Abstract.With the rapid development of the economy, the sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emission from China since 2000 is of increasing concern. In this study, we estimate the annual SO 2 emission in China after 2000 using a technology-based methodology specifically for China. From 2000 to 2006, total SO 2 emission in China increased by 53%, from 21.7 Tg to 33.2 Tg, at an annual growth rate of 7.3%. Emissions from power plants are the main sources of SO 2 in China and they increased from 10.6 Tg to 18.6 Tg in the same period. Geographically, emission from north China increased by 85%, whereas that from the south increased by only 28%. The emission growth rate slowed around 2005, and emissions began to decrease after 2006 mainly due to the wide application of flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) devices in power plants in response to a new policy of China's government. This paper shows that the trend of estimated SO 2 emission in China is consistent with the trends of SO 2 concentration and acid rain pH and frequency in China, as well as with the increasing trends of background SO 2 and sulfate concentration in East Asia. A longitudinal gradient in the percentage change of urban SO 2 concentration in Japan is found during 2000-2007, indicating that the decrease of urban SO 2 is lower in areas close to the Asian continent. This implies that the transport of increasing SO 2 from the Asian continent partially counteracts the local reduction of SO 2 emission downwind. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) products of Moderate ResoluCorrespondence to: Z. Lu (zlu@anl.gov) tion Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are found to be highly correlated with the surface solar radiation (SSR) measurements in East Asia. Using MODIS AOD data as a surrogate of SSR, we found that China and East Asia excluding Japan underwent a continuous dimming after 2000, which is in line with the dramatic increase in SO 2 emission in East Asia. The trends of AOD from both satellite retrievals and model over East Asia are also consistent with the trend of SO 2 emission in China, especially during the second half of the year, when sulfur contributes the largest fraction of AOD. The arrested growth in SO 2 emissions since 2006 is also reflected in the decreasing trends of SO 2 and SO 2− 4 concentrations, acid rain pH values and frequencies, and AOD over East Asia.

Abstract. Aerosol variations and trends over different land and ocean regions from 1980 to 2009 are analyzed with the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model and observations from multiple satellite sensors and available ground-based networks. Excluding time periods with large volcanic influence, aerosol optical depth (AOD) and surface concentration over polluted land regions generally vary with anthropogenic emissions, but the magnitude of this association can be dampened by the presence of natural aerosols, especially dust. Over the 30-year period in this study, the largest reduction in aerosol levels occurs over Europe, where AOD has decreased by 40–60% on average and surface sulfate concentrations have declined by a factor of up to 3–4. In contrast, East Asia and South Asia show AOD increases, but the relatively high level of dust aerosols in Asia reduces the correlation between AOD and pollutant emission trends. Over major dust source regions, model analysis indicates that the change of dust emissions over the Sahara and Sahel has been predominantly driven by the change of near-surface wind speed, but over Central Asia it has been largely influenced by the change of the surface wetness. The decreasing dust trend in the North African dust outflow region of the tropical North Atlantic and the receptor sites of Barbados and Miami is closely associated with an increase of the sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic. This temperature increase may drive the decrease of the wind velocity over North Africa, which reduces the dust emission, and the increase of precipitation over the tropical North Atlantic, which enhances dust removal during transport. Despite significant trends over some major continental source regions, the model-calculated global annual average AOD shows little change over land and ocean in the past three decades, because opposite trends in different land regions cancel each other out in the global average, and changes over large open oceans are negligible. This highlights the necessity for regional-scale assessment of aerosols and their climate impacts, as global-scale average values can obscure important regional changes.

With the rapid development of the economy, the sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission from China since 2000 is of increasing concern. In this study, we estimate the annual SO₂ emission in China after 2000 using a technology-based methodology specifically for China. From 2000 to 2006, total SO₂ emission in China increased by 53%, from 21.7 Tg to 33.2 Tg, at an annual growth rate of 7.3%. Emissions from power plants are the main sources of SO₂ in China and they increased from 10.6 Tg to 18.6 Tg in the same period. Geographically, emission from north China increased by 85%, whereas that from the south increased by only 28%. The emission growth rate slowed around 2005, and emissions began to decrease after 2006 mainly due to the wide application of Flue-Gas Desulfurization (FGD) devices in power plants in response to a new policy of China's government. This paper shows that the trend of estimated SO₂ emission in China is consistent with the trends of SO₂ concentration and acid rain pH and frequency in China, as well as with the increasing trends of background SO₂ and sulfate concentration in East Asia. A longitudinal gradient in the percentage change of urban SO₂ concentration in Japan is found during 2000–2007, indicating that the decrease of urban SO₂ is lower in areas close to the Asian continent. This implies that the transport of increasing SO₂ from the Asian continent partially counteracts the local reduction of SO₂ emission downwind. The Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) products of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are found to be highly correlated with the Surface Solar Radiation (SSR) measurements in East Asia. Using MODIS AOD data as a surrogate of SSR, we found that China and East Asia excluding Japan underwent a continuous dimming after 2000, which is in line with the dramatic increase in SO₂ emission in East Asia. The trends of AOD from both satellite retrievals and model over East Asia are also consistent with the trend of SO₂ emission in China, especially during the second half of the year, when sulfur contributes the largest fraction of AOD. The arrested growth in SO₂ emissions since 2006 is also reflected in the decreasing trends of SO₂ and SO₄^2− concentrations, acid rain pH values and frequencies, and AOD over East Asia

Abstract. The Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) has been collecting data over the oceans since November 2006. Over 80 cruises were completed through early 2010 with deployments continuing. Measurement areas included various parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Northern and Southern Pacific Ocean, the South Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and inland seas. MAN deploys Microtops handheld sunphotometers and utilizes a calibration procedure and data processing traceable to AERONET. Data collection included areas that previously had no aerosol optical depth (AOD) coverage at all, particularly vast areas of the Southern Ocean. The MAN data archive provides a valuable resource for aerosol studies in maritime environments. In the current paper we present results of AOD measurements over the oceans, and make a comparison with satellite AOD retrievals and model simulations.