CALIPSO and MODIS Satellite Studies on the Optical

Properties of Aerosols over Palampur

Abstract:

Aerosol movement over Palampur is examined in detail, as is the comparison of

satellite retrievals with ground-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) observations for
use in LiDAR ratio (LR) estimates and boundary layer (BL) height determination.
Over the Manora peak (29.36° N, 79.46°E), we perform a quantitative analysis of the
AOD retrievals from the most recent level-2 data collections (C5.1 and C6.0) of
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard Aqua and Terra
satellites and Cloud-Aerosol LiDAR and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations
(CALIPSO) versions (4.10 and 3). Dust aerosols with a PDR value>0.1 in B1 and B2
are the one constant that may be seen across all altitude bands between May and
August. The CR values reveal a hierarchy between three distinct height bands: B0 >
B2 > B1.

Keywords: CALIPSO, MODIS, Optical Properties, Aerosols, Palampur

Introduction:

Particles in the atmosphere called aerosols range in size from about 0.01 to 100 nm
and have a wide variety of physical, chemical, and visual properties. The effects of
aerosols on the climate, the quality of the atmosphere, human health, and related
issues are significant (Kaiser and Granmar 2005; Kaufman et al. 2002; Kulmala et al.
2013; Lelieveld et al. 2015; Sun and Ariya 2006). The earth-air radiation budget is
affected by aerosols due to their ability to scatter or absorb solar radiation, which in
turn affects the radiation balance of the earth system (Butt et al. 2016; Dubovik et al.
2012). Aerosols' optical and physical features are unstable because their geographical
and temporal distribution is very variable. Hence, in order to investigate the features
of aerosols, long-term monitoring of aerosols is essential (Bilal et al. 2014; Misra et
al. 2008). Haze, dust, and other forms of severe weather are all made up of aerosols,
which are a key contributor to environmental pollution. Exploring aerosols furthers
our knowledge of their environmental effects and gives policymakers theoretical
backing for enacting protective measures (Development 2014; Edenhofer and Seyboth
2013; Gong et al. 2015; Magistrale 1992; Tie et al. 2009; Zhang et al. 2014a).

The aerosol optical depth (AOD) is the primary determinant in describing

atmospheric turbidity and determining the climatic effect of particles since it is the
most fundamental optical characteristic parameter of atmospheric aerosols (Zhang et
al. 2014b). The AOD is a common tool for researching the effects of aerosols on local
climates and atmospheric patterns of temporal and geographical variation (Kang et al.
2016; Rosenfeld 2000). At present, remote sensing datasets from both satellites and
the ground are used extensively in AOD studies. Although ground-based remote
sensing yields very precise aerosol data, it does so at a scale where it is impossible to
collect information on the spatial distribution of aerosol characteristics over wide
regions (Che et al. 2015; Ming et al. 2017). The moderate resolution imaging
spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard on Terra and Aqua satellites uses passive remote
sensing to obtain AOD retrievals over large areas, making up for the deficiency that
the ground observation data cannot represent the spatial distribution and the overall
trend of aerosol changes. Furthermore, the cloud-aerosol lidar with orthogonal
polarisation (CALIOP) on board the active lidar remote sensing satellite CALIPSO
(cloud-aerosol lidar and infrared pathfinder satellite observation) provides not only
large-scale, planar aerosol optical properties products but also three-dimensional
spatial and temporal information of the aerosol vertical distribution. This gives us an
effective method for more thoroughly collecting data on the optical and physical
properties of aerosols (Kato et al. 2012; Yu et al. 2015).

Material and Methods:

Aerosol vertical profile climate studies were conducted over Palampur. Aerosol
vertical profile site, Aerosol optical depth spatial variation, atmospheric stability, and
atmospheric radiative forcing have all been examined in relation to seasonal and
diurnal changes. The backscatter coefficient, extinction coefficient, color ratio, and
depolarization ratio vertical profiles were analyzed for the years 2007 to 2016. In
 addition, calculations of the Extinction Lapse Rate (ELR) and short-wave direct
atmospheric radiative forcing (SWADRF) have been performed.

