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Aerosols and Particulate Matters in the Southern Hemisphere

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A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Aerosols".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 October 2022) | Viewed by 9378

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Venkataraman Sivakumar

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Guest Editor

School of Chemistry & Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
Interests: mesospheric temperature inversion; aerosols and clouds; remote sensing techniques

Prof. Dr. Hassan Benchérif

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Guest Editor

Laboratoire de l'Atmosphère et des Cyclones, UMR 8105, CNRS, Université de La Réunion, Météo-France, 97490 Saint Denis, France
Interests: atmosphere composition; aerosols measurement; transport; remote sensing

Dr. Eduardo Landulfo

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Centro de Lasers e Aplicações, Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
Interests: geosciences and remote sensing applied to the atmosphere; aerosols and air pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aerosols play an essential role in the Earth’s climate system and have a significant influence on climate change. The Southern Hemisphere has several sources of aerosol emissions, which are of different types depending on their origins. In addition to the continuous increase in urban pollution near big cities and industrial basins, the Southern Hemisphere experiences aerosol and PM emissions on a seasonal basis, including carbonaceous aerosols generated by African, Amazonian, or Australian fires, or on an occasional basis, from major and minor volcanic eruptions such as Pinatubo (1991), Calbuco (2015), or more recently Hunga Tonga (2022). Regardless of their origin, aerosols and PM in the atmosphere are known to have an effect on human health, the environment, and climate change. In fact, depending on their typology, and on their optical properties, aerosols modify incident solar radiation by absorption and scattering, interact with clouds, and affect atmospheric transparency and visibility, contributing to the earth radiative balance, at different time and space scales.

In this issue, we intend to highlight aerosol and PM measurement capabilities in the Southern Hemisphere by the use of different instruments (LiDAR, sunphotometers, spectrometers, etc.), at different locations, and in different environments (Southern Africa, Oceania, South America). This includes studies on aerosols and PM in the boundary layer, troposphere, UT-LS, and stratosphere. Therefore, the aim is to bring together a set of recent research and review papers and contribute to giving the most complete picture of aerosols in the Southern Hemisphere. Papers based on ground and satellite observation methods and results are welcome, as well as modeling or combined modeling and observation studies. We also welcome papers on aerosol transport at different scales in the Southern Hemisphere and their transformation.

Prof. Dr. Venkataraman Sivakumar
Prof. Dr. Hassan Benchérif
Dr. Eduardo Landulfo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

aerosols
particulate matters
pollutants
atmosphere
remote sensing

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3342 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of MODIS Dark Target AOD Product with 3 and 10 km Resolution in Amazonia

by Rafael Palácios, Danielle C. S. Nassarden, Marco A. Franco, Fernando G. Morais, Luiz A. T. Machado, Luciana V. Rizzo, Glauber Cirino, Augusto G. C. Pereira, Priscila dos S. Ribeiro, Lucas R. C. Barros, Marcelo S. Biudes, Leone F. A. Curado, Thiago R. Rodrigues, Jorge Menezes, Eduardo Landulfo and Paulo Artaxo

Atmosphere 2022, 13(11), 1742; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13111742 - 22 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2059

Abstract

The techniques and analyses employed by remote sensing provide key information about atmospheric particle properties at regional and global scales. However, limitations in optical spectral models used to represent the different types of aerosols in the atmosphere and their effects (direct and indirect) are still one of the major causes of sources of uncertainties and substantial impacts in climate prediction. There are no studies yet in South America, especially in the Amazon Basin, that have evaluated the advantages, disadvantages, inconsistencies, applicability, and suitability of the MODIS sensor (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) destined for monitoring the ambient aerosol optical thickness over rivers and continents. In this study, the results of the DT (Dark Target) algorithm for products with 3 km and 10 km resolutions were systematically evaluated for six sites in the Amazon rainforest. The comparisons between the products were carried out with the AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) measurements, which were used as reference. Statistical parameters between AERONET vs. MODIS were also evaluated based on biomass burning records in the site regions. Here, the DT 10 km product showed satisfactory performance for the Amazon region, with observations between the expected error (EE) limits above 66%, in addition to R > 0.8 and RMSE < 0.3. However, the regional analysis for the two sites in the central and southern regions of the Amazon basin did not have the same performance, where the results showed an EE of 24 and 47%, respectively. The DT 3 km product did not perform well in any site, with an EE below 50%. Both products overestimated the AOD, but the 3 km product overestimated it approximately four times more due to its algorithm setup. Thus, we recommend the 10 km product for general analysis in Amazonia. Regional biomass burning records showed a direct relationship with the AERONET vs. MODIS DT with overestimation of both products. All variations between products and sites were justified based on the difficulty of retrieving surface reflectance and the model selected for local aerosols. Improvements in the optical spectral model currently implemented in the algorithms, with more realistic representations of the main types of the aerosol present in the Amazon Basin, may contribute to better performance among the evaluated products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosols and Particulate Matters in the Southern Hemisphere)

