 Subjects -> METEOROLOGY (Total: 106 journals)
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- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 473: A Study of Two High Intensity Fires across
Corsican Shrubland
Authors: Jacky Fayad, Frédéric Morandini, Gilbert Accary, François-Joseph Chatelon, Clément Wandon, Antoine Burglin, Lucile Rossi, Thierry Marcelli, Dominique Cancellieri, Valérie Cancellieri, Dominique Morvan, Sofiane Meradji, Antoine Pieri, Gilles Planelles, René Costantini, Patrice Briot, Jean-Louis Rossi
First page: 473
Abstract: This paper reports two experimental fires conducted at field-scale in Corsica, across a particular mountain shrubland. The orientation of the experimental plots was chosen in such a way that the wind was aligned along the main slope direction in order to obtain a high intensity fire. The first objective was to study the high intensity fire behavior by evaluating the propagation conditions related to its speed and intensity, as well as the geometry of the fire front and its impact on different targets. Therefore, an experimental protocol was designed to determine the properties of the fire spread using UAV cameras and its impact using heat flux gauges. Another objective was to study these experiments numerically using a fully physical fire model, namely FireStar3D. Numerical results concerning the fire dynamics, particularly the ROS, were also compared to other predictions of the FireStar2D model. The comparison with experimental measurements showed the robustness of the 3D approach with a maximum difference of 5.2% for the head fire ROS. The fire intensities obtained revealed that these experiments are representative of high intensity fires, which are very difficult to control in the case of real wildfires. Other parameters investigated numerically (flame geometry and heat fluxes) were also in fairly good agreement with the experimental measurements and confirm the capacity of FireStar3D to predict surface fires of high intensity.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-27
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030473
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 475: Predicting Air Quality from Measured and
Forecast Meteorological Data: A Case Study in Southern Italy
Authors: Andrea Tateo, Vincenzo Campanaro, Nicola Amoroso, Loredana Bellantuono, Alfonso Monaco, Ester Pantaleo, Rosaria Rinaldi, Tommaso Maggipinto
First page: 475
Abstract: A great deal of attention has been devoted to the analysis of particulate matter (PM) concentrations in various scenarios because of their negative effects on human health. Here, we investigate how meteorological conditions can affect PM concentrations in the peculiar case of the district of the city of Lecce in the Apulia region (Southern Italy), which is characterized by the highest tumor rate of the whole region despite the absence of nearby heavy industries. We present a unified machine learning framework which combines air quality and meteorological data, either measured on ground or forecast. Our findings show that the concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and CO are significantly associated with the meteorological conditions and suggest that it is possible to predict air quality using either ground weather observations or weather forecasts.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-27
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030475
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 476: Characterization of Soot Loading and
Filtration Efficiency of a Gasoline Particulate Filter with Photoacoustic
Sensor and Particle Number Counting Systems
Authors: Kazuki Nakamura, Yuta Sugaya, Kyohei Yamaguchi, Jin Kusaka, Michael Arndt, Christos Dardiotis
First page: 476
Abstract: An optimum operation of a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) for a gasoline direct injection vehicle in terms of its performance of pressure drop, soot loading, and filtration efficiency becomes inevitable to fulfill upcoming emission regulations. This paper proposes a methodology to characterize the GPF performance for validation of simulation models for more precise operation strategies along with future legislative requirements. The feasibility was examined through experiments of miniature GPF samples using a synthetic particle generator. Firstly, permeability of the GPF walls was estimated to be 6.9 ± 1.5 × 10−13 m2 by a flow resistance descriptor model, which was in good agreement with its pore structure. Secondly, photoacoustic sensor systems indicated soot accumulation inside the GPFs in real time thanks to linear correlations between sensor signals and soot mass concentrations in exhaust. Thirdly, particle number counting systems compliant with respective regulatory technical requirements exhibited time-resolved filtration efficiencies of the GPFs in conjunction with solid particle number emissions whose diameter was larger than 10 nm and 23 nm. The filtration efficiencies at a clean state of the GPF were 0.78 and 0.77, respectively. The slight difference could be explained by Brownian diffusion and interception for particle filtration.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030476
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 477: Investigation of Spatiotemporal Variation
and Drivers of Aerosol Optical Depth in China from 2010 to 2020
Authors: Yiting Wang, Lixiang Yang, Donghui Xie, Yuhao Hu, Di Cao, Haiyang Huang, Dan Zhao
First page: 477
Abstract: China has experienced rapid economic growth and serious control of aerosol emissions in the past decade. Thus, the spatiotemporal variations and driving factors of aerosol optical depth (AOD) are urgently needed to evaluate the effectiveness of aerosol control activities. The innovation of this study is a detailed spatial and temporal analysis of aerosol pollution in eight major regions of China from 2010 to 2020 using the MERRA-2 AOD reanalysis product and the driving mechanism based on the Granger causality test, sensitivity, and contribution analysis. The results show that the spatial distribution of AOD varied across the areas. Divided by the Hu Line, the AOD values of the Eastern areas were significantly higher than those of the Western areas. The temporal trend in the last eleven years was dominated by a continuous decline and moderate fluctuations at both annual and seasonal scales. The relationship between socioeconomic factors and AOD drivers was more significant in economically developed regions, suggesting that China pays more attention to haze control while developing its economy. The driving relationship between AOD and temperature was weak, while wind speed and relative humidity were more influential. For vegetation factors, Granger effects were mainly observed in the Northeast, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Guangdong, Central China, and Southwest regions. In the Guangdong and Southwest regions, vegetation and economic factors were the more influential drivers. This study provides a scientific basis for the detection of aerosol changes, driving mechanisms and pollution management in China.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030477
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 478: Forecasting Air Quality in Tripoli: An
Evaluation of Deep Learning Models for Hourly PM2.5 Surface Mass
Concentrations
Authors: Marwa Winis Misbah Esager, Kamil Demirberk Ünlü
First page: 478
Abstract: In this article, we aimed to study the forecasting of hourly PM2.5 surface mass concentrations in the city of Tripoli, Libya. We employed three state-of-the-art deep learning models, namely long short-term memory, gated recurrent unit, and convolutional neural networks, to forecast PM2.5 levels using univariate time series methodology. Our results revealed that the convolutional neural networks model performed the best, with a coefficient of variation of 99% and a mean absolute percentage error of 0.04. These findings provide valuable insights into the use of deep learning models for forecasting PM2.5 and can inform decision-making regarding air quality management in the city of Tripoli.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030478
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 479: Satellite Imagery Recording the Process
and Pattern of Winter Temperature Field in Yangtze Estuary Interrupted by
a Cold Wave
Authors: Ruirui Chen, Xuezhong Jiang, Jing Chen
First page: 479
Abstract: Sea surface temperature (SST) is a key marine ecological metric. An optimized split-window algorithm was used to invert the Yangtze Estuary’s temperature field during a cold wave process. Additionally, MODIS SST inversion results were used to explore the effects of typical cold waves on the Yangtze Estuary’s temperature field through the application of a temperature profile analysis method and a multiscale, multidirectional edge detection algorithm. According to the findings, (1) the cold wave altered the temperature field characteristics and the temperature front intensity, morphology, and spatial distribution pattern within the Yangtze Estuary for a short period. The strong temperature front displayed irregular edges and scattered patterns due to the combined effects of cold water masses produced by the cold wave and the tides and the warm water currents outside the mouth. (2) The cold wave caused significant short-term deviations in the Yangtze Estuary’s SST. The cold water tongue stretched across the entire Yangtze Estuary, where the temperature dropped sharply with time, with the maximum cooling occurring outside the mouth, at 12.2 °C, and the minimum cooling occurring inside the mouth, at only 5.5 °C. (3) The spatially gradual warming of the Yangtze Estuary’s SST from inside to outside the mouth became a low–lower–high pattern during cold waves. (4) The cold wave exhibited a greater influence on the strength, form, and distribution of the temperature front. Studying the effects of cold waves on the Yangtze Estuary’s temperature field has significant theoretical and practical implications for understanding the changes in the winter temperature field, environmental protection, disaster mitigation, and prevention.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030479
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 480: Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
Associated with Extreme Precipitation Events in Eastern Siberia and
Mongolia
Authors: Olga Antokhina, Pavel Antokhin, Alexander Gochakov, Anna Zbirannik, Timur Gazimov
First page: 480
Abstract: The socioeconomic impacts caused by floods in the south of Eastern Siberia (SES), and the expected increase in precipitation extremes over northern Eurasia, have revealed the need to search for atmospheric circulation patterns that cause extreme precipitation events (EPE) in SES, as well as their changes. We investigate the circulation patterns causing extreme precipitation in SES and Mongolia, by examining the instability and moisture transport associated with potential vorticity (PV) dynamics during two time periods: 1982–1998 and 1999–2019. The EPE were characterized by an increase in instability within the precipitation area, which was compensated by stability around the area, with the East Asian summer monsoon transport being enhanced. PV in the subtropical regions and mid-latitudes has shown the amplification of positive and negative PV anomalies to the southeast and northwest of Lake Baikal, respectively. The PV contours for EPE have shapes of cyclonic wave breaking and cutoff low. EPE accompanied by wave breaking are characterized by strong redistribution areas, with extremely high and low stability and moisture. This can lead to the coexistence of floods and droughts, and in part was the driver of the earlier revealed “seesaw” precipitation mode over Mongolia and SES. We suggest a shift of extreme precipitation to the northwest has occurred, which was probably caused by the wave propagation change.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030480
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 481: Mixture Regression for Clustering
Atmospheric-Sounding Data: A Study of the Relationship between Temperature
Inversions and PM10 Concentrations
Authors: Peter Mlakar, Jana Faganeli Pucer
First page: 481
Abstract: Temperature inversions prevent the mixing of air near the surface with the air higher in the atmosphere, contributing to high concentrations of air pollutants. Inversions can be identified by sampling temperature data at different heights, usually done with radiosondes. In our study, we propose using the SMIXS clustering algorithm to cluster radiosonde temperature data as longitudinal data into clusters with distinct temperature profile shapes. We clustered 8 years of early morning radiosonde data from Ljubljana, Slovenia, into 15 clusters and investigated their relationship to PM10 pollution. The results show that high PM10 concentrations (above 50 g/m3, which is the daily limit value) are associated with early morning temperature inversions. The highest concentrations are typical for winter days with the strongest temperature inversions (temperature difference of 5 ∘C or more in the inversion layer) while the lowest concentrations (about 10 g/m3) are typical for days with no early morning temperature inversion. Days with very strong temperature inversions are quite rare. We show that clustering temperature profiles into a distinct number of clusters adds to the interpretability of radiosonde data. It simplifies the characterization of temperature inversions, their frequency, occurrence, and their impact on PM10 concentrations.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030481
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 482: The Potential of Green Development and
PM2.5 Emission Reduction for China’s Cement Industry
Authors: Li Tian
First page: 482
Abstract: The atmospheric dust caused by the cement industry is one of the main components of air pollutants. China is the largest producer and consumer of cement. It is challenging to balance cement needs and environmental protection. Based on the emission source data, this study examined the spatial and temporal patterns of PM2.5 by the cement industry’s contribution (PM2.5Cement). The annual value of PM2.5Cement decreased from 1.40 × 106 µg/m3 in 2010 to 0.98 × 106 µg/m3 in 2017, which was reduced by 30.31%. I used the standard deviation ellipse and gravity center transfer method and identified that the cement industry center shifted from the east to the midwest of China, where a high-density population exists and a large portion of the population is exposed to the air pollution. The geographical detector method was used to analyze the contribution of the natural environment, green development, and socioeconomic development to PM2.5Cement. The main driving factors were identified as the socioeconomic development and the traffic conditions in 2010, which was giving way to the regional independent innovation in 2017. The cement industry’s contributions to atmospheric PM2.5 vary spatially, suggesting that green development and optimized location for the cement industry are crucial to reducing the size of the population exposed to the pollutants.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030482
