Long-term variations of aerosol optical depth and aerosol radiative forcing over Iran based on satellite and AERONET data

Abstract

In this study, three different sensors of satellites including the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) were used to study spatial and temporal variations of aerosols over ten populated cities in Iran. Also, the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was used for analyzing the origins of air masses and their trajectory in the area. An increasing trend in aerosol concentration was observed in the most studied cities in Iran during 1979-2016. The cities in the western part of Iran had the highest annual mean of aerosol concentration. The highest aerosol optical depth (AOD) value (0.76 ± 0.51) was recorded in May 2012 over Ahvaz, and the lowest value (0.035 ± 0.27) was recorded in December 2013 over Tabriz. After Ahvaz, the highest AOD value was found over Tehran (annual mean 0.11 ± 0.20). The results show that AOD increases with increasing industrial activities, but the increased frequency of aerosols due to land degradation and desertification is more powerful in Iran. The trajectory analysis by the HYSPLIT model showed that the air masses come from Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon and passed over the Iraq and then reached to Iran during summer. Aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) has been analyzed for Zanjan (Aerosol Robotic Network site) during 2010-2013. The ARF at surface and top of the atmosphere was found to be ranging from - 79 to - 10W m (average - 33.45 W m) and from - 25 to 6 W m (average - 12.80 W m), respectively.

Historical (1850–2014) Aerosol Evolution and Role on Climate Forcing Using the GISS ModelE2.1 Contribution to CMIP6

“…Especially over the last two decades when the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instruments started orbiting Earth, a wealth of information has become available, which helped us promote our understanding of aerosol occurrence and evolution in the Earth's atmosphere (Alfaro-Contreras et al, 2017;Fan et al, 2018;Hu et al, 2018;Levy et al, 2010Levy et al, , 2013Levy et al, , 2015Oikawa et al, 2018;Sayer et al, 2014). Through those studies, the emission-control measures that led to the cleaning of air over the United States and Europe, together with the pollution increase that followed the explosion of industrial activity in South and East Asia, quickly became apparent (Adesina et al, 2016;Aklesso et al, 2018;Arkian & Nicholson, 2017;Boiyo et al, 2018;Floutsi et al, 2016;Gopal et al, 2016;He et al, 2016;Jongeward et al, 2016;Kumar et al, 2018;Mehta et al, 2018;Shokr et al, 2017;Wang et al, 2017Wang et al, , 2016Xu et al, 2015). As such satellite-retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) can be used for trend studies, changes in clear-sky shortwave radiative fluxes constrained by the observed variability in outgoing shortwave radiation from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) can be used to look at radiative flux trends over the past two decades (Paulot et al, 2018).…”

Satellite-based prediction of surface dust mass concentration in southeastern Iran using an intelligent approach

“…Dust bowl-like storms have a significant socio-environmental impact in Iran (Salami et al, 2021). Several studies investigated short-and long-term AOD patterns over Iran (Arkian & Nicholson, 2018, Sabetghadam et al, 2018, Salami et al, 2021, Yousefi et al, 2020. Nearly all these studies pinpoint the province of Khuzestan as the region with the highest dust concentration.…”

Synoptic analysis of the most durable pollution and clean waves during 2009–2019 in Tehran City (capital of Iran)

“…Simultaneously, pollutant particles produced by industry as well as light and heavy vehicles in Tehran City also reduced air quality and caused emergence of durable pollution wave. In fact, in most of the study days, trajectory route of particle entrance was formed by an anticyclone that corresponded to a huge ridge caused by a penetrating subtropical anticyclone system that led to transition of flow from dry adjacent areas to parts of Iran like Tehran City (Ashrafi et al 2014;Arkian and Nicholson 2018;Ranjbar-Saadatabadi and Azizi 2012).…”