TY - JOUR
T1 - Intense atmospheric pollution modifies weather: A case of mixed biomass burning with fossil fuel combustion pollution in eastern China
AU - Ding, A. J.
AU - Fu, C. B.
AU - Yang, X. Q.
AU - Sun, J. N.
AU - Petäjä, T.
AU - Kerminen, V. M.
AU - Wang, Tao
AU - Xie, Y.
AU - Herrmann, E.
AU - Zheng, L. F.
AU - Nie, W.
AU - Liu, Q.
AU - Wei, X. L.
AU - Kulmala, M.
PY - 2013/11/11
Y1 - 2013/11/11
N2 - The influence of air pollutants, especially aerosols, on regional and global climate has been widely investigated, but only a very limited number of studies report their impacts on everyday weather. In this work, we present for the first time direct (observational) evidence of a clear effect of how a mixed atmospheric pollution changes the weather with a substantial modification in the air temperature and rainfall. By using comprehensive measurements in Nanjing, China, we found that mixed agricultural burning plumes with fossil fuel combustion pollution resulted in a decrease in the solar radiation intensity by more than 70 %, a decrease in the sensible heat by more than 85 %, a temperature drop by almost 10 K, and a change in rainfall during both daytime and nighttime. Our results show clear air pollution-weather interactions, and quantify how air pollution affects weather via air pollution-boundary layer dynamics and aerosol-radiation-cloud feedbacks. This study highlights cross-disciplinary needs to investigate the environmental, weather and climate impacts of the mixed biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion sources in East China. CC Attribution 3.0 License.
AB - The influence of air pollutants, especially aerosols, on regional and global climate has been widely investigated, but only a very limited number of studies report their impacts on everyday weather. In this work, we present for the first time direct (observational) evidence of a clear effect of how a mixed atmospheric pollution changes the weather with a substantial modification in the air temperature and rainfall. By using comprehensive measurements in Nanjing, China, we found that mixed agricultural burning plumes with fossil fuel combustion pollution resulted in a decrease in the solar radiation intensity by more than 70 %, a decrease in the sensible heat by more than 85 %, a temperature drop by almost 10 K, and a change in rainfall during both daytime and nighttime. Our results show clear air pollution-weather interactions, and quantify how air pollution affects weather via air pollution-boundary layer dynamics and aerosol-radiation-cloud feedbacks. This study highlights cross-disciplinary needs to investigate the environmental, weather and climate impacts of the mixed biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion sources in East China. CC Attribution 3.0 License.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84887055645&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5194/acp-13-10545-2013
DO - 10.5194/acp-13-10545-2013
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1680-7316
VL - 13
SP - 10545
EP - 10554
JO - Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
JF - Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
IS - 20
ER -