Result

Seasonal Variation of the Backscatter Coefficient Profile at 532nm

Particle backscatter coefficient at 532 nm measured from 2007 to 2016 is shown in

Figure 1. Mean backscatter coefficient (MBC) values shift from 0.003x 10-2 to 0.008
km-1sr-1 in the summer, to 0.002 x 10-2 to 0.010 km-1sr-1 in the monsoon, to 0.004 x
10-2 to 0.009 km-1sr-1 in the fall, and to 0.003 x 10-2 to 0.006 km-1sr -1 in the winter.
Figure 1(b) shows that throughout the summer, enhanced aerosol layers may be seen
between 5.5 and 6 kilometres high, with an MBC of 0.0023 0.0020 km-1sr-1, and
between 6-7 kilometres high, with an MBC of 0.009 0.0008 km-1sr -1. The low
temperatures and limited solar radiation of winter are to blame for the low values of
the backscatter coefficient in the high-altitude region compared to other seasons.

Figure 1: Mean Aerosol Backscatter Coefficient (a) day and (b) night time at
532nm in the period 2007 to 2016 period

Seasonal Variation of Backscatter Coefficient Profile at 1064nm

Seasonal shifts in aerosol backscatter coefficient at 1064nm throughout the day and
night are shown in Figure 2(a) and (b) for the observation period 2007–2016. The
MBC at 1064 nm ranges from 0.004x 10-2 to 0.009 km-1sr -1 in the summer, to 0.006
x 10-2 to 0.008 km-1sr-1 in the monsoon, to 0.005 x 10-2 to 0.008 km -1sr-1 in the fall,
and to 0.008 x 10-2 to 0.1 km-1sr -1 in the winter. The 5.5–6 km and 6-7 km altitude
ranges were found to have the higher aerosol layers. All four seasons had a peak in
aerosol loading below 2 km in height. Fire occurrence statistics suggest that regional
sources, such as biomass burning, contribute to the high levels of aerosols below 2
kilometres above ground during the autumn season.

Figure 2: Mean Aerosol Backscatter Coefficient during (a) day and (b) night
time at 1064nm for the period 2007 to 2016

Seasonal Variation of Colour Ratio Profile

Figure 3 displays the high CR values reported at distances between 5 and 7 km, which
are ascribed to coarse particle sizes (b). Over the year, the average color ratio was
somewhere between 0.29 and 5.67, 1.3 and 3.4, 0.07 and 6.81, and 0.27 and 4.11.
Significant vertical mixing and long-range transmission may account for the big-size
 particles seen at high altitudes.

As can be seen in Figure 3(a), the average color ratio throughout the day changes
from 0.08 to 8.45 during the summer, 0.01 to 3.84 during the monsoon, 0.01 to 4.51
in the fall, and 0.07 to 6.21 in the winter. Figure 3(b) displays the nighttime readings
for the same time frame. Summer and fall tend to have the highest CR values because
of long-distance aerosol transfer.

Figure 3: Mean Color ratio profile during (a) day and (b) night time at 532nm
for the period 2007 to 2016

Seasonal Variation of Depolarization Ratio Profile

Daytime and nighttime mean vertical variations in depolarization ratio values during a
10-year period (2007-2016) are shown in Figure 4. Inferring the sphericity of aerosol
particles from their depolarization. Particle depolarization ratio (PDR) averaged
between 0.07 and 0.57 during the summer, 0.05 and 0.60 during the monsoon, 0.11
and 0.62 during the fall, and 0.07 and 0.73 during the winter. Dust in the summer's
upper aerosol layers may be to blame for the region's higher PDR readings below 2
 km. The PDR value was determined to be 0.1 at distances less than 2 km during the
Monsoon season. The aerosol particles' hygroscopic expansion may be to blame. In
the summer, non-spherical particles contribute heavily to the high PDR value reported
in the 3- 4 km range.

