Publication Abstracts
Gianelli et al. 2013
Gianelli, S.M., , , and S. Hameed, 2013: Evidence of a weakly absorbing intermediate mode of aerosols in AERONET data from Saharan and Sahelian sites. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 118, no. 22, 12661-12672, doi:10.1002/2013JD020342.
Accurate retrievals of aerosol size distribution are necessary to estimate aerosols' impact on climate and human health. The inversions of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) usually retrieve bimodal distributions. However, when the inversion is applied to Saharan and Sahelian dust, an additional mode of intermediate size between the coarse and fine modes is sometimes seen. This mode explains peculiarities in the behavior of the Ângström exponent, along with the fine mode fraction retrieved using the spectral deconvolution algorithm, observed in a March 2006 dust storm. For this study, 15 AERONET sites in northern Africa and on the Atlantic are examined to determine the frequency and properties of the intermediate mode. The mode is observed most frequently at Ilorin in Nigeria. It is also observed at Capo Verde and multiple sites located within the Sahel but much less frequently at sites in the northern Sahara and the Canary Islands. The presence of the intermediate mode coincides with increases in Ângström exponent, fine mode fraction, single-scattering albedo, and to a lesser extent percent sphericity. The Ângström exponent decreases with increasing optical depth at most sites when the intermediate mode is present, but the fine mode fraction does not. Single-scattering albedo does not steadily decrease with fine mode fraction when the intermediate mode is present, as it does in typical mixtures of dust and biomass-burning aerosols. Continued investigation is needed to further define the intermediate mode's properties, determine why it differs from most Saharan dust, and identify its climate and health effects.
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BibTeX Citation
@article{gi04100i,
author={Gianelli, S. M. and Lacis, A. A. and Carlson, B. E. and Hameed, S.},
title={Evidence of a weakly absorbing intermediate mode of aerosols in AERONET data from Saharan and Sahelian sites},
year={2013},
journal={J. Geophys. Res. Atmos.},
volume={118},
number={22},
pages={12661--12672},
doi={10.1002/2013JD020342},
}
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RIS Citation
TY - JOUR ID - gi04100i AU - Gianelli, S. M. AU - Lacis, A. A. AU - Carlson, B. E. AU - Hameed, S. PY - 2013 TI - Evidence of a weakly absorbing intermediate mode of aerosols in AERONET data from Saharan and Sahelian sites JA - J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. VL - 118 IS - 22 SP - 12661 EP - 12672 DO - 10.1002/2013JD020342 ER -
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