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 483: Trends in Rainfall and Temperature
Authors: Gizachew Belay Wubaye, Temesgen Gashaw, Abeyou W. Worqlul, Yihun T. Dile, Meron Teferi Taye, Amare Haileslassie, Benjamin Zaitchik, Dereje Ademe Birhan, Enyew Adgo, Jemal Ali Mohammed, Tadele Melese Lebeza, Amare Bantider, Abdulkarim Seid, Raghavan Srinivasan
First page: 483
Abstract: Climate extreme events have been observed more frequently since the 1970s throughout Ethiopia, which adversely affects the socio-economic development of the country, as its economy depends on agriculture, which, in turn, relies heavily on annual and seasonal rainfall. Climate extremes studies conducted in Ethiopia are mainly limited to a specific location or watershed, making it difficult to have insights at the national level. The present study thus aims to examine the observed climate extreme events in Ethiopia at both station and agro-ecological zone (AEZ) levels. Daily rainfall and temperature data for 47 and 37 stations, respectively (1986 up to 2020), were obtained from the National Meteorology Agency (NMA). The Modified Mann–Kendall (MMK) trend test and the Theil–Sen slope estimator were employed to estimate the trends in rainfall and temperature extremes. This study examines trends of 13 temperature and 10 rainfall extreme indices using RClimDex in R software. The results revealed that most of the extreme rainfall indices showed a positive trend in the majority of the climate stations. For example, an increase in consecutive dry days (CDD), very heavy rainfall days (R20), number of heavy rainfall days (R10) and consecutive wet days (CWD) were exhibited in most climate stations. In relation to AEZs, the greater number of extreme rainfall indices illustrated an upward trend in cool and sub-humid, cool and humid, and cool and moist AEZs, a declining trend in hot arid AEZ, and equal proportions of increasing and decreasing trends in warm semi-arid AEZs. Concerning extreme temperature indices, the result indicated an increasing trend of warm temperature extreme indices and a downward trend of cold temperature extreme indices in most of the climate stations, indicating the overall warming and dryness trends in the country. With reference to AEZs, an overall warming was exhibited in all AEZs, except in the hot arid AEZ. The observed trends in the rainfall and temperature extremes will have tremendous direct and indirect impacts on agriculture, water resources, health, and other sectors in the country. Therefore, the findings suggest the need for identifying and developing climate change adaptation strategies to minimize the ill effects of these extreme climate events on the social, economic, and developmental sectors.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030483
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 484: Deposition of Potassium on Chimney Wall
from Wood Stove Smoke: Implication for the Influence of Domestic Biomass
Burning on Atmospheric Aerosols
Authors: Kimitaka Kawamura, Bhagawati Kunwar, Dhananjay Kumar Deshmukh, Petr Vodička, Md. Mozammel Haque
First page: 484
Abstract: Based on the field studies of biomass burning plumes in Alaska, we hypothesized that potassium (K) may be significantly scavenged, during wood stove burning, as deposits on the inner wall of the chimney where the temperature decreases with the height. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed chimney deposit samples collected from the inner wall of a chimney (6 m long) for the measurement of major ions and anhydrosugars including levoglucosan (Lev). Concentrations of K were found to be highest in the lower part of the chimney with a decreasing trend with height, whereas Lev showed an opposite trend with the lowest concentrations near the bottom of the chimney and an increase with height. We detected an anti-correlation between the two components in the chimney deposits, confirming that K is largely scavenged as a deposit within the chimney while Lev is significantly emitted to the ambient air. We propose that, using K/Lev mass ratios, the relative contributions of open fires and domestic wood burning to ambient aerosols can be evaluated.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030484
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 485: Study on the Speciation of VOCs at Oil
Refining Plant Fenceline through Active Sampling
Authors: Jeong-Hun Kim, Hyo Eun Lee, Seok J. Yoon
First page: 485
Abstract: The petroleum refining industry emits various volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including high-volatility benzene, which can have a significant impact on the local community. To address this issue, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has implemented a fenceline monitoring system to ensure that benzene concentrations at the fenceline do not exceed 9 µg /m3. However, there are various types of VOCs, and some with high potential atmospheric oxidation (POCP) values, that may cause secondary air pollution. This study found that both study sites exceeded the action level of benzene (9 µg /m3), and the locations where the level was exceeded were close to the crude distillation unit (CDU) (max concentration 34.07 µg /m3). Additionally, a significant amount of xylene with a high POCP was also released. The xylene emission rate of study site A was 27.71%, and the xylene emission rate of study site B was 46.75%. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce both high-volatility benzene and high-POCP xylene. In various industries that use organic solvents, it is important to prioritize VOCs for continuous measurement and analysis and to establish reduction strategies.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030485
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 486: Synoptic and Mesoscale Analysis of a
Severe Weather Event in Southern Brazil at the End of June 2020
Authors: Leandro Fortunato de Faria, Michelle Simões Reboita, Enrique Vieira Mattos, Vanessa Silveira Barreto Carvalho, Joao Gabriel Martins Ribeiro, Bruno César Capucin, Anita Drumond, Ana Paula Paes dos Santos
First page: 486
Abstract: At the end of June 2020, an explosive extratropical cyclone was responsible for an environment in which a squall line developed and caused life and economic losses in Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. The aims of this case study are the following: (a) to describe the drivers of the cyclogenesis; (b) to investigate through numerical simulations the contribution of sea–air interaction to the development of the cyclone as an explosive system; and (c) to present the physical properties of the clouds associated with the squall line. The cyclogenesis started at 1200 UTC on 30 June 2020 on the border of southern Brazil and Uruguay, having a trough at middle-upper levels as a forcing, which is a common driver of cyclogenesis in the studied region. In addition, the cyclone’s lifecycle followed Bjerknes and Solberg’s conceptual model of cyclone development. A special feature of this cyclone was its fast deepening, reaching the explosive status 12 h after its genesis. A comparison between numerical experiments with sensible and latent turbulent heat fluxes switched on and off showed that the sea–air interaction (turbulent heat fluxes) contributed to the cyclone’s deepening leading it to the explosive status. The cold front, which is a component of the cyclone, favored the development of a pre-frontal squall line, responsible for the rough weather conditions in Santa Catarina state. While satellite images do not clearly show the squall line located ahead of the cold front in the cyclone wave due to their coarse resolution, radar reflectivity data represent the propagation of the squall line over southern Brazil. On 30 June 2020, the clouds in the squall line had more than 10 km of vertical extension and a reflectivity higher than 40 dBZ in some parts of the storm; this is an indicator of hail and, consequently, is a required condition for storm electrification. In fact, electrical activity was registered on this day.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030486
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 487: Characteristics of Surface Ozone and
Nitrogen Oxides over a Typical City in the Yangtze River Delta, China
Authors: Qiu, Du, Tang, Zang, Lin, Chen, Qing, Li, Xiong, Jiang, Hong, Fang
First page: 487
Abstract: The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is the most developed region in China. Influenced by intensive and complex anthropogenic activities, atmospheric pollution in this region is highly variable, and reports are sparse. In this study, a seven-year history of the atmospheric O3 and NOx mixing ratios over a typical city, Hangzhou, was presented to enrich the studies on air pollution in the YRD region. Our results revealed that the diurnal variation in NOx corresponded to traffic rush hours, while O3 was mainly impacted by photochemical reactions in the daytime. The weekend effect was significant for NOx, but inapparent for O3. Two O3 peaks in May and September were caused by seasonal atmospheric stability and climatic conditions. The lower NOx and higher O3 levels observed suggested direct effects from traffic restrictions and large-scale industrial shutdowns during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 compared with those in the periods before and after lockdown. The model simulation results showed that O3 mixing ratios were not only related to regional anthropogenic emissions but were impacted by air mass transportation from surrounding provinces and the China shelf seas. The NOx mixing ratios showed a decreasing trend, while the O3 mixing ratios showed the opposite trend from 2015 to 2021, which is indicative of the implementation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Acton Plan issued by the Chinese government in 2013.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-02-28
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030487
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 488: Airborne Brake Wear Emissions from a
Battery Electric Vehicle
Authors: Linda Bondorf, Lennart Köhler, Tobias Grein, Fabius Epple, Franz Philipps, Manfred Aigner, Tobias Schripp
First page: 488
Abstract: Although traffic exhaust emissions in Europe have been drastically reduced, airborne particle emissions caused by brakes and tires are still increasing with the number of vehicles. The measurement of non-exhaust emissions is an emerging technological challenge. We present a custom measurement setup to investigate the brake- and tire-wear emissions of an in-use battery electric vehicle. A separate brake housing and HEPA ventilation enabled airborne brake wear emissions to be measured under realistic conditions without external influences. The emission tests on a chassis dynamometer included particle number concentrations and particle size distribution for diameters of 4 nm to 10 μm. Emission indices were determined for three driving cycles: WLTC Class 3b, WLTC Brake Part 10, and a real driving cycle. Further investigations focused on emission control through regenerative braking and brake coating. Driving with regenerative braking reduced emissions by up to 89.9%, which related to the concentration of particles in the ultrafine/fine size range. Hard-metal brake coating led to a further significant reduction in emissions of up to 78.9%. The results point the way to future RDE measurement of non-exhaust emissions and show the potential of regenerative braking and brake coating to reduce airborne brake wear emissions.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-01
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030488
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 489: Analyzing and Modeling the
Spatial-Temporal Changes and the Impact of GLOTI Index on Precipitation in
the Marmara Region of Türkiye
Authors: Mehdi Aalijahan, Atilla Karataş, Anthony R. Lupo, Bahtiyar Efe, Azra Khosravichenar
First page: 489
Abstract: Precipitation is a particularly important part of the Earth’s hydrological cycle and, therefore, is a necessary variable for maintaining natural balance. This study investigated past, present, and future changes in precipitation in the Marmara region, and examined the effects of global warming on this variable. The study period was from 1960 to 2020, and the climate data of 15 synoptic stations in the Marmara region were used for this purpose. To achieve the objectives of the study, linear and 6th order polynomial regression, ombrothermic and hythergraph diagrams, geostatistical models, Mann-Kendall test, Pearson correlation, standard Z-scores, and multi-layer perceptron artificial neural network models (MLP-ANN) were used to model and predict precipitation. The results of the linear regression analysis showed that of the 15 stations, 6 stations had an increasing trend, 6 stations had a trendless pattern, and 3 stations had a decreasing trend. In terms of periodic analysis, the main downward trend started in 1964 and continued until 1992, while the main periodic upward trend started in 1992 and continued until 2016. The synoptic stations in the Marmara region showed a lack of precipitation over six to seven months of the year, and the precipitation changes in the region were stronger than the temperature changes. In addition, the highest precipitation was observed on the southeast coast of the Black Sea, and the lowest precipitation was observed in the eastern parts of the region. Moreover, except for the Bilecik and Kocaeli stations, the changes in the long-term trend of precipitation at the other stations were significant. Among the 15 stations, only the Kocaeli and Sarıyer stations showed a positive correlation with global temperature during the annual period. In addition, the developed ANN model was accurate in simulating and predicting precipitation and showed an upward trend over the next seven years.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-01
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030489
