Characteristics of aerosol types from AERONET sunphotometer measurements

By using observations from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), aerosol types are classified according to dominant size mode and radiation absorptivity as determined by fine-mode fraction (FMF) and single-scattering albedo (SSA), respectively. The aerosol type from anthropogenic sources is significantly different with regard to location and season, while dust aerosol is observed persistently over North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. For four reference locations where different aerosol types are observed, time series and optical properties for each aerosol type are investigated. The results show that aerosol types are strongly affected by their sources and partly affected by relative humidity. The analysis and methodology of this study can be used to compare aerosol classification results from satellite and chemical transport models, as well as to analyze aerosol characteristics on a global scale over land for which satellite observations need to be improved. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.