Vol. 23, issue 08, article # 9

Abstract:

We discuss the results of the integrated aerosol experiment, performed in spring 2009 simultaneously in two regions: near Ussuriysk and in the Sea of Japan onboard "Nadezhda" sailing trainer vessel. In the measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and moisture content of the atmosphere, we used the multiwavelength sun photometers operating in the wavelength range 0.34-2.14mm. The measurements of the vertical profiles of aerosol characteristics were made using two types of lidars: a lidar based on three-frequency (1.064, 0.532, and 0.355mm) Big Sky Laser CFR 200 in Primorye and one-frequency laser on the basis of the second harmonic of Nd:YAG (0.532 mm) laser onboard "Nadezhda" sailing vessel. It was shown that the springtime atmosphere in the Far East region exhibited by two times larger the aerosol turbidity in comparison with other (maritime and continental) midlatitude regions. Average values of the atmospheric AOD in the region of 0.5 mm were 0.46 in Primorye and 0.35 and in the Sea of Japan. The elevated atmospheric turbidity is caused by continental aerosols of different types (smoke, anthropogenic, and dust) blown from the neighboring regions. We present the characteristic vertical profiles of aerosol-molecular scattering for the cases of advection of air masses from arid regions of Southeastern Asia and boreal zone of Siberia. A relation is demonstrated between the dust activity in Takla Makan desert and light scattering characteristics of aerosol layers in tropopause region.

Keywords:

solar photometry, aerosol optical depth, laser sensing, lidar ratio, vertical distribution