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 490: Life Cycle Assessment of Post-Combustion
CO2 Capture and Recovery by Hydrophobic Polypropylene Cross-Flow Hollow
Fiber Membrane Contactors with Activated Methyldiethanolamine
Authors: Aytac Perihan Akan, John Chau, Gulen Gullu, Kamalesh K. Sirkar
First page: 490
Abstract: The present study evaluated the environmental impacts of post-combustion CO2 capture and recovery via membrane–gas absorption processes. We have used SimaPro v.9 packages with the Ecoinvent v3.5 database employing two different methods, ReCiPe 2016 Endpoint (H) and Midpoint (H), considering a fundamental methodological framework to determine the most environmentally friendly experimental condition. Life cycle impact categories were examined and assessed supposing a functional unit of 1 kgCO2/h recovered. Fourteen environmental impact categories including global warming, ozone depletion, eutrophication, and toxicity potentials have been evaluated within the context of a gate-to-gate approach focusing on only the process stage. Simulation results showed that the maximum liquid flow rate, sweep helium flow rate together with the minimum solvent concentration demonstrated the highest impact on human health, ecosystem, and resources. The usage of pure methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) activated by piperazine as a reactive absorbent provided the lowest environmental impact due to the elimination of the energy needed to heat and evaporate water present in aqueous absorbent solutions and the prevention of the excess water consumption depending on meeting the water needed for reactive absorption of CO2 in tertiary amine MDEA from simulated humidified flue gas stream. The study highlights the importance of LCA in the determination of an environmentally more sustainable condition during the capture and recovery of post-combustion CO2 by gas absorption and stripping using membrane contactors in tertiary amine MDEA.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-01
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030490
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 491: Role of Aerosols on Atmospheric
Circulation in Regional Climate Experiments over Europe
Authors: Ginés Garnés-Morales, Juan Pedro Montávez, Amar Halifa-Marín, Pedro Jiménez-Guerrero
First page: 491
Abstract: Aerosols can strongly influence atmospheric circulation, and categorizing it into circulation types (CTs) helps in understanding the relationship between atmospheric forcing and surface conditions. However, few studies have considered the impact of interactive aerosols on atmospheric dynamics from a climatic perspective. This contribution aims to assess whether simulations with interactive aerosols (online solving of aerosol–radiation interactions, ARI, and aerosol–radiation–cloud interactions, ARCI) significantly impact atmospheric dynamics over Europe during winter compared to conventional regional climate models with prescribed aerosols. For that, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has been applied to reduce the dimensionality of the problem in order to cluster different weather patterns. Results showed significant differences in the two predominant patterns, characterized by a western zonal flow (CT1) and a low-pressure system centered in Italy (CT2). The ARI experiment revealed a substantial reduction of surface level pressure over central-eastern Europe for CT1, resulting in a southward shift of the flux direction, and an increase in pressure over Scandinavia for CT2. The ARCI experiment exhibited a similar, but weaker effect. Furthermore, the study demonstrated the impact of aerosols on the frequency of different CTs and on the concentration of black and white aerosols. The findings of this study emphasize the significant role of aerosols in the atmospheric system and the need for further research to reduce uncertainty in meteorological and climatic experiments, particularly in the context of mitigating climate change.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-02
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030491
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 492: Effect of the Interaction between Excreta
Type and Nitrogen Fertilizer on Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions in
Pastures
Authors: Fernando Ongaratto, Marcia Helena Machado da Rocha Fernandes, Erick Escobar Dallantonia, Lais de Oliveira Lima, Guilherme Alves do Val, Abmael da Silva Cardoso, Izabela Larosa Rigobello, Laís Mayumi Gomes, Ricardo Andrade Reis, Ana Claudia Ruggieri, Euclides Braga Malheiros
First page: 492
Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the emission factor of N2O, CH4, and the volatilization of NH3 for the combination of feces or urine with increasing doses of ammonium nitrate in tropical palisade grass pastures. The emission of greenhouse gases was assessed in eight treatments combining feces and urine with doses (75 and 150 kg of N ha−1) of ammonium nitrate, (32% N). The emission factor of N2O was 0.11, 0.19, and 0.17% for feces, urine, and 75 kg N ha−1 year−1 (as ammonium nitrate) and showed an additive linear effect when feces or urine were combined with increasing doses of N fertilizer. The emission factor of CH4 of feces (0.18 kg CH4 animal−1 year−1) was similar irrespective of combination with ammonium nitrate. The N loss by volatilized NH3 has a decreasing linear effect (p < 0.05) for the combination of feces or urine with ammonium nitrate. We concluded that N2O and CH4 emission factors of feces and urine in tropical climate conditions are lower than those reported by the IPCC. However, their N2O emission factors are sharply enhanced when combined with ammonium nitrate. These results may contribute to improvements in national and regional greenhouse gas inventories of livestock production.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-02
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030492
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 493: Estimation of Surface Downward Longwave
Radiation and Cloud Base Height Based on Infrared Multichannel Data of
Himawari−8
Authors: Jiangqi Shao, Husi Letu, Xu Ri, Gegen Tana, Tianxing Wang, Huazhe Shang
First page: 493
Abstract: Surface downward longwave radiation (SDLR) is significant with regard to surface energy budgets and climate research. The uncertainty of cloud base height (CBH) retrieval by remote sensing induces the vast majority of SDLR estimation errors under cloudy conditions; reliable CBH observation and estimation are crucial for determining the cloud radiative effect. This study presents a CBH retrieval methodology built from 10 thermal spectral data from Himawari−8 (H−8) observations, utilizing the random forest (RF) algorithm to fully account for each band’s contribution to CBH. The algorithm utilizes only infrared band data, making it possible to obtain CBH 24 h a day. Considering some factors that can significantly affect the CBH estimation, RF models are trained for different clouds using inputs from multiple H−8 channels together with geolocation information to target CBH derived from CloudSat/CALIPSO combined measurements. The validation results reveal that the new methodology performs well, with a root−mean−square error (RMSE) of only 1.17 km for all clouds. To evaluate the effect of CBH on SDLR estimation, an all−sky SDLR estimation algorithm based on previous CBH predictions is proposed. The new SDLR product not only has a resolution that is noticeably higher than that of benchmark products of the SDLR, such as the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) and the next−generation reanalysis (ERA5) of the European Centre for Medium−Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), but it also has greater accuracy, with an RMSE of 21.8 W m−2 for hourly surface downward longwave irradiance (SDLI).
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-02
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030493
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 494: Crude Oil Spills and Respiratory Health of
Clean-Up Workers: A Systematic Review of Literature
Authors: Pearl Abereton, Best Ordinioha, Jacob Mensah-Attipoe, Oluyemi Toyinbo
First page: 494
Abstract: Background: We systematically reviewed the literature’s existing knowledge on crude oil spills and the respiratory health (RH) outcomes of clean-up workers. Methods: We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases to systematically review studies of crude oil spills and RH outcomes of clean-up workers published from 1 January 2001 to 30 June 2022. We excluded in vitro, animal, and household studies. Results: We identified 20 articles assessing the relationship between crude oil spills and RH outcomes of clean-up workers. Most studies were prospective and analytical, and fewer studies were cross-sectional studies. Most articles showed short- and long-term RH effects, with two articles refuting the adverse long-term RH effects and five articles showing no significant differences. Less than 50% of the articles assessed RH using spirometry. Studies on some independent oil spills (Hebei Spirit) were limited. Conclusion: There is a high level of exposure to crude oil spills by clean-up workers, which is associated with adverse RH effects. Integrated efforts are needed to curb the menace of oil spills, thereby reducing the adverse RH effects among this vulnerable population.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-02
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030494
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 495: Comparison of Atmospheric Circulation
Anomalies between Daytime and Nighttime Extreme High Temperature in North
China
Authors: Peng Chen, Gang Zeng, Xiaoye Yang, Vedaste Iyakaremye
First page: 495
Abstract: Many previous studies have shown that atmospheric circulation anomalies are usually the direct cause of extreme high temperatures (EHT). However, the atmospheric circulation anomalies associated with daytime and nighttime EHTs in North China and their differences are less discussed. The present study divides the summer EHTs in North China into independent daytime EHT (ID-EHT) and independent nighttime EHT (IN-EHT) according to the 90th percentile thresholds of the daily maximum and minimum temperature from CN05.1 and compares their atmospheric circulation anomalies. Composite results show that the sinking motion anomaly over North China and the southward displacement of the Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) cause less low cloud cover and water vapor, which is conducive to absorbing more solar radiation at the surface, and leads to the daytime high temperature of ID-EHT. With the disappearance of solar radiation at night, the heat is rapidly dissipated, and the high temperature cannot be maintained. A wave train from high latitudes can affect ID-EHT weather. On the contrary, the upward motion anomaly over North China cooperates with the northward displacement of the WPSH, leading to more clouds and water vapor over North China. As a result, the absorption of solar radiation in North China during the daytime is reduced, and EHT has difficulty in forming during the day. The higher humidity causes slower heat loss from daytime to nighttime, resulting in an IN-EHT. IN-EHT is more likely to be affected by a wave train such as the Silk Road pattern from the midlatitudes.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-03
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030495
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 496: Seasonal Field Calibration of Low-Cost
PM2.5 Sensors in Different Locations with Different Sources in Thailand
Authors: Racha Dejchanchaiwong, Perapong Tekasakul, Apichat Saejio, Thanathip Limna, Thi-Cuc Le, Chuen-Jinn Tsai, Guan-Yu Lin, John Morris
First page: 496
Abstract: Low-cost sensors (LCS) have been increasingly deployed to monitor PM2.5 concentrations. More than 1500 LCS have been installed in Thailand to increase public awareness of air quality. However, performance of these sensors has not been systematically investigated. In this study, PM2.5 LCS were co-located next to a PM2.5 federal equivalent method (FEM) reference instrument at three Thai locations—in the north, center and northeast. We evaluated the performance of a PM2.5 LCS (PMS7003, Plantower) to understand the key factors affecting performance, including emission sources, relative humidity, temperature and PM2.5 concentration. Low PM concentration and high humidity levels had a significant impact on performance. Sensors in a high traffic emission area showed low correlation. The unadjusted PM2.5 LCS performance varied with locations. Errors were mainly observed at low concentrations. They significantly underestimated concentrations in congested urban environments. After calibration, accuracy was improved with multiple regression models. The performance of sensors only at Chiang Mai (CM) during the dry season and Ubon Ratchathani (URT) during the dry and wet seasons were acceptable with coefficient of variation: 5.8 ± 4.7–6.8 ± 5.0%, slope: 0.829–0.945, intercept: 1.12–5.49 µg/m3, R2: 0.880–0.934 and RMSE: 4.3–5.1 µg/m3. In the congested area in Bangkok (BKK), they underestimated concentrations of small particles.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-03
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030496
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 497: The Role of Crop Management Practices and
Adaptation Options to Minimize the Impact of Climate Change on Maize (Zea
mays L.) Production for Ethiopia
Authors: Hirut Getachew Feleke, Michael J. Savage, Kindie Tesfaye Fantaye, Fasil Mequanint Rettie
First page: 497