Figure 4: Mean Particle Depolarization ratio profile during (a) day and (b)
night-time at 532nm for the period from 2007 to 2016

Altitudinal variation of the Backscatter coefficient at 532nm

From 2006 to 2017, we analyzed the aerosol backscatter coefficient fluctuation at

three different altitude bands (B0, B1, and B2): 0.45-1 km, 1- 2 km, and 2-5 km
(Figure 5). The average integrated aerosol backscatter coefficient was measured to be
(0.950.35) x 102 km-1sr-1 at altitude bin B0, (0.530.17) x 102 km-1sr-1 at altitude bin
B1, and (0.220.11) x 102 km-1sr-1 at altitude bin B2. The correct sequence is B0 >> B1
>> B2. We have seen the same seasonal trend across all the months and elevation
levels. Mean backscatter values were observed to decrease throughout the Monsoon
season in the B0 and B1 altitude bands; this trend may be attributable to the removal
of aerosols. Except for November and February, maximum aerosol concentration was
seen below 1km height in all other months.
 Figure 5: Monthly variability of aerosol backscatter coefficient at three different
altitudinal bins during the observation period (2007-2016) at 532nm

Altitudinal Variation of Depolarization Ratio at 532nm

Figure 6 displays the results of averaging the daytime and nighttime readings to get
the mean PDR at 532nm, which was determined to be 0.40.19, 0.25 0.09, and 0.33
0.11. B0> B2 > B1 is the correct order for the values. In all years, the PDR values
from November to January indicate the presence of aerosols from biomass burning.
Dust aerosols with a PDR value>0.1 in B1 and B2 are the one constant that may be
seen across all altitude bands between May and August. The presence of
hygroscopically formed particles may account for the drop in PDR values seen
between June and August.

Figure 6: Monthly variation of PDR for the three different altitudes bins during
the observation period (2007-2016)

Altitudinal Variation of Colour Ratio Profile

In altitude bins B0, B1, and B2, the average color ratio was 1.07, 0.87 0.73, and 1.09
0.48 (Figure 7). According to the CR values, the sequence of the three levels of
altitude is B0 > B2 > B1. May had the highest CR values of any month over the whole
observation period, across all altitude bands.

Figure 7: Monthly variation of averaged CR at 532nm for the three different

altitudes bins during the observation period (2007-2016)

Discussion:

Mehta et al. (2017) indicate the presence of higher aerosol layers with relatively high
MBC values across the central Himalayan area in the summer. In addition, high
aerosol loading was detected in the 0-to-2-kilometre height region throughout all
observational seasons.

During the Monsoon, researchers found that the 2 km altitude band had a rather high
aerosol loading. During the Monsoon season, aerosol loading in the upper atmosphere
is seen to rise significantly. The impact of the Monsoon winds is responsible for this
(Kumar et al., 2015). During the Monsoon season, aerosol loading may have been
significantly influenced by the strong convective activity.

Long-distance transport and vigorous vertical mixing are responsible for the increased
concentration of aerosols at higher altitudes in the summer. During the Monsoon
season, researchers saw higher aerosol layers above the cloud. This might be because
of the intense convective activity that occurs during the Monsoon (Kumar et al.,
2015).
 Wintertime's increased CR readings at 2 km above sea level may be attributable to
aerosols from the nearby settlement of Palampur (Kaushal et al., 2017).

Particle size in aerosols may be estimated using the color ratio (CR) (Lu et al., 2017).
In the fall, a significant CR is seen at lower altitudes, which may be caused by coarse-
sized particles produced from regional sources. Larger particles that have developed
hygroscopically are to blame for the increased CR readings seen during the Monsoon
(Sinclair et al., 1974).

In February, the average backscatter value is found to be lowest in the B0 and B2

altitude ranges as a result of a persistent boundary layer that descends across the
landscape. Over the High-altitude location, this is a typical dynamic (Babu et al.,
2011).

The high relative humidity at lower altitudes in November and December may cause
hygroscopic development of the aerosol particles, resulting in bigger particles. Dust
particles with a CR>0.5 were mostly recorded between 1 and 2 kilometres in altitude
and had a PDR value of about 0.15 from March through August. As reported by (A.
K. Mishra and Shibata, 2012).

Conclusion:

In the summer, researchers saw heightened aerosol layers between 5 and 7 kilometres
above the ground. In the summer and fall, when absorbing aerosols are more
prevalent, a substantial backscatter is measured. In every season, the region between 0
and 2 kilometres in height had the highest aerosol loading. In the summer, dust
aerosols within the 2 km altitude range are likely due to the high PDR and CR values.
In the altitudinal variation, low mixing height in the winter is responsible for
decreased backscatter values in the 2-5km range. Most of our PDR observations of
biomass-burning aerosol have been made between 2 and 5 kilometres in height
throughout the winter and fall seasons.

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