Mixing state of aerosols over the Indo-Gangetic Plain: Radiative forcing and heating rate

Aerosols are a major atmospheric variable which perturb the Earth-atmosphere radiation balance by absorbing and scattering the solar and terrestrial radiation. Aerosols are produced by natural and anthropogenic processes. The presence of different types of aerosol over a location and aerosols transported from long-range can give rise to different mixing states because of aging and interaction among the different aerosol species. Knowledge of the mixing state of aerosols is important for an accurate assessment of aerosols in climate forcing, as assumptions regarding the mixing state of aerosol and its effect on optical properties can give rise to uncertainties in modeling their direct and indirect effects [1]. Seasonal variations in mixing states of aerosols over an urban (Kanpur) and a rural location (Gandhi College) in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) are determined using the measured and modeled aerosol optical properties, and the impact of aerosol mixing state on aerosol radiative forcing are investigated. IGP is one of the most populated and polluted river basins in the world, rich in fertile lands and agricultural production. Kanpur is an urban, industrial and densely populated city, and has several large/small scale industries and vehicles, while Gandhi College in IGP is a rural village, located southeast of Kanpur. Aerosol optical properties obtained from Aerosol Robotic Network sun/sky radiometers [2] over these two environmentally distinct locations in Indo-Gangetic Plain are used in the study, along with aerosol vertical profiles obtained from CALIPSO (Cloud- Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) lidar observations. Probable mixing state of aerosols is determined utilizing the aerosol optical properties viz., aerosol optical depth, single scattering albedo and asymmetry parameter. The coated-sphere Mie calculation requires the refractive index of core and shell species, and the radius of core and shell particles. Core to shell radius ratio is calculated from the geometry of core-shell particles, which depends on the mass and density of the core and shell. The size distribution parameters and refractive indices of different aerosol species are taken from OPAC database [3]. Different fractions of black carbon, water soluble and mineral dust aerosols involved in core-shell mixing emerge as the most probable mixing states over the IGP. Aerosol forcing for external mixing shows higher deviations from those for probable mixing cases during winter and pre-monsoon. The heating rate over Kanpur and Gandhi College in the lower troposphere is similar during pre-monsoon (March-May) ( 0.75 K day^{-1}) and monsoon (June-September) ( 0.5 K day^{-1}), while differences occur in other seasons [4]. Aerosol heating rate profiles exhibit primary and secondary peaks over the IGP and exhibit seasonal variations. Details on the calculations of aerosol mixing states over IGP, the impact of aerosol mixing state on aerosol forcing and heating rate will be discussed. References: [1] Intergovernmental panel on climate change (2007), Solomon S. et al. (eds.), Cambridge Univ. Press, NewYork. [2] Holben B. N., et al. (2001), J. Geophys. Res., 106(D11), 12067-12097. [3] Hess M., P. Koepke, I. Schult (1998), Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 79, 831-844. [4] Srivastava R., S. Ramachandran (2012), Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 138, doi:10.1002/qj.1958.