Abstract: Climate change impact assessment along with adaptation measures are key for reducing the impact of climate change on crop production. The impact of current and future climate change on maize production was investigated, and the adaptation role of shifting planting dates, different levels of nitrogen fertilizer rates, and choice of maize cultivar as possible climate change adaptation strategies were assessed. The study was conducted in three environmentally contrasting sites in Ethiopia, namely: Ambo, Bako, and Melkassa. Future climate data were obtained from seven general circulation models (GCMs), namely: CanESM2, CNRM-CM5, CSIRO-MK3-6-0, EC-EARTH, HadGEM2-ES, IPSL-CM5A-MR, and MIROC5 for the highest representative concentration pathway (RCP 8.5). GCMs were bias-corrected at site level using a quantile-quantile mapping method. APSIM, AquaCrop, and DSSAT crop models were used to simulate the baseline (1995–2017) and 2030s (2021–2050) maize yields. The result indicated that the average monthly maximum air temperature in the 2030s could increase by 0.3–1.7 °C, 0.7–2.2 °C, and 0.8–1.8 °C in Ambo, Bako, and Melkassa, respectively. For the same sites, the projected increase in average monthly minimum air temperature was 0.6–1.7 °C, 0.8–2.3 °C, and 0.6–2.7 °C in that order. While monthly total precipitation for the Kiremt season (June to September) is projected to increase by up to 55% (365 mm) for Ambo and 75% (241 mm) for Bako respectively, whereas a significant decrease in monthly total precipitation is projected for Melkassa by 2030. Climate change would reduce maize yield by an average of 4% and 16% for Ambo and Melkassa respectively, while it would increase by 2% for Bako in 2030 if current maize cultivars were grown with the same crop management practice as the baseline under the future climate. At higher altitudes, early planting of maize cultivars between 15 May and 1 June would result in improved relative yields in the future climate. Fertilizer levels increment between 23 and 150 kg ha−1 would result in progressive improvement of yields for all maize cultivars when combined with early planting for Ambo. For a mid-altitude, planting after 15 May has either no or negative effect on maize yield. Early planting combined with a nitrogen fertilizer level of 23–100 kg ha−1 provided higher relative yields under the future climate. Delayed planting has a negative influence on maize production for Bako under the future climate. For lower altitudes, late planting would have lower relative yields compared to early planting. Higher fertilizer levels (100–150 kg ha−1) would reduce yield reductions under the future climate, but this varied among maize cultivars studied. Generally, the future climate is expected to have a negative impact on maize yield and changes in crop management practices can alleviate the impacts on yield.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-03
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030497
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 498: Interlaboratory Study on Brake Particle
Emissions—Part I: Particulate Matter Mass Emissions
Authors: Grigoratos, Mathissen, Vedula, Mamakos, Agudelo, Gramstat, Giechaskiel
First page: 498
Abstract: The Particle Measurement Programme Informal Working Group (PMP-IWG) coordinated a global interlaboratory study (ILS) on brake wear particle emissions with the participation of 16 testing facilities. Two articles present the main outcomes of the ILS: (I) Particulate matter mass (PM), and (II) Particle Number (PN) emissions. The test matrix covered a wide variety of brake systems and configurations. The tested disc brakes were found to emit PM2.5 and PM10 that varied between 0.8–4.0 mg/km and 2.2–9.5 mg/km per brake, respectively, depending on the type of brake and the applied testing load. The drum brake emitted much lower PM due to its enclosed nature. Almost 37–45% of the emitted PM falls in the fine particle size with this fraction being higher for the drum brake. On the other hand, almost 50–65% of the total brake mass loss falls in particle sizes larger than 10 μm or gets lost before being measured. The most important loss mechanisms for PM in the proposed layout are being discussed. Finally, the PM measurement variability and lab-to-lab reproducibility are investigated.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-04
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030498
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 499: Evaluation of Western North Pacific
Typhoon Track Forecasts in Global and Regional Models during the 2021
Typhoon Season
Authors: Guomin Chen, Tim Li, Mengqi Yang, Xiping Zhang
First page: 499
Abstract: The track forecasts of tropical cyclones (TC) in the western North Pacific (WNP) basin during 2021 typhoon season with five global models and four regional models are evaluated here. The results show that the average direct position errors (DPEs) of the global and regional models are approximately 80, 150, 200, 300, and 400 km at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, and 120 h lead-times, respectively. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Integrated Forecasting System (ECMWF-IFS) achieved the best track forecast performance at each lead among the five global models. Among the four regional models, The China Meteorological Administration Tropical Regional Atmosphere Model for the South China Sea (CMA-TRAMS) attained the smallest DPEs within a 72 h lead, while The Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) achieved the best track forecast performance at 96 h and 120 h leads. Most of the models produced an obvious westward systematic bias on track forecast from a 24 h to a 120 h lead. Further correlation and cluster analyses indicate that initial TC intensity and size and environmental steering flow can be regarded as good predictors for TC DPEs. TCs with a stronger initial intensity, a bigger initial size, and a larger environmental steering flow in general attain a smaller DPE, and the improvements may go up to 36% at short lead-time.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-04
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030499
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 500: Faster, Better, Cheaper: Solutions to the
Atmospheric Shipping Emission Compliance and Attribution Conundrum
Authors: Tim Smyth, Anthony Deakin, Jani Pewter, Darren Snee, Richard Proud, Ruud Verbeek, Vincent Verhagen, Pierre Paschinger, Thomas Bell, James Fishwick, Mingxi Yang
First page: 500
Abstract: Global concerns regarding air quality have over the past decade led to the introduction of regulations by the International Maritime Organisation curbing the emissions of sulphur and nitrogen oxides (SOx, NOx). These limits were implemented initially in so-called “emission control areas”, defined where the density of shipping activity combines with large coastal population centres such as northwest Europe or eastern USA. However, any legislation requires a scientifically robust and rigorous monitoring program to ensure compliance and prove attribution to an individual vessel. We argue the case for adherence to the mantra “faster, better, cheaper”, where widespread adoption of independent low-cost solutions of onboard, in-stack sensors, combined with existing, globally ubiquitous satellite-based “automatic identification system” (AIS) data telemetry, provides an excellent solution to the affordable compliance and attribution conundrum for shipping companies and enforcement agencies alike. We present data from three field-campaigns which have significantly advanced the concept of onboard real-time monitoring of atmospheric ship emissions.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-04
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030500
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 501: Establishment of HFC-134a Emission
Inventory in the North China Plain from 1995 to 2020
Authors: Ding, Wu, Wang, Ma, Zhang, Hu, Zhang
First page: 501
Abstract: 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) is a potent greenhouse gas that can be degraded to produce trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a degradation product that has an impact on aquatic ecology, so its emission has been a continuous concern worldwide. Existing studies mainly estimate the global- or national-scale emissions of HFC-134a, and there are relatively few studies on regional emissions, all of which used the top-down method. By establishing a regional-scale bottom-up emission inventory and comparing it with the regional-scale top-down estimation results, regional emissions can be verified and their emission characteristics and environmental impacts can be analysed. HFC-134 emissions were estimated for the first time in the North China Plain using the emission factor method, and spatiotemporal characteristics and environmental impacts were analysed for the period of 1995 to 2020. The results showed that the cumulative HFC-134a emissions were 88 (73–103) kt (126 Mt CO2-eq), which have led to an increase in global radiative forcing of 1.1 × 10−3 (0.9 × 10−3–1.3 × 10−3) W m−2, an increase in global surface temperature of 8.9 × 10−4 °C, and a cumulative TFA production of 7.5 (6.2–8.9) kt as of 2020. The major sources of HFC-134a emissions are the refrigeration and air conditioning sector, which involves the automotive air conditioning (MAC), industrial and commercial refrigeration, and air conditioning (ICR) sub-sectors. China joined the Kigali Amendment in 2021 to phase down HFCs and proposed the goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. The North China Plain is a region undergoing rapid economic development, with a relatively high proportion of GDP (29%) and car ownership (23%) in 2020. Additionally, HFC-134a emissions accounted for about 20% of the total emissions in China. Therefore, HFC-134a emissions and their environmental impact on the North China Plain should not be ignored.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-04
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030501
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 502: Nowcasting of Wind in the Venice Lagoon
Using WRF-FDDA
Authors: Dario Conte, Alessandro Tiesi, Will Cheng, Alvise Papa, Mario Marcello Miglietta
First page: 502
Abstract: The Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation module (FDDA) is used in combination with the WRF model for the analysis of two case studies of high tide (on 4 April 2019 and on 12 November 2019) that affected the Venice Lagoon in the recent past. The system is implemented in the perspective of an operational use for nowcasting of 10 m wind, which will be part of a numerical system aimed at the forecast of the sea level height in the Venice Lagoon. The procedure involves the assimilation of data from meteorological surface stations distributed within the Venice Lagoon and in the open northern Adriatic Sea in front of the lagoon, as well asthe radiosonde profiles available within the simulation domain. The two cases were selected considering that the real-time forecasts missed their evolution, and the sea level height was significantly underpredicted. The comparison of the simulated wind with the observations shows a fairly good agreement over short time scales (1–2 h) in both cases; hence, the WRF-FDDA system represents a promising tool and a possibly valuable support to the decision makers in case of high tide in the Venice Lagoon.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-04
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030502
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 503: Forecasting Maximum Mechanism Temperature
in Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) Data Using a Long
Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Neural Network
Authors: Warren Dean Porter, Banghua Yan, Ninghai Sun
First page: 503
Abstract: Among the monitored telemetry raw data record (RDR) parameters with the STAR Integrated/Validation System (ICVS), the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) scan motor mechanism temperature is especially important because the instrument might be unavoidably damaged if the mechanism temperature exceeds 50 °C. In the current operational flight processing software, the instrument automatically enters safe mode and stops collecting scientific data whenever the mechanism temperature exceeds 40 °C. This approach inevitably leads to the instrument entering safe mode unnecessarily at a premature time, causing the loss of scientific data before the mechanism temperature reaches 50 °C. This study seeks to leverage the influence the main motor current, compensation motor current, and main motor loop integral error have on mechanism temperature to forecast the maximum mechanism temperature over the upcoming 6 min. A long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network predicts maximum mechanism temperature using ATMS RDR telemetry data as the input. The performance of the LSTM is compared with observed maximum mechanism temperatures by applying the LSTM coefficients to several cases. In all cases studied, the mean average error (MAE) of the forecast remained under 1.1 °C, and the correlation between forecasts and measurements remained above 0.96. These forecasts of maximum mechanism temperature are expected to be able to provide information on when the ATMS instrument should enter safe mode without needlessly losing valuable data for the ATMS flight operational team.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-04
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030503
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 504: Brochosomes and Other Bioaerosols in the
Surface Layer of the Atmosphere of Moscow Metropolis
Authors: Dina P. Gubanova, Anna A. Vinogradova, Nataliya V. Sadovskaya
First page: 504
Abstract: The paper presents the results of the morphological study of aerosol particles in the urban air of Moscow (Russia) in 2019–2022 by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Our monitoring revealed mineral and anthropogenic particles, and also primary bioaerosols (PBA), such as pollen, spores, plant fibers, etc., typical for the urban environment. Moreover, in July 2021, brochosomes, lipid secretions of semi-hard-winged insects Cicadellidae (or leafhopper), were found in several aerosol samples. They are quasi-spherical hollow porous semi-regular polyhedra (truncated icosahedra) of 0.2–0.7 microns in size, consisting mainly of carbon and oxygen. Despite the prevalence and diversity of leafhoppers, identification of their secretions in atmospheric aerosols in situ is rather rare: single articles from South Korea, Spain, the Himalayas, and the United States. In this sense, the results obtained are interesting and novel. PBA particles cover a wide size range and have a complex and diverse shape, which determines the distance and efficiency of their atmospheric transport. Pollen and fungal spores have a high allergenic potential and can have harmful effects on human health. Any new information about PBA can be useful for studying the development and dynamics of ecosystems.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-05
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030504
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 505: Future Changes in Thermal Bioclimate
Conditions over West Bengal, India, Based on a Climate Model
Authors: Sourabh Bal, Ingo Kirchner
First page: 505
