Study of total column atmospheric aerosol optical depth, ozone and precipitable water content over Bay of Bengal during BOBMEX-99

The spatial and temporal variations in aerosols and precursor gases over oceanic regions have special importance in the estimation of radiative forcing parameters and thereby in the refinement of general circulation models. Extensive observations of the columnar aerosol optical depth (AOD), total column ozone (TCO) and precipitable water content (PWC) have been carried out using the on-line, multi-band solar radiometers onboard ORV Sagar Kanya (Cruise # SK 147B) over Bay of Bengal during 11th-28th August 1999. Aerosol optical and physical properties (optical depth and angstrom parameter) have been estimated at six wavelengths covering from UV to NIR (380-1020 mn) while TCO and PWC have been determined using the UV band around 300 nm and NIR band around 940 nm, respectively. Added, concurrent meteorological and satellite observations during this field phase of BOBMEX-99 have been utilized to investigate spectral-temporal variations of AOD, TCO and PWC in marine environment. The results indicate lower AODs (around 0.4 at characteristic wavelength of 500 nm) and size distributions with abundance of coarse-mode particles as compared to those aerosols of typical land origin. An interesting result that is found in the present study is the significant reduction in AOD at all wavelengths from initial to later part of observation period due to cloud-scavenging and rain-washout effects as well as signature of coastal aerosol loading. The clearsky daytime diurnal variation of TCO shows gradual increase during post-sunrise hours, broad maximum during afternoon hours and gradual decrease during pre-sunset hours, which is considered to be due to photochemical reactions. The diurnal variation curve of PWC showed maximum (4 cm) during morning hours and gradual decrease (3.5 cm) towards evening hours, which are found to be greater as compared to typical values over land. Another interesting feature observed is that although the PWC values are very high, there was no proportionate or appreciable enhancement in AOD-a feature that can be utilized to infer composition of aerosols over the study region

A study of lightning activity over land and oceanic regions of India

Monthly variations of lightning activity over typical land and oceanic regions of India were examined using satellite data (OTD) for a 5-year period (1995-1999). It is noted that the nature of variation between surface air maximum temperature (Tmax), thunderstorm days (Thn), and lightning flash count over ER and WR showed remarkable correspondence and sensitivity with each other on monthly time scale. As we move out of winter season and enter the monsoon season, via pre-monsoon season, the WR undergoes cooling relative to the ER in the range 0.1-1.2°C. As a result, WR experiences reduction of thunder days and lowering in flash count. This decrease in Tmax, Thn, and flash count over WR may also be associated with relatively small values of Tθw and CAPE in comparison with similar values over ER during the monsoon season. Our observation of associated reduction in Thn and lightning count per 1°C cooling in surface air maximum temperature suggests reduction of ~3.5 thunderstorms per station and 73 flashes. Comparison of lightning flashes between pairs of coastal, oceanic, arid-zone, hilly, and island stations reveals distinct relationship between climate regime and intensity of lightning activity. We may conclude the results of this study by saying that the overhead lightning activity is a clear reflection of the status of the underlying ground-earth properties. A close and continuous monitoring of lightning activity may be considered as a need of present day scientific studies

Relationship between lidar-based observations of aerosol content and monsoon precipitation over a tropical station, Pune, India

This paper reports the results of the aerosol lidar experiments that have been performed at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune (18.54°N, 73.85°E, 559 m amsl), a tropical station in India. The lidar-observed cloud macro-physical parameters (cloud-base and cloud-ceiling heights, vertical thickness, etc.) and polarisation characteristics and their association with surface-generated aerosols at the experimental site are presented and discussed. The correspondence among the lidar-derived aerosol distributions, meteorological parameters and south-west (SW) monsoon (June-September) activity over Pune during 12 successive SW monsoon seasons (1987-98) including two pairs of contrasting seasons of 1987-8 and 1993-4 is also examined. The results indicate an association between variations in aerosol loading in the boundary layer during the pre-monsoon season (March-May) and precipitation intensity during the ensuing monsoon season. Moreover, the decrease in aerosol content from pre-monsoon to monsoon season is found to follow the SW monsoon season total precipitation. Thus the results suggest that (i) the IITM lidar can also be a useful remote sensor for aerosol characterisation studies from polarisation measurements, and some important physical properties of clouds in the lower atmosphere over the station, and (ii) there exists a correspondence between boundary-layer aerosol content and SW monsoon precipitation over Pune, which is explained in terms of the type of aerosols and the environmental and meteorological processes, particularly during premonsoon and monsoon months prevailing over the experimental station

Ground-based lidar study of aerosol and boundary layer characteristics during INDOEX first field phase

This paper presents the extensive observations of atmospheric aerosol vertical distributions that have been carried out during the first field phase (FFP) of the Indian Ocean experiment (INDOEX-FFP 98) using the computer-controlled Argon-ion lidar system at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, a tropical urban station in India. These observations primarily will help explaining the teleconnections between the inland aerosol characteristics, and the marine aerosol properties observed from the ORV Sagar Kanya cruise during the same period. Vertical profiles of night-time aerosol concentration up to about 7 km above ground level were obtained on 25 days during the INDOEX-FFP 98 (17 February-31 March 1998). These profiles have also been utilized to investigate the nocturnal structure and stratification of the planetary boundary layer and associated air quality. The aerosol vertical distributions and the associated aerosol columnar content show significant day-to-day variations, particularly in the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) and exhibit increasing trend during the study period. The derived ventilation coefficients are found to associate more closely with wind speed as compared to mixing depth

