On the Relationship Between Aerosol and Boundary Layer Height in Summer in China Under Different Thermodynamic Conditions
Abstract The observed relationships between boundary layer height (BLH) and PM2.5 on a national scale remain unclear due to the dearth of observations. Here we investigated this relationship from a unique perspective of thermodynamic stability in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), using summertime...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Earth and Space Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EA000620 |
| _version_ | 1819160302620508160 |
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| author | Mengyun Lou Jianping Guo Lingling Wang Hui Xu Dandan Chen Yucong Miao Yanmin Lv Yuan Li Xiaoran Guo Shuangliang Ma Jian Li |
| author_facet | Mengyun Lou Jianping Guo Lingling Wang Hui Xu Dandan Chen Yucong Miao Yanmin Lv Yuan Li Xiaoran Guo Shuangliang Ma Jian Li |
| author_sort | Mengyun Lou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The observed relationships between boundary layer height (BLH) and PM2.5 on a national scale remain unclear due to the dearth of observations. Here we investigated this relationship from a unique perspective of thermodynamic stability in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), using summertime (June–August) soundings from China for the period from 2014 to 2017. For all three times of soundings (0800, 1400, and 2000 Beijing time [BJT]), positive (negative) PM2.5 concentrations anomalies were found to correlate with negative (positive) BLHs anomalies relative to daily means. The negative correlation was strongest at 1400 BJT, followed by 2000 BJT and 0800 BJT. Overall, the PM2.5 was found to nonuniformly anticorrelate with BLH across China at 0800 and 2000 BJT. The strongest anticorrelation occurred in the North China Plain at 1400 BJT, in sharp contrast to the much weaker correlation in other regions characterized by much less polluted regions. The averaged PM2.5 in neutral boundary layers was higher than that in convective boundary layers (CBLs). The CBL, where the anticorrelation was the strongest, was conducive to dissipating more aerosol in the heavily polluted area in China than neutral boundary layer. The higher CBL formed under low cloud cover, low surface humidity, and strong wind speed was favorable for the dispersion of aerosol, in contrast to the stable boundary layers that happen under the highest cloud cover. Also, positive correlation was seen between stable boundary layer and PM2.5. The findings call for attention that the thermodynamical condition of PBL should be considered when examining the aerosol‐PBL interactions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T16:54:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6e799904c32a4c039f1da6191495e64f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2333-5084 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T16:54:18Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth and Space Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-6e799904c32a4c039f1da6191495e64f2022-12-21T18:19:30ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Earth and Space Science2333-50842019-05-016588790110.1029/2019EA000620On the Relationship Between Aerosol and Boundary Layer Height in Summer in China Under Different Thermodynamic ConditionsMengyun Lou0Jianping Guo1Lingling Wang2Hui Xu3Dandan Chen4Yucong Miao5Yanmin Lv6Yuan Li7Xiaoran Guo8Shuangliang Ma9Jian Li10State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing ChinaHenan Environmental Monitoring Center Zhengzhou ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing ChinaHenan Environmental Monitoring Center Zhengzhou ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing ChinaAbstract The observed relationships between boundary layer height (BLH) and PM2.5 on a national scale remain unclear due to the dearth of observations. Here we investigated this relationship from a unique perspective of thermodynamic stability in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), using summertime (June–August) soundings from China for the period from 2014 to 2017. For all three times of soundings (0800, 1400, and 2000 Beijing time [BJT]), positive (negative) PM2.5 concentrations anomalies were found to correlate with negative (positive) BLHs anomalies relative to daily means. The negative correlation was strongest at 1400 BJT, followed by 2000 BJT and 0800 BJT. Overall, the PM2.5 was found to nonuniformly anticorrelate with BLH across China at 0800 and 2000 BJT. The strongest anticorrelation occurred in the North China Plain at 1400 BJT, in sharp contrast to the much weaker correlation in other regions characterized by much less polluted regions. The averaged PM2.5 in neutral boundary layers was higher than that in convective boundary layers (CBLs). The CBL, where the anticorrelation was the strongest, was conducive to dissipating more aerosol in the heavily polluted area in China than neutral boundary layer. The higher CBL formed under low cloud cover, low surface humidity, and strong wind speed was favorable for the dispersion of aerosol, in contrast to the stable boundary layers that happen under the highest cloud cover. Also, positive correlation was seen between stable boundary layer and PM2.5. The findings call for attention that the thermodynamical condition of PBL should be considered when examining the aerosol‐PBL interactions.https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EA000620planetary boundary layeraerosolthermodynamic stabilityradiosondeChina |
| spellingShingle | Mengyun Lou Jianping Guo Lingling Wang Hui Xu Dandan Chen Yucong Miao Yanmin Lv Yuan Li Xiaoran Guo Shuangliang Ma Jian Li On the Relationship Between Aerosol and Boundary Layer Height in Summer in China Under Different Thermodynamic Conditions Earth and Space Science planetary boundary layer aerosol thermodynamic stability radiosonde China |
| title | On the Relationship Between Aerosol and Boundary Layer Height in Summer in China Under Different Thermodynamic Conditions |
| title_full | On the Relationship Between Aerosol and Boundary Layer Height in Summer in China Under Different Thermodynamic Conditions |
| title_fullStr | On the Relationship Between Aerosol and Boundary Layer Height in Summer in China Under Different Thermodynamic Conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the Relationship Between Aerosol and Boundary Layer Height in Summer in China Under Different Thermodynamic Conditions |
| title_short | On the Relationship Between Aerosol and Boundary Layer Height in Summer in China Under Different Thermodynamic Conditions |
| title_sort | on the relationship between aerosol and boundary layer height in summer in china under different thermodynamic conditions |
| topic | planetary boundary layer aerosol thermodynamic stability radiosonde China |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EA000620 |
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