Abstract: Changes in extreme human bioclimate conditions are accepted evidence for and serve as a broad measure of anthropogenic climate change. The essential objective of the current study was to investigate past and future thermal bioclimate conditions across West Bengal (WB), India. The daily physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) was calculated by considering definite climate variables as inputs. These meteorological variables were captured from the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX)-South Asia. The initial results from this research work present the mean monthly distribution of each PET class over the considered stations of WB during the period (1986–2005) and three future time periods: (i) near future (2016–2035), (ii) mid-future (2046–2065), and (iii) far future (2080–2099). It was observed that the months from April to June comprise heat stress months in terms of human thermal perception, whereas thermally acceptable conditions begin in November and continue until March for most stations. Results from future PET changes over WB in the context of the reference period (1986–2005) reveal a prominent increase in warm and hot PETs for all future time periods in two different greenhouse gas emission scenarios. During the far-future time period, stations within a kilometer of the Bay of Bengal such as Digha, Diamond Harbour, Canning, and Baruipur account for the highest percentage in the warm PET class (35.7–43.8 °C) in high-end emission scenarios. Simultaneously, during the period from 2080 to 2099, Kolkata, Dum Dum, Kharagpur, and Siliguri will experience a PET greater than 43.8 °C for close to 10% of the days in the year and more than 10% in Sriniketan, Malda, Asansol, and Birbhum. During the far-future period, a negative change in the very cool PET class (<3.3 °C) indicating a decrease in cold days was the largest for Darjeeling.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-05
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030505
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 506: Methodology for Mobile Toxics
Deterministic Human Health Risk Assessment and Case Study
Authors: Mohammad Munshed, Jesse Van Griensven Thé, Roydon Fraser
First page: 506
Abstract: Air toxic emissions from on-road mobile sources are significant contributors to the degradation of air quality in urban and dense population centers. Research led by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified more than 1162 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in the exhaust and evaporative emissions from on-road mobile sources. However, less than 70 hazardous air pollutants are monitored by regulatory agencies. HAPs emitted from Mobile Sources are known as Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSATs). The EPA estimates that approximately half of the cancer risk and 74% of noncancer health impacts from air toxics is attributed to mobile sources. The quantification of the risk associated with MSATs exposure remains limited to date, and only a few MSATs have ambient air quality standards to protect human health and welfare. This work presents a novel and validated methodology to quantify the myriad health risks associated with exposure to on-road mobile emissions. This methodology is introduced in the form of a pipelined analysis process, which may be employed in existing and new transportation projects. The proposed new methodology integrates results from three different types of models: on-road vehicle emissions inventory models such as MOVES and IVE, air dispersion models such as AERMOD and SCIPUFF, and risk estimate models for human and ecological receptors such as the 2005 Final U.S. EPA Human Health Risk Assessment Protocol for Hazardous Waste Combustion Facilities. The result of this research work is a new methodology that provides regulators and risk analysts with a more detailed awareness of the health impacts of MSATs. A case study of Saint Paul, Minnesota, validated the air dispersion modeled results against monitored data, and the agreement was acceptable (i.e., the estimates were within a factor of two of the observations). Three high-population locations in the Saint Paul area were evaluated for human health risk, with the observation that at two of these locations, the Saint Paul—Ramsey Health Center and Anderson Office Building, the calculated cancer risk is in excess of the target risk level of 1.0E-05 for benzo(a)pyrene. The methodology presented in this paper allows regulators, risk analysts, and air quality engineers to better estimate multi-pathway cancer and noncancer risk associated with acute and chronic exposure to MSATs. Moreover, this work provides a science-based aid to policy decision makers when considering factors that most significantly affect population health and ecology.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-05
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030506
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 507: Influence of Meteorological Parameters on
the Urban Heat Island in Moscow
Authors: Mikhail A. Lokoshchenko, Lyubov I. Alekseeva
First page: 507
Abstract: The urban heat island (UHI) intensity in Moscow and the influence of various meteorological parameters are discussed using weather station data. The maximal and average in-space UHI intensities, i.e., a comparison of air temperature T either in the city centre or in the whole urban area together with rural zone have averaged 1.9 and 0.9 °C, respectively, in recent years. The UHI in Moscow has stabilized over the past decade and is not growing. Under conditions of a strong anticyclone, the maximal UHI intensity in space and time reaches 11–12 °C. Low cloudiness and amplitudes of diurnal air temperature, as well as surface temperature, demonstrate the closest relationship with the UHI intensity among other parameters with the correlation coefficient of up to −0.67 for low cloudiness and the maximal UHI intensity. The effect of wind speed, total cloudiness and relative humidity on the UHI is slightly weaker, but still significant. The relationships of all meteorological parameters with the maximal UHI intensity are closer than those with the average one. The multiple correlation coefficient between the maximal UHI intensity and both parameters (low cloudiness and average daily wind speed) is 0.76–0.82. The UHI intensity function of air temperature has a minimum in the range from −4 to 0 °C; its growth both at lower and higher T is due to the influence of anticyclonic weather. The UHI intensity function of wind speed decreases with wind strength. The threshold value at which this function asymptotically approaches its lower limit is 10 m/s in the 40–200 m air layer. The UHI intensity functions of both total and low cloudiness decrease with increasing cloudiness and the differences between them are significant if the cloud cover is more than 50%.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-06
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030507
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 508: Assessment of Land Surface Schemes from
the WRF-Chem for Atmospheric Modeling in the Andean Region of Ecuador
Authors: Rene Parra
First page: 508
Abstract: Surface interactions occur near the land–atmosphere interface, thus affecting the temperature, convection, boundary layer, and stability of the atmosphere. A proper representation of surface interactions is a crucial component for numerical atmospheric and air quality modeling. We assessed four land surface schemes—1. 5-layer thermal diffusion scheme (1 5-Layer); 2. unified Noah land surface model (2 Noah); 3. rapid update cycle (3 RUC) land surface model; and 4. Pleim–Xiu land surface model (4 Pleim–Xiu)—from the Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem V3.2) model for the purposes of atmospheric modeling in Cuenca, which is a region with a complex topography and land use configuration and which is located in the Southern Andean region, in Ecuador. For this purpose, we modeled the meteorological and air quality variables during September 2014. It was found that the meteorological and short-term air quality variables were better modeled through the 2 Noah scheme. Long-term (mean monthly) air quality variables were better modeled by the 1 5-Layer and 3 RUC options. On average, the 2 Noah scheme was better at modeling meteorology and air quality. In addition, we assessed the 2 Noah scheme combined with the urban canopy model (UCM) (5 Noah UCM), which was developed as an option to represent the urban effects at a subgrid-scale. Results indicated that the performance of the 5 Noah UCM scheme was not better at modeling than the 2 Noah scheme alone. Moreover, the 5 Noah UCM scheme notably decreased the modeling performance for carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter. These results complement previous assessments of other schemes, allowing us to recommend a basic configuration of parameters for atmospheric modeling in the Andean region of Ecuador.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-06
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030508
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 509: Enhancing GNSS-R Soil Moisture Accuracy
with Vegetation and Roughness Correction
Authors: Zhounan Dong, Shuanggen Jin, Guodong Chen, Peng Wang
First page: 509
Abstract: Spaceborne Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) has been proven to be a cost-effective and efficient tool for monitoring the Earth’s surface soil moisture (SSM) with unparalleled spatial and temporal resolution. However, the accuracy and reliability of GNSS-R SSM estimation are affected by surface vegetation and roughness. In this study, the sensitivity of delay Doppler map (DDM)-derived effective reflectivity to SSM is analyzed and validated. The individual effective reflectivity is projected onto the 36 km × 36 km Equal-Area Scalable Earth-Grid 2.0 (EASE-Grid2) to form the observation image, which is used to construct a global GNSS-R SSM retrieval model with the SMAP SSM serving as the reference value. In order to improve the accuracy of retrieved SSM from CYGNSS, the effective reflectivity is corrected using vegetation opacity and roughness coefficient parameters from SMAP products. Additionally, the impacts of vegetation and roughness on the estimated SSM were comprehensively evaluated. The results demonstrate that the accuracy of SSM retrieved by GNSS-R is improved with correcting vegetation over different types of vegetation-covered areas. The retrieval algorithm achieves an accuracy of 0.046 cm3cm−3, resulting in a mean improvement of 4.4%. Validation of the retrieval algorithm through in situ measurements confirms its stability.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-06
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030509
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 510: Mid-Latitude Jet Response to Pan-Arctic
and Regional Arctic Warming in Idealized GCM
Authors: Gun-Hwan Yang, Woosok Moon, Hayeon Noh, Baek-Min Kim
First page: 510
Abstract: To study the dynamical mechanism by which Arctic amplification affects extreme weather events in mid-latitude, we investigated the local and remote circulation response to pan-Arctic and regional Arctic thermal forcing. A comprehensive atmospheric GCM (General Circulation Model) coupled to a slab mixed-layer ocean model is used for the experiment. With the increasing thermal forcing in the pan-Arctic configuration, the mid-latitude jet tends to shift equatorward, mainly due to the southward shift of the convergence zone of eddy-heat flux and eddy-momentum flux. From the regional Arctic forced experiments, zonal mean response is similar to the response from the pan-Arctic configuration. The non-zonal response is characterized by the 300 hPa circumpolar zonal wind of wavenumber-1 structure, which establishes an enhanced wavier mid-latitude jet. In the polar region at 300 hPa, regional thermal forcing drives a distinct east–west dipole circulation pattern, in which anticyclonic circulation is located to the west of the thermal forcing, and cyclonic circulation is located to the east. The lower-level circulation shows the opposite pattern to the upper-level circulation in the polar region. While the strength of circulation increases with gradual thermal forcing, the overall dipole pattern is unchanged. In regional warming simulation, compared to the pan-Arctic warming, increasing residual heat flux in a dipole pattern causes enhanced heat advection to mid-latitude.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-06
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030510
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 511: Water Needs of Sweet Cherry Trees in the
Light of Predicted Climate Warming in the Bydgoszcz Region, Poland
Authors: Stanisław Rolbiecki, Roman Rolbiecki, Barbara Jagosz, Wiesława Kasperska-Wołowicz, Ewa Kanecka-Geszke, Piotr Stachowski, Joanna Kocięcka, Bogdan Bąk
First page: 511
Abstract: The Bydgoszcz region (Poland) is located in an area with a very high demand for supplementary irrigation during the vegetation period of plants. The projected global warming will bring a rise in the water needs of crops, and thus a further increase in irrigation needs. The goal of the study was an attempt to estimate the water needs of sweet cherry trees in 2021–2050 (forecast period) in the region of Bydgoszcz. The years 1981–2010 were adopted as the reference period. The water needs of sweet cherry trees were calculated on the basis of air temperature using the Treder method, in which water needs are equated with the potential evapotranspiration of a given fruit tree species. It was found that in the growing season of the forecast period, the relative diversity of sweet cherries’ water needs was relatively small (7%). The highest variability of monthly water needs was in April, May, and June. The seasonal water needs amounted to 573 mm, with very high monthly water needs noted in July (139 mm) and August (134 mm). A significant trend of the time variability of water needs was calculated only in August. During this month, it is predicted that the water needs will rise by 5 mm in each subsequent decade. These results will be helpful in the design of sweet cherry irrigation treatments.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-07
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030511
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 512: Climate Change, Land Use, and Vegetation
Evolution in the Upper Huai River Basin
Authors: Abel Girma, Denghua Yan, Kun Wang, Hailu Birara, Mohammed Gedefaw, Dorjsuren Batsuren, Asaminew Abiyu, Tianlin Qin, Temesgen Mekonen, Amanuel Abate
First page: 512
