Exploring the Spatiotemporal Variation in Light-Absorbing Aerosols and Its Relationship with Meteorology over the Hindukush–Himalaya–Karakoram Region
Light-absorbing aerosols such as black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), and dust can cause the warming and melting of glaciers by absorbing sunlight. Further research is needed to understand the impact of light-absorbing aerosols on the Hindukush–Karakoram–Himalaya region in northern Pakistan. Ther...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-05-01
|
| Series: | Remote Sensing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/10/2527 |
| _version_ | 1797598465981677568 |
|---|---|
| author | Syed Shakeel Ahmad Shah Zhongwei Huang Ehtiram ul Haq Khan Alam |
| author_facet | Syed Shakeel Ahmad Shah Zhongwei Huang Ehtiram ul Haq Khan Alam |
| author_sort | Syed Shakeel Ahmad Shah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Light-absorbing aerosols such as black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), and dust can cause the warming and melting of glaciers by absorbing sunlight. Further research is needed to understand the impact of light-absorbing aerosols on the Hindukush–Karakoram–Himalaya region in northern Pakistan. Therefore, spatiotemporal variation in absorbing surface mass concentration retrieved from Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, optical properties such as aerosol optical depth (AOD) and absorption aerosol optical depth (AAOD) from the ozone monitoring instrument, and meteorological parameters from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis were investigated over northern Pakistan from 2001 to 2021. The BC concentration was lowest in May and highest in November, having a seasonal maximum peak in winter (0.31 ± 0.04 µg/m<sup>3</sup>) and minimum peak in spring (0.17 ± 0.01 µg/m<sup>3</sup>). In addition, OC concentration was found to be greater in November and smaller in April, with a seasonal higher peak in autumn (1.32 ± 0.32 µg/m<sup>3</sup>) and a lower peak in spring (0.73 ± 0.08 µg/m<sup>3</sup>). The monthly and seasonal variabilities in BC and OC concentrations are attributed to solid fuels, biomass burning, changes in vegetation, agricultural activities, and meteorology. In contrast, the dust concentration was high in July and low in December, with a seasonal average high concentration in summer (44 ± 9 µg/m<sup>3</sup>) and low concentration in winter (13 ± 2 µg/m<sup>3</sup>) due to drier conditions, dust activity, long-range transport, and human activities. Moreover, the seasonal variation in AOD and AAOD was identical and higher in the summer and lower in the winter due to dust aerosol loading and frequent dust activities. AOD and AAOD followed a similar pattern of spatial variation over the study area. Meteorological parameters greatly impact light-absorbing aerosols; therefore, low temperatures in winter increase BC and OC concentrations due to shallow boundary layers, while severe precipitation in spring decreases concentrations. During summer, dry conditions cause soil erosion and increase the amount of dust suspended in the atmosphere, leading to higher AOD and AAOD values. Conversely, higher precipitation rates and speedy winds disperse the dust aerosols in winter, resulting in lower AOD and AAOD values. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:22:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8903a9a471a3481f9e987f71dc9376a6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:22:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-8903a9a471a3481f9e987f71dc9376a62023-11-18T03:06:23ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922023-05-011510252710.3390/rs15102527Exploring the Spatiotemporal Variation in Light-Absorbing Aerosols and Its Relationship with Meteorology over the Hindukush–Himalaya–Karakoram RegionSyed Shakeel Ahmad Shah0Zhongwei Huang1Ehtiram ul Haq2Khan Alam3Department of Physics, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanCollaborative Innovation Centre for Western Ecological Safety, College of Atmospheric Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaDepartment of Physics, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanDepartment of Physics, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanLight-absorbing aerosols such as black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), and dust can cause the warming and melting of glaciers by absorbing sunlight. Further research is needed to understand the impact of light-absorbing