite observations of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and aerosols downwind of the Kīlauea volcano during May–September 2008. We derive the SO 2 emission rate, the loss rate of SO 2 that is indicative of the production rate of sulfate aerosols, and the subsequent removal rate of the formed sulfate. The result is the first determination of volcanic sulfate aerosol lifetime, 40–64 h, directly from satellite observations. The derived sulfate lifetime is significantly lower than the global average (3–5.5 days) and reflects the rapid wet scavenging of this plume.