Abstract: Land-use/land-cover change and climate change have changed the spatial–temporal distribution of water resources. The Huai River Basin shows the spatial and temporal changes of climate from 1960 to 2016 and land-use/land-cover changes from 1995 to 2014. Thus, this study aims to investigate climate change, land use, and vegetation evolution in the Upper Huai River Basin. The Mann–Kendall test (MK), Innovative Trend Analysis Method (ITAM), and Sen’s slope estimator test were used to detect climate change trends. The land-use/land-cover change was also examined using a transformation matrix and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The results of this study revealed that precipitation has shown a slightly decreasing trend during the past 56 years. However, the air temperature has increased by 1.2 °C. The artificial and natural vegetation and wetland were decreased by 12,097 km2, 3207 km2, and 641 km2, respectively. On the other hand, resident construction land and artificial water bodies increased by 2277 km2 and 3691 km2, respectively. This indicates that the land cover has significantly changed during the past 30 years. The findings of this study will have implications for predicting the water resources safety and eco-environment of The Huai River Basin. The spatial distribution showed an uneven change in the Huai River Basin. Together, we suggested that the variability of water resources availability in the Huai River Basin was mainly attributed to climate variability, while land use change plays a key role in the sub-basins, which experienced dramatic changes in land use.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-07
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030512
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 513: Study of Relative Humidity Vertical
Distribution Characteristics before Precipitation by Microwave Radiometer
Data over Southeast China
Authors: Yongjiang Yu, Yan Zou, Weihua Pan
First page: 513
Abstract: We investigated the relative humidity (RH) vertical distribution characteristics before precipitation using microwave radiometer measurements over southeast China in 2021. The superposed epoch method is used to analyze the profile and vertical statistical characteristics and evolution of RH during precipitation events. There is a shallow, high-humidity area on the ground, with a thickness of about 0.1–0.2 Km, from 12 to 8 h before precipitation. An obvious dry layer appears in the lower layer near the ground 8–0 h before precipitation, with a thickness of about 1 km and humidity of less than 80%, which continues until the appearance of precipitation. The water vapor content in the air begins to accumulate and the humidity increases before the occurrence of LRs, MRs, and HRs, classified by total rainfall. The SDPs, MDPs, and LDPs, which are classified by precipitation duration, showed more obvious and significant characteristics of humidity increase. The statistical analysis of the 44 precipitation cases shows that the relative humidity on the ground and in the air increases significantly before precipitation, and the vertical distribution of the relative humidity and the increase in the water vapor content in the air have a more direct and obvious impact on the precipitation duration. The deep and high-humidity area of 2–4 km is conducive to maintaining the precipitation process for a long time.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-07
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030513
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 514: Airglow Imaging Observations of Plasma
Blobs: Merging and Bifurcation during Solar Minimum over Tropical Region
Authors: Micheal O. Adebayo, Alexandre A. Pimenta, Siomel Savio, Prosper K. Nyassor
First page: 514
Abstract: Plasma blobs are night-time ionospheric irregularities whose generation mechanism is still under investigation. A large number of observations highlighted several aspects of their morphology and dynamics. However, the plasma blobs have not been attributed convincingly to a known mechanism. We analyzed the OI 630.0 nm emission images during March and October of 2019 and 2020 (minimum solar activity) using the ground-based all-sky imager at ZF-2 (2.58° S, 60.22° W) in the Amazon region of Brazil. The novelties of the present study are the rarely reported observation of both plasma blob merging and bifurcation. We studied the evolutional dynamics of plasma blobs and observed that blobs are distinct phenomena with unique properties. We attribute the merging of plasma blobs to the “wind reversion effect” (WRE) mechanism caused by a change in the direction of the zonal thermospheric wind from east to west. In some cases, the slower-drifting plasma blobs may merge with the faster ones. Moreover, blobs were observed initially bifurcating at the topside and later divided into two. The activity of the polarized electric field inside the plasma bubble mapping along the magnetic field lines is possibly responsible for the blob’s bifurcation. Subjecting the two features of ionospheric plasma blobs to simulation may reveal further the physics of blobs’ merging and bifurcation.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-07
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030514
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 515: Identification of Surveillance Procedures
for Diseases and Deaths Potentially Caused by Air Pollution and Possible
Solutions as a Proposal for a Binational Surveillance System: A Case Study
of Mexicali B.C., México-Imperial Valley, United States
Authors: Marco A. Reyna, Daniel Cuevas-González, Roberto L. Avitia, Efrain C. Nieblas, Juan V. Mérida, Martha L. Nava
First page: 515
Abstract: In this paper, an integrative analysis is conducted for both sides of the border of Mexicali B.C. and Imperial Valley, regarding the official procedures and ways in which the collection, organization and disposal of data is carried out for the following: pollutant molecules such as PM2.5, PM10, CO, and O3; meteorological data such as temperature and relative humidity; data produced by epidemiological surveillance of acute respiratory infections; and deaths from all causes minus external ones. Some points around the binational surveillance system, raised in a technical report, are collected, giving continuity to the previous work carried out on this matter. Challenges are identified, recommendations are made, and possible solutions are offered to achieve a binational, unified and integrative system that centralizes meteorological, clinical, and pollution data, and that guarantees the quality and expeditious availability of the data concerning of the effects of air pollution on respiratory diseases and/or natural deaths of the local population. According to our results, air monitoring in Mexicali, clinical data on acute respiratory infections, morbidity, and mortality records must be improved, as well as the cooperation and coordination with the institutions of Imperial Valley. Finally, we show that despite the deficiencies and limitations found in the data generated in the locality, especially data on pollution and clinical data, it is possible, with great effort, to build models that measure and explain the effects of air pollution on health. Examples include the relative risk of death from exposure to PM2.5, PM10, CO, and O3; particulate matter air pollution effects on activation of pulmonary tuberculosis; the association between personal PM10 exposure and pulmonary function; and the estimation of costs and public health benefits by PM10 mitigation, among others.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-07
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030515
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 516: Characterization of Laboratory Particulate
Matter (PM) Mass Setups for Brake Emission Measurements
Authors: Theodoros Grigoratos, Athanasios Mamakos, RaviTeja Vedula, Michael Arndt, Dmytro Lugovyy, Christian Hafenmayer, Mikko Moisio, Carlos Agudelo, Barouch Giechaskiel
First page: 516
Abstract: Vehicles’ exhaust particulate matter (PM) emissions have significantly decreased over the years. On the other hand, non-exhaust emissions, i.e., particle emissions from brakes and tires, have increased due to the increase in the vehicle fleet, traffic congestion, and the distance traveled. As a result, regulatory bodies are investigating the possibility of mitigating non-exhaust emissions. The Euro 7 proposal introduces specific emission limits for both brakes and tires for the first time in a regulation worldwide. The methodology for brake particle emissions sampling and measurement builds on the work of the Particle Measurement Programme (PMP) informal working group of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The recently adopted Global Technical Regulation (GTR) on brakes from light-duty vehicles up to 3.5 t prescribes the technical details. In this paper, we present the technical specifications for the measurements of PM. We also evaluate the penetrations for two cases with two setups for minimum and maximum particle losses. This study, using aerosol engineering calculations, estimates the maximum expected differences between the two setups, both of which are compliant with the GTR. This study also discusses the mass ratios of PM2.5 and PM10 as a function of the mass median diameters.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-07
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030516
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 517: Global Navigation Satellite System-Based
Retrieval of Precipitable Water Vapor and Its Relationship with Rainfall
and Drought in Qinghai, China
Authors: Shengpeng Zhang, Fenggui Liu, Hongying Li, Qiang Zhou, Qiong Chen, Weidong Ma, Jing Luo, Yongsheng Huang
First page: 517
Abstract: Qinghai Province is situated deep in inland China, on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, and it has unique climate change characteristics. Therefore, understanding the temporal and spatial distributions of water vapor in this region can be of great significance. The present study applied global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology to retrieve precipitable water vapor (PWV) in Qinghai and analyzed its relationship with rainfall and drought. Firstly, radiosonde (RS) data is used to verify the precision of the surface pressure (P) and temperature (T) from the fifth-generation atmosphere reanalysis data set (ERA5) of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), as well as the zenith troposphere delay (ZTD), calculated based on the data from continuously operating reference stations (CORS) in Qinghai. Secondly, a regional atmospheric weighted mean temperature (Tm) (QH-Tm) model was developed for Qinghai based on P, T, and relative humidity, as well as the consideration of the influence of seasonal changes in Tm. Finally, the PWV of each CORS in Qinghai was calculated using the GNSS-derived ZTD and ERA5-derived meteorological data, and its relationship with rainfall and drought was evaluated. The results show that the ERA5-derived P and T have high precision, and their average root mean square (RMS), mean absolute error (MAE) and bias were 1.06/0.85/0.01 hPa and 2.98/2.42/0.03 K, respectively. The RMS, MAE and bias of GNSS-derived ZTD were 13.2 mm, 10.3 mm and −1.8 mm, respectively. The theoretical error for PWV was 1.98 mm; compared with that of RS- and ERA5-derived PWV, the actual error was 2.69 mm and 2.16 mm, respectively. In addition, the changing trend of GNSS-derived PWV was consistent with that of rainfall events, and it closely and negatively correlated with the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index. Therefore, the PWV retrieved from GNSS data in this study offers high precision and good feasibility for practical applications; thus, it can serve as a crucial tool for investigating water vapor distribution and climate change in Qinghai.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-07
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030517
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 518: Dynamic Response of Atmospheric and Ocean
Parameters and Their Relation to Typhoon Haikui (2012) Using Satellite
Data
Authors: Wangyuan Zhu, Mantravadi Venkata Subrahmanyam, Liuzhu Wang, Biyun Guo
First page: 518
Abstract: Typhoon Haikui (2012) occurred in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, and landfall on the east coast of China brought heavy rainfall with strong winds. Because of Typhoon Haikui, sea surface temperature (SST) cooling of 3 °C occurred on the right side of the track, mainly due to Ekman transport and upwelling. SST cooling on the left side was lower than on the right side, mainly due to the rainfall. Heavy precipitation occurred on both sides of the typhoon track; however, rainfall was higher on the left side of the typhoon track. This paper explains the dynamic process between atmospheric and oceanographic parameters and verifies the variations in chlorophyll and sea surface height data before, during, and after the typhoon. Typhoon Haikui demonstrates dynamic variations and intuitively illustrates the relationship between the ocean and atmospheric parameters.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-08
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030518
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 519: Influence of Meteor Count on Wind Field
Retrieved by All-Sky Meteor Radar
Authors: Xiaojing Hao, Yu Ma, Zonghua Ding, Libin Wang, Na Li, Jinsong Chen
First page: 519
Abstract: The all-sky meteor radar is an important means to detect 70–110 km wind fields. Previous studies have shown that the wind field retrieved by all-sky meteor radars is closely related to the meteor count detected by the radar. However, the precision of the wind field is still unclear. In this paper, the influence of the meteor counts detected by two all-sky meteor radars operating simultaneously at Kunming station on wind fields is analyzed based on the observations of the two radars from 1 November 2013 to 31 December 2014. First, the meteor counts detected by the two meteor radars are approximately 100–3000 per hour, and the meteor count detected by the 37.5 MHz meteor radar is more than that according to the 53.1 MHz meteor radar. The meteor counts detected by the two radars vary with the local time and altitude. The meteor counts detected from 20 UTC to 02 UTC are the largest in the altitude range of 84–92 km, while the meteor counts detected from 09 UTC to 15 UTC are the lowest at other altitudes. Second, the more meteors detected by the two radars, the smaller the wind field differences retrieved by the two radars, and the closer the wind fields are to the real average wind field. Third, because the performance of the two radars is basically identical, except that the meteor counts detected by the two radars are different due to their different operating frequencies, the meteor count is the main system error of the wind fields retrieved, and the errors can be determined by the correlation coefficients of the wind fields retrieved by the two radars. Finally, in the altitude range of 76–100 km, the mean wind field differences of the two radars are less than 5 m/s.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-08