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17 pages, 4361 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relationship between Land Use and Spatial Variability of Atmospheric Brown Carbon and Black Carbon Aerosols in Amazonia

by Fernando G. Morais, Marco A. Franco, Rafael Palácios, Luiz A. T. Machado, Luciana V. Rizzo, Henrique M. J. Barbosa, Fabio Jorge, Joel S. Schafer, Brent N. Holben, Eduardo Landulfo and Paulo Artaxo

Atmosphere 2022, 13(8), 1328; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13081328 - 21 Aug 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2756

Abstract

The aerosol radiative effect is an important source of uncertainty in estimating the anthropogenic impact of global climate change. One of the main open questions is the role of radiation absorption by aerosols and its relation to land use worldwide, particularly in the Amazon Rainforest. Using AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) long-term measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at a wavelength of 500 nm and absorption AOD (AAOD) at wavelengths of 440, 675, and 870 nm, we estimated the fraction and seasonality of the black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) contributions to absorption at 440 nm. This was conducted at six Amazonian sites, from central Amazon (Manaus and the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory—ATTO) to the deforestation arc (Rio Branco, Cuiabá, Ji-Paraná, and Alta Floresta). In addition, land use and cover data from the MapBiomas collection 6.0 was used to access the land transformation from forest to agricultural areas on each site. The results showed, for the first time, important geographical and seasonal variability in the aerosol optical properties, particularly the BC and BrC contributions. We observed a clear separation between dry and wet seasons, with BrC consistently accounting for an average of approximately 12% of the aerosol AAOD at 440 nm in the deforestation arc. In central Amazon, the contribution of BrC was approximately 25%. A direct relationship between the reduction in forests and the increase in the area dedicated to agriculture was detected. Moreover, places with lower fractions of forest had a smaller fraction of BrC, and regions with higher fractions of agricultural areas presented higher fractions of BC. Therefore, significant changes in AOD and AAOD are likely related to land-use transformations and biomass burning emissions, mainly during the dry season. The effects of land use change could introduce differences in the radiative balance in the different Amazonian regions. The analyses presented in this study allow a better understanding of the role of aerosol emissions from the Amazon Rainforest that could have global impacts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosols and Particulate Matters in the Southern Hemisphere)

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14 pages, 7119 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Gustiness to Dustiness—The Impact of Wind Gusts on Particulate Matter Emissions in Field Experiments in La Pampa, Argentina

by Nicole Siegmund, Juan E. Panebianco, Fernando Avecilla, Laura A. Iturri, Michael Sommer, Daniel E. Buschiazzo and Roger Funk

Atmosphere 2022, 13(8), 1173; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13081173 - 25 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1272

Abstract

This study delivers the first empirical data-driven analysis of the impact of turbulence induced gustiness on the fine dust emissions from a measuring field. For quantification of the gust impact, a new measure, the Gust uptake Efficiency (GuE) is introduced. GuE provides a percentage of over- or under-proportional dust uptake due to gust activity during a wind event. For the three analyzed wind events, GuE values of up to 150% could be found, yet they significantly differed per particle size class with a tendency for lower values for smaller particles. In addition, a high-resolution correlation analysis among 31 particle size classes and wind speed was conducted; it revealed strong negative correlation coefficients for very small particles and positive correlations for bigger particles, where 5 μm appears to be an empirical threshold dividing both directions. We conclude with a number of suggestions for further investigations: an optimized field experiment setup, a new particle size ratio (PM₁/PM_0.5 in addition to PM₁₀/PM_2.5), as well as a comprehensive data-driven search for an optimal wind gust definition in terms of soil erosivity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosols and Particulate Matters in the Southern Hemisphere)

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Review

Jump to: Research

34 pages, 2865 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of Atmospheric Aerosols in Antarctica: From Characterization to Data Processing

by Jesús Anzano, Elisa Abás, César Marina-Montes, Javier del Valle, David Galán-Madruga, Mariano Laguna, Susana Cabredo, Luis-Vicente Pérez-Arribas, Jorge Cáceres and Jamil Anwar

Atmosphere 2022, 13(10), 1621; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13101621 - 5 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2670

Abstract

One of the major problems of the present era is air pollution, not only for its impact on climate change but also for the diseases provoked by this scourge. Among the most concerning air pollutants is particulate matter, since it can travel long distances and affect the entire globe. Antarctica is extremely sensitive to climate change and essential for regulating temperature and permitting life on Earth. Therefore, air quality studies in this region are extremely important. The aim of this review is to present the work conducted on the identification and detection of aerosols and particulate matter in the Antarctic region in the last 20 years. These studies revealed a large number of organic and inorganic species. Organochlorine pesticides or polychlorinated biphenyls represent almost 50% of the organic fraction detected in Antarctica. Furthermore, heavy metals such as Hg and Pb were also found in the region related to anthropogenic activities. To summarize, this work detailed different analytical techniques and data processing to help characterize Antarctic aerosols and their potential sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosols and Particulate Matters in the Southern Hemisphere)

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