Recent trends in aerosol climatology and air pollution as inferred from multi-year lidar observations over a tropical urban station

Regular nighttime monitoring of aerosol and other atmospheric parameters was initiated in 1985 at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. This is a tropical urban station (18°32'N, 73°51'E, 559 m AMSL), situated approximately 100 km inland from the west coast of India. The multi-year aerosol vertical profile database, utilized in the present study, consisted of more than 1200 vertical aerosol concentration profiles. These data were collected with a computer-controlled, bistatic, argon-ion lidar system over a 12 year period from October 1986 to September 1998 and have been utilized to study the morphology of the nighttime atmospheric boundary layer and associated air quality. The recent climatological trend in the aerosol loading at the experimental station has also been studied. The study reveals higher pollution potential during late evenings in the winter and a total increase of about 3 in the aerosol loading over the 12 year observational period. This increase can be attributed partly due to the urban heat island effect and due to growing urbanization and industrialization, as well as to the land-usage patterns in proximity to the experimental station. Further, it has been found that the long-term trend in aerosol loading was not uniform, but it changed from year to year depending on meteorological parameters (precipitation, in particular) and local anthropogenic activities. The short-term variations in aerosol loading and their relationship with concurrent meteorological parameters over the observational site are discussed also

Variability in Sun photometer-derived total ozone over a tropical urban station

A portable, handheld, multichannel Sun photometer (ozonometer) has been used to measure total column ozone over Pune (18320N, 73510E, 559 m above mean sea level), India, a tropical urban station. Data collected on about 575 mostly clear-sky days during the 5 year period from May 1998 to May 2003 have been used in this study to examine diurnal and seasonal variations. The overall daily mean total ozone at this station is 254 Dobson units (DU), with a variability of about 7%, while the most frequently occurring value is in the range 241–250 DU. The diurnal (daytime) patterns are observed to be different in the winter (December–February), premonsoon (March–May), and postmonsoon (October–November) seasons

Results of sun photometer-derived precipitable water content over a tropical Indian station

A compact, hand-held multiband sun photometer (ozone monitor) has been used to measure total precipitable water content (PWC) at the low-latitude tropical station in Pune, India (18°32′N, 73°51′E). Data collected in the daytime (0730–1800 LT) during the period from May 1998 to September 2001 have been used here. The daytime average PWC value at this station is 1.13 cm, and the average for only the clear-sky days is 0.75 cm. PWC values between 0.75 and 1.0 cm have the maximum frequency of occurrence. There is a large day-to-day variability due to varied sky and meteorological conditions. Mainly two types of diurnal variations in PWC are observed. The one occurs in the premonsoon summer months of April and May and shows that forenoon values are smaller than afternoon values. The other type occurs in November and December and shows a minimum around noontime. There is a diurnal asymmetry in PWC in which, on the majority of the days, the mean afternoon value is greater than the forenoon value. This asymmetry is more pronounced in the summer and southwest monsoon months (i.e., March–June). Monthly mean PWC is highest in September and lowest in December. The increase in PWC from the winter (December–February) to summer (March–May) seasons is about 50% and from the summer to southwest monsoon seasons (June–September) is almost 98%. Sun photometer–derived PWC shows a fairly good relationship with surface relative humidity and radiosonde-derived PWC, with a correlation coefficient as high as 0.8

Investigation of aerosol indirect effects on monsoon clouds using ground-based measurements over a high-altitude site in Western Ghats

The effect of aerosols on cloud droplet number concentration and droplet effective radius is investigated from ground-based measurements over a high-altitude site where clouds pass over the surface. First aerosol indirect effect (AIE) estimates were made using (i) relative changes in cloud droplet number concentration (AIEn) and (ii) relative changes in droplet effective radius (AIEs) with relative changes in aerosol for different cloud liquid water contents (LWCs). AIE estimates from two different methods reveal that there is systematic overestimation in AIEn as compared to that of AIEs. Aerosol indirect effects (AIEn and AIEs) and dispersion effect (DE) at different LWC regimes ranging from 0.05 to 0.50 g m−3 were estimated. The analysis demonstrates that there is overestimation of AIEn as compared to AIEs, which is mainly due to DE. Aerosol effects on spectral dispersion in droplet size distribution play an important role in altering Twomey's cooling effect and thereby changes in climate. This study shows that the higher DE in the medium LWC regime offsets the AIE by 30 %

Correlative measurements of aerosol optical depth and size distribution around INDOEX-FFP 98 from multi-spectral solar radiometry

Spectral aerosol optical depth measurements by means of ground-based solar radiometry have been made at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, a continental urban station in India, as part of the INDOEX-FFP 98 during 17 February through 31 March, 1998. The aerosol optical depths and corresponding size distributions observed with both a multi-channel radiometer (sun-photometer) and a spectroradiometer agree well and show marked variations during the experimental period. The day-to-day variation in the aerosol optical depth at 0.50 μm indicates an increasing trend. The results of a comparative study made between the continental urban and coastal aerosol characteristics using the sun-photometric observations carried out around the INDOEX-FFP 98 are also presented