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030519
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 520: Multi-Model Ensemble Forecasts of Surface
Air Temperatures in Henan Province Based on Machine Learning
Authors: Tian Wang, Yutong Zhang, Xiefei Zhi, Yan Ji
First page: 520
Abstract: Based on the China Meteorological Administration Land Data Assimilation System (CLDAS) reanalysis data and 12–72 h forecasts of the surface (2-m) air temperature (SAT) from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and three numerical weather prediction (NWP) models of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA-GFS, CMA-SH, and CMA-MESO), multi-model ensemble forecasts are conducted with a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a feed-forward neural network (FNN) to improve the SAT forecast in Henan Province, China. The results show that there are large errors in the 12–72 h forecasts of SAT from the CMA, while the ECMWF outperforms the other raw NWP models, especially in eastern and southern Henan. The CNN has the best short-term forecasting skills. The difference in the geographical distribution of the CNN forecast errors is small, without any apparent large-value areas. The CNN shows its advantages in its bias correction in the mountainous region (western Henan), indicating that the CNN can capture the spatial features of the atmospheric fields and is therefore more robust in regions with varied topography. In addition, the CNN can extract data features through the convolution kernel and focus on local features; it can assimilate the local features at a higher level and obtain global features. Therefore, the CNN takes advantage of the four models in the SAT forecast and further improves the forecast skill.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-08
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030520
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 521: On the Different Quasi-2-Day Wave
Behaviors during Sudden Stratospheric Warming Periods
Authors: Liang Tang, Sheng-Yang Gu, Chen-Ke-Min Teng, Zhen-Lin Yang, Shu-Yue Zhao, Hui Huang, Dong Wang
First page: 521
Abstract: The temporal variations in the sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events in the winter stratosphere always coincide with the quasi-2-day wave (Q2DW) in the summer mesosphere, and the impact of SSW on Q2DW is interesting but still a mystery. Major SSWs occurred in both 2006 and 2009, while the Q2DW activity was quite different. The Second Modern Era-Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2) reanalysis dataset was used to comparatively analyze these two major SSW events and elucidate the reasons for the different Q2DW behaviors. We noticed that the summer easterly jet shows a large interannual variability. We conclude that the summer mesospheric Q2DWs are modulated by the winter SSW, whereas the modulation process is also affected by the interannual variability of the summer easterly flow itself. The effects of the SSW on the Q2DWs may differ from year to year due to the variability of the summer easterly flow itself, resulting in different anomalous Q2DW behavior. This conclusion may also be true for the interannual variability of other phenomena during the SSW period.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-08
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030521
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 522: Reduction in the Arctic Surface Warm Bias
in the NCAR CAM6 by Reducing Excessive Low-Level Clouds in the Arctic
Authors: Jungeun Bae, Hyun-Joon Sung, Eun-Hyuk Baek, Ji-Hun Choi, Hyo-Jung Lee, Baek-Min Kim
First page: 522
Abstract: High-latitude low clouds in the Northern winter have been known to be closely related to the Arctic surface air temperature by controlling downward longwave radiation, but Earth system models often fail to accurately simulate this relationship. In this study, we conducted a series of model experiments to examine the role of winter high-latitude low-level clouds in determining the Arctic surface temperature. Our findings show that low-level clouds play a significant role in regulating the Arctic surface temperature. We used the NCAR CAM6 model and compared the results of an unforced simulation run with those of an experiment using an empirical low-level cloud scheme to alleviate the typical overestimation of the low cloud fraction of state-of-the-art general circulation models at high latitudes. The unforced simulation exhibited excessive downward longwave radiation in the Arctic, resulting in a significant warm bias compared to reanalysis data. On the other hand, the experiment using a modified scheme more closely resembled the reanalysis data in terms of low-level cloud simulation. Overall, our study underscores the importance of accurately representing low-level clouds in high-latitude regions to reduce surface temperature bias in the model.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-08
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030522
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 523: Design and Experiments of a
Naturally-Ventilated Radiation Shield for Ground Temperature Measurement
Authors: Qingquan Liu, Wei Jin, Jie Yang, Huanan Zhu, Wei Dai
First page: 523
Abstract: Temperature sensors may produce a measurement error of up to 1 °C because of the influence of solar radiation. In order to obtain a relatively minimal temperature error, a new temperature observation system was proposed in this paper for measuring surface air temperatures. Firstly, a radiation shield was designed with two aluminum plates, eight vents, and a multi-layer structure which is able to resist direct solar radiation, reflected radiation, and upwelling long-ware radiation, as well as ensuring the temperature sensor probe could work effectively. Then, the effect of different solar radiation intensities, wind speeds, scattered radiation intensities, long-wave radiation intensities, and underlying surface reflectivity levels on radiation error was calculated through a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The mapping relationship was established between the various influencing factors and the solar radiation error. A back-propagation (BP) network algorithm was used to fit the discrete data obtained from the simulation to obtain the solar radiation error correction equation. Finally, the solar radiation error correction equation was verified. Outdoor experiments were conducted to confirm this system’s measurement accuracy. According to the experimental findings, the root-mean-square error was only 0.095 °C, which is a relatively high degree by which to reduce the temperature error. In addition, the average difference between the corrected value of the temperature observation system and the reference value was barely 0.084 °C.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-08
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030523
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 524: Effects of Wave-Mean Flow Interaction on
the Multi-Time-Scale Variability of the AO Indices: A Case Study of
Winters 2007/08 and 2009/10
Authors: Sujie Liang, Yanju Liu, Yihui Ding
First page: 524
Abstract: Wave-mean flow interaction is usually regarded as accounting for the origin of the Arctic Oscillation/Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode (AO/NAM). It is inferred that the combination of the local wave-mean flow interactions at the AO/NAM’s three regional centers of action on three important time scales contributes to the main behavior of the AO/NAM index. To discuss the variations of the AO/NAM indices on the three prominent time scales, we take the 2007/08 and 2009/10 winters as two comparative examples to analyze the local wave-mean flow interactions at the AO/NAM’s three centers. The following three facets are identified: (1) Synoptic-scale wave breakings in the North Atlantic can explain the variances of the AO/NAM index on a time scale of 10–20 days. In the 2007/08 winter, there were both cyclonic and anticyclonic synoptic wave breakings, while in the 2009/10 winter, cyclonic synoptic wave breaking was dominant, and the flow characteristics were strikingly similar to the blocking. (2) In the 2007/08 and 2009/10 winters, the signals of the AO/NAM indices on the time scale of 30–60 days are mainly from the interactions between the upward propagating quasi-stationary waves and the polar vortex in the stratosphere. (3) This work also demonstrates that the AO/NAM is linked to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) by the Pacific–North American pattern (PNA) on the winter mean time scale. In the 2007/08 (2009/10) winter, La Niña (El Niño) forced the Pacific jet to shift poleward (equatorward), in favor of weakening (enhancing) the polar waveguide; thus, the polar vortex became stronger (weaker), corresponding to the positive (negative) winter mean AO/NAM index.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-09
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030524
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 525: Integrated Assessment Modelling of Future
Air Quality in the UK to 2050 and Synergies with Net-Zero Strategies
Authors: Helen ApSimon, Tim Oxley, Huw Woodward, Daniel Mehlig, Mike Holland, Sarah Reeves
First page: 525
Abstract: Integrated assessment modelling (IAM) has been successfully used in the development of international agreements to reduce transboundary pollution in Europe, based on the GAINS model of IIASA. At a national level in the UK, a similar approach has been taken with the UK Integrated Assessment Model, UKIAM, superimposing pollution abatement measures and behavioural change on energy projections designed to meet targets set for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and allowing for natural and imported contributions from other countries and shipping. This paper describes how the UKIAM was used in the development of proposed targets for the reduction of fine particulate PM2.5 in the UK Environment Act, exploring scenarios encompassing different levels of ambition in reducing the emissions of air pollutants up to 2050, with associated health and other environmental benefits. There are two PM2.5 targets, an annual mean concentration target setting a maximum concentration to be reached by a future year, and a population exposure reduction target with benefits for health across the whole population. The work goes further, also demonstrating links to social deprivation. There is a strong connection between climate measures aimed at reducing net GHG emissions to zero by 2050 and future air quality, which may be positive or negative, as illustrated by sectoral studies for road transport where electrification of the fleet needs to match the evolution of energy production, and for domestic heating, where the use of wood for heating is an air quality issue. The UKIAM has been validated against air pollution measurements and other types of modelling, but there are many uncertainties, including future energy projections.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-09
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030525
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 526: Effects of Microphysics Parameterizations
on Forecasting a Severe Hailstorm of 30 April 2021 in Eastern China
Authors: Fulin Jiang, Bo Chen, Fengxue Qiao, Rui Wang, Chaoshi Wei, Qiyang Liu
First page: 526
Abstract: On the evening of 30 April 2021, a severe hailstorm swept across eastern China, causing catastrophic gale and damaging hailstones. This hailstorm event was directly caused by two mesoscale convective systems associated with strong squall lines, with mid-level cold advection from the northeast cold vortex, and strong low-level convergence associated with the low-level vortex and wind shear line. Double nesting of the high-resolution weather research and forecasting model (9–1 km) is utilized to simulate this hailstorm with five microphysics schemes. The radar-based maximum estimated size of hail (MESH) algorithm, differential reflectivity and fractions skill scores were used to quantitatively evaluate the precision. All schemes basically captured the two squall lines that swept through eastern China, although they appeared one or two hours earlier than observation. Particularly, Goddard and Thompson performed better in the MESH swath and fractions skill scores among the five different schemes. However, Thompson most realistically captured the reflectivity pattern, intensity and vertical structure of mesoscale convective systems. Its high-reflectivity column corresponded to the maximum center of the hail mixing ratio within the updraft region, which is consistent with the characteristics of a pulse-type hailstorm in its mature phase.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-09
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030526
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 527: Study on Gas Flow Parameters and
Fractional Removal Efficiency of Ultrafine Particulate Matter in Newly
Developed Electro Cyclone-Filter
Authors: Aleksandras Chlebnikovas, Artūras Kilikevičius
First page: 527
Abstract: The treatment of polluted industrial flow remains a relevant topic for the purpose of sustainable development and improvement of the general state of the environment. The removal of particulate matter, and especially their fine and ultra-fine fractions, from the gas flow, is an urgent task, but it poses many challenges and demands for purification technology. This paper presents the results of the first stage of the research using a newly developed cleaning device operating by a complex principle, which consists of a new generation two-stage centrifugal filtration device and an electro-filter. The rate of air flow was varied from 0.3 to 1.16 m/s at the inlet and corresponds to an air flow yield of 53 m3/h to 205 m3/h. The maximum pressure drop at an air flow of 255 m3/h is 26 Pa. Research has shown that the efficiency of removing ultra-fine particulate matter is up to 99.7% for particles 0.3–0.5 µm in size at 200 m3/h of the air flow rate.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-09
