Vertical stratification of aerosols over South Asian cities

This study examines vertically resolved aerosol optical properties retrieved from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard CALIPSO satellite over several cities across South Asia from March 2010 to February 2021. Atmospheric layer-specific stratification of aerosols and dominant aerosol sub-types was recognized over each city with their seasonal trends. A contrasting pattern in aerosol vertical distribution over cities across Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) was noted compared to non-IGP cities, with considerable dependency on geographic location of the city itself. In all the cases, total extinction decreased with increasing altitude however, with varying degree of slope. A clear intrusion of transported aerosols at higher altitude (>3 km) was also evident. Extinction coefficient of type-separated aerosols indicate robust contribution of smoke aerosols, urban aerosols/polluted dust, and mineral dust below 3 km height. At higher altitude (>3 km), dust and urban aerosols dominate over majority of the stations. Overall, 51% of total columnar aerosols remained within 0-1 km height over South Asian cities, slightly high over the IGP (57%) against non-IGP cities (39%). Such distribution also has a seasonal pattern with higher fraction of aerosols remaining below 1 km during post-monsoon (October-No-vember, 62%) and winter (December-February, 72%) compared to summer months (March-May, 39%). When partitioned against planetary boundary layer (PBL), 41% (59%) of aerosols remained within the PBL (free troposphere) that too exhibiting strong diurnal variations irrespective of seasons. Dominating aerosol types and their contribution to total aerosol loading was explored by comparing type-based aerosol extinction against total aerosol extinction. Dust, smoke and urban aerosols emerged as three predominating aerosol types, while pres-ence of marine aerosol was noted over the coastal cities. Major fraction of smoke and urban aerosols remained within 2 km height from surface. In contrast, efficient transport of dust aerosol above 2 km height was evident particularly over IGP during summer.

Automated summary

This study analyzed vertically resolved aerosol optical properties retrieved from the CALIOP instrument onboard the CALIPSO satellite over several cities in South Asia from March 2010 to February 2021. The study identified different aerosol stratification and dominant aerosol sub-types in each city, with seasonal variations. It also found contrasting patterns in aerosol vertical distribution between cities in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and non-IGP cities, depending on the geographic location. Overall, the study observed a decrease in total extinction with increasing altitude and the intrusion of transported aerosols at higher altitudes. Smoke aerosols, urban aerosols/polluted dust, and mineral dust were found to contribute significantly to aerosol extinction below 3 km, while dust and urban aerosols dominated at higher altitudes. The study also highlighted the seasonal variation in aerosol distribution and the influence of planetary boundary layer (PBL) on aerosol partitioning.