aerosols on the Hindukush–Karakoram–Himalaya region in northern Pakistan. Therefore, spatiotemporal variation in absorbing surface mass concentration retrieved from Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, optical properties such as aerosol optical depth (AOD) and absorption aerosol optical depth (AAOD) from the ozone monitoring instrument, and meteorological parameters from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis were investigated over northern Pakistan from 2001 to 2021. The BC concentration was lowest in May and highest in November, having a seasonal maximum peak in winter (0.31 ± 0.04 µg/m<sup>3</sup>) and minimum peak in spring (0.17 ± 0.01 µg/m<sup>3</sup>). In addition, OC concentration was found to be greater in November and smaller in April, with a seasonal higher peak in autumn (1.32 ± 0.32 µg/m<sup>3</sup>) and a lower peak in spring (0.73 ± 0.08 µg/m<sup>3</sup>). The monthly and seasonal variabilities in BC and OC concentrations are attributed to solid fuels, biomass burning, changes in vegetation, agricultural activities, and meteorology. In contrast, the dust concentration was high in July and low in December, with a seasonal average high concentration in summer (44 ± 9 µg/m<sup>3</sup>) and low concentration in winter (13 ± 2 µg/m<sup>3</sup>) due to drier conditions, dust activity, long-range transport, and human activities. Moreover, the seasonal variation in AOD and AAOD was identical and higher in the summer and lower in the winter due to dust aerosol loading and frequent dust activities. AOD and AAOD followed a similar pattern of spatial variation over the study area. Meteorological parameters greatly impact light-absorbing aerosols; therefore, low temperatures in winter increase BC and OC concentrations due to shallow boundary layers, while severe precipitation in spring decreases concentrations. During summer, dry conditions cause soil erosion and increase the amount of dust suspended in the atmosphere, leading to higher AOD and AAOD values. Conversely, higher precipitation rates and speedy winds disperse the dust aerosols in winter, resulting in lower AOD and AAOD values.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/10/2527light-absorbing aerosolssurface mass concentrationoptical propertiescorrelationnorthern Pakistan |
| spellingShingle | Syed Shakeel Ahmad Shah Zhongwei Huang Ehtiram ul Haq Khan Alam Exploring the Spatiotemporal Variation in Light-Absorbing Aerosols and Its Relationship with Meteorology over the Hindukush–Himalaya–Karakoram Region Remote Sensing light-absorbing aerosols surface mass concentration optical properties correlation northern Pakistan |
| title | Exploring the Spatiotemporal Variation in Light-Absorbing Aerosols and Its Relationship with Meteorology over the Hindukush–Himalaya–Karakoram Region |
| title_full | Exploring the Spatiotemporal Variation in Light-Absorbing Aerosols and Its Relationship with Meteorology over the Hindukush–Himalaya–Karakoram Region |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Spatiotemporal Variation in Light-Absorbing Aerosols and Its Relationship with Meteorology over the Hindukush–Himalaya–Karakoram Region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Spatiotemporal Variation in Light-Absorbing Aerosols and Its Relationship with Meteorology over the Hindukush–Himalaya–Karakoram Region |
| title_short | Exploring the Spatiotemporal Variation in Light-Absorbing Aerosols and Its Relationship with Meteorology over the Hindukush–Himalaya–Karakoram Region |
| title_sort | exploring the spatiotemporal variation in light absorbing aerosols and its relationship with meteorology over the hindukush himalaya karakoram region |
| topic | light-absorbing aerosols surface mass concentration optical properties correlation northern Pakistan |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/10/2527 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT syedshakeelahmadshah exploringthespatiotemporalvariationinlightabsorbingaerosolsanditsrelationshipwithmeteorologyoverthehindukushhimalayakarakoramregion AT zhongweihuang exploringthespatiotemporalvariationinlightabsorbingaerosolsanditsrelationshipwithmeteorologyoverthehindukushhimalayakarakoramregion AT ehtiramulhaq exploringthespatiotemporalvariationinlightabsorbingaerosolsanditsrelationshipwithmeteorologyoverthehindukushhimalayakarakoramregion AT khanalam exploringthespatiotemporalvariationinlightabsorbingaerosolsanditsrelationshipwithmeteorologyoverthehindukushhimalayakarakoramregion |