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030527
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 528: Investigation of Heavy-Duty Vehicle
Chassis Dynamometer Fuel Consumption and CO2 Emissions Based on a
Binning-Reconstruction Model Using Real-Road Data
Authors: Shuojin Ren, Tengteng Li, Gang Li, Xiaofei Liu, Haoye Liu, Xiaowei Wang, Dongzhi Gao, Zhiwei Liu
First page: 528
Abstract: Global warming is directly related to heavy-duty vehicle fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (CO2 mainly) emissions, which, in China, are certified on the vehicle chassis dynamometer. Currently, vast amounts of vehicle real-road data from the portable emission measurement system (PEMS) and remote monitoring are being collected worldwide. In this study, a binning-reconstruction calculation model is proposed, to predict the chassis dynamometer fuel consumption and CO2 emissions with real-road data, regardless of operating conditions. The model is validated against chassis dynamometer and PEMS test results, and remote monitoring data. Furthermore, based on the proposed model, the fuel consumption levels of 1408 heavy-duty vehicles in China are analyzed, to evaluate the challenge to meet the upcoming China fourth stage fuel consumption limits. For accumulated fuel consumption based on the on-board diagnostic (OBD) data stream, a predictive relative error less than 5% is expected for the present model. For bag sampling results, the proposed model’s accuracy is expected to be within 10%. The average relative errors between the average fuel consumption and the China fourth stage limits are about 3%, 8%, and 0.7%, for current trucks, tractors, and dump trucks, respectively. The urban operating condition, with lower vehicle speeds, is the main challenge for fuel consumption optimization.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-09
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030528
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 529: Separation of Ambient Radio Noise and
Radio Signals Received via Ionospheric Propagation
Authors: Ben A. Witvliet, Rosa M. Alsina-Pagès, David Altadill, Erik van Maanen, Geert Jan Laanstra
First page: 529
Abstract: Systems for atmospheric research and wireless communication use the High Frequency (HF) radio spectrum. At these frequencies, typically up to 20 MHz, the ambient electromagnetic noise is stronger than the noise generated by the receiver itself, thereby limiting the sensitivity of the instruments. Especially in urban areas, the noise level is high. In remote rural environments, where artificial noise sources are absent, a much lower noise level is observed. It has been shown that this noise arrives via ionospheric propagation and consists of impulsive noise from lightning and a background component that resembles additive white Gaussian noise. To establish the absolute field strength of this background noise component, a direction- and polarization-agnostic antenna is realized by adding the power of two orthogonal antenna elements in the digital domain. To suppress radio signals arriving via ionospheric propagation—of which the spectral and temporal aspects are not known a priori—a novel adaptive filter is demonstrated that separates the background noise from the radio signals in the joint frequency-time domain. This method is demonstrated using measurements from a polarimetric experiment on 7 MHz in a remote rural area in Catalonia. The results are submitted to the International Telecommunication Union for the validation of ambient noise models.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-09
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030529
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 530: Identification and Characteristics of
Historical Extreme High-Temperature Events over the China–Pakistan
Economic Corridor
Authors: Tao Li, Anming Bao
First page: 530
Abstract: Recently, there has been an increase in the occurrence of extreme high-temperature events across the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Regional spatiotemporal identification and evaluation of extreme high temperatures are essential for accurate forecasting of future climate changes. When such events generate a meteorological hazard, it is important to understand their temporal and spatial features, return period, and identification criteria. Accurately identifying extreme events can help assess risk and predict their spatial–temporal variation. While past studies have focused on individual sites, extreme heat events generally manifest as spatially and temporally continuous regional events. In this study, we propose an objective identification technique based on gridded data and spatiotemporal continuity to reveal the spatiotemporal characteristics of intensity, frequency, and duration events of extreme heat events in the CPEC from May to October between 1961 and 2015. Furthermore, we estimate the return period of extreme heat in the study region using the generalized Pareto distribution (GPD). Our findings indicate that the historical extreme temperature events (intensity, frequency, and duration) in the CPEC have significantly increased. Areas with a high incidence of extreme heat events are concentrated in eastern Balochistan, northern Sindh, and southeastern Punjab. These findings suggest that disaster prevention and mitigation plans should be targeted towards areas with a high frequency of extreme heat events in the CPEC, allowing policy makers to better prepare for and respond to future events.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-09
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030530
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 531: Spatiotemporal Analysis of Extreme
Rainfall Frequency in the Northeast Region of Brazil
Authors: Fidel Ernesto Castro Morales, Daniele Torres Rodrigues, Thiago Valentim Marques, Ana Cleide Bezerra Amorim, Priscilla Teles de Oliveira, Claudio Moises Santos e Silva, Weber Andrade Gonçalves, Paulo Sergio Lucio
First page: 531
Abstract: Climate extreme events are becoming increasingly frequent worldwide, causing floods, drought, forest fires, landslides and heat or cold waves. Several studies have been developed on the assessment of trends in the occurrence of extreme events. However, most of these studies used traditional models, such as Poisson or negative binomial models. Thus, the main objective of this study is to use a space–time data counting approach in the modeling of the number of days with extreme precipitation as an alternative to the commonly used statistical methods. The study area is the Northeast Brazil region, and the analysis was carried out for the period between 1 January 1980 and 31 December 2010, by assessing the frequency of extreme precipitation represented by the R10 mm, R20 mm and R* indices.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-09
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030531
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 532: Surface Wave Mixing Modifies Projections
of 21st Century Ocean Heat Uptake
Authors: Joshua Kousal, Kevin J. E. Walsh, Zhenya Song, Qingxiang Liu, Fangli Qiao, Alexander V. Babanin
First page: 532
Abstract: Climate models do not explicitly account for the smaller scale processes of ocean surface waves. However, many large-scale phenomena are essentially coupled with the waves. In particular, waves enhance mixing in the upper ocean and thereby accelerate the ocean response to atmospheric changes. Here, we introduced a representation of wave-induced turbulent mixing into the one-way coupled ACCESS-OM2-025 ocean model to study its effect on ocean heat content throughout the 21st century under the RCP4.5 scenario. We made two projections on ocean heat uptake for the end of the century: one which accounts for wave-induced mixing (the ‘modified’ projection) and the other which does not (the ‘standard’ projection). Both projections showed upper ocean heat content to increase by more than 2.2 × 1022 J. This projected ocean heat uptake was reduced by about 3% in the modified projection. Whilst the inclusion of wave-induced mixing reduces projected ocean heat uptake globally, some areas are expected to warm considerably faster, particularly the North Atlantic sub-tropics, the Tasman Sea, the Sea of Japan, and parts of the South Atlantic.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-10
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030532
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 533: Simulating Meteorological and Water Wave
Characteristics of Cyclone Shaheen
Authors: Mohsen Rahimian, Mostafa Beyramzadeh, Seyed Mostafa Siadatmousavi, Mohammad Nabi Allahdadi
First page: 533
Abstract: The Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea are annually exposed to severe tropical cyclones, which impose massive infrastructure damages and cause the loss of life in coastal regions. Cyclone Shaheen originally generated in the Bay of Bengal in 2021 and translated a rare east-to-west path toward the Arabian Sea. Although the cyclone’s wind field can be obtained from reanalysis datasets such as ERA5 (fifth generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), the wind speed cannot be reproduced with realistic details in the regions close to the center of cyclone due to spatial resolution. In this study, to address this problem, the high-resolution advanced Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used for simulation of Shaheen’s wind field. As a critical part of the study, the sensitivity of the results to the planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterization in terms of the track, intensity, strength and structure of the cyclone Shaheen is investigated. Five experiments are considered with five PBL schemes: Yonsei University (YSU); Mellor–Yamada–Janjić (MYJ); Mellor–Yamada–Nakanishi–Niino level 2.5 (MYNN); Asymmetric Convective Model version 2 (ACM2); Quasi-Normal Scale Elimination (QNSE). The track, intensity, and strength of the experiments are compared with the wind fields obtained from the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) dataset. The results imply the high dependency of the track, intensity, and strength of the cyclone to the PBL parameterization. Simulated tracks with non-local PBL schemes (YSU and ACM2) outperformed those of the local PBL schemes (MYJ, MYNN, and QNSE), especially during the rapid intensification phase of Shaheen before landfall. The YSU produced highly intensified storm, while the ACM2 results are in better agreement with the JTWC data. The most accurate track was obtained from the ERA5 data; however, this dataset overestimated the spatial size and underestimated the wind speed. The WRF model using either YSU or ACM2 overestimated the wind speed compared to that of the altimeter data. The YSU and ACM2 schemes were able to reproduce the observed increase in wind speed and pressure drop at in situ stations. The wind data from EAR5 and cyclone parametric model were applied to the SWAN model to simulate the wave regime in the Arabian Sea during the time that Shaheen was translating across the region. Janssen formulation for wind input and whitecapping dissipation source terms in combination with both ERA5 and hybrid wind were used and the minimum combined error in the prediction of significant wave height (Hs) and zero up-crossing wave period (Tz) was examined. The maximum significant wave height for hybrid wind is higher than that of ERA5, while the cyclone development was successfully inferred from the wave field of the hybrid data.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-10
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030533
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 534: IoT-Based Bi-Cluster Forecasting Using
Automated ML-Model Optimization for COVID-19
Authors: Hasan Tariq, Farid Touati, Damiano Crescini, Adel Ben Mnaouer
First page: 534
Abstract: The current COVID-19 pandemic has raised huge concerns about outdoor air quality due to the expected lung deterioration. These concerns include the challenges associated with an increase of harmful gases like carbon dioxide, the iterative/repetitive inhalation due to mask usage, and harsh environmental temperatures. Even in the presence of air quality sensing devices, these challenges can hinder the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases, epidemics, and pandemics in severe cases. In this research, a dual time series with a bi-cluster sensor data-stream-based novel optimized regression algorithm was proposed with optimization predictors and responses that use an automated iterative optimization of the model based on the similarity coefficient index. The algorithm was implemented over SeReNoV2 sensor nodes data, i.e., a multi-variate dual time-series sensor, of the environmental and US Environmental Protection Agency standard, which measures variables for the air quality index using air quality sensors with geospatial profiling. The SeReNoV2 systems were placed at four locations that were 3 km apart to monitor the air quality and their data was collected at Ubidots IoT platform over GSM. The results have shown that the proposed technique achieved a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.0042 with a training time of 469.28 s for the control and an RMSE of 1.646 in a training time of 28.53 s when optimized. The estimated R-Squared error was 0.03, with the Mean-Square Error for temperature being 1.0084 °C, and 293.98 ppm for CO2. Furthermore, the Mean-Absolute Error (MAE) for temperature was 0.66226 °C and 10.252 ppm for the correlated-CO2 at a predicted speed of ~5100 observations/s. In the sample cluster for temperature, 45,000 observations/s for CO2 was achieved due to the iterative optimization of the training time (469.28 s). The correlated temperature and a time of 28.53 s for CO2 were very promising in forecasting COVID-19 countermeasures before time.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-10
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030534
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 535: City-Level CH4 Emissions from
Anthropogenic Sources and Its Environmental Behaviors in China’s
Cold Cities
Authors: Weiwei Song, Wanying Yao, Yixuan Zhao, Mengying Wang, Ruihan Chen, Zhiyu Zhu, Zhi Gao, Chunhui Li, Miao Liang, Dajiang Yu
First page: 535
Abstract: Distinguished features of cities influence the characteristics of CH4 emissions. A city-level emission inventory represents the characteristics of CH4 on a smaller scale, according to the special factors in each city. A city-level emission inventory was established to reveal the characteristics and source profile of CH4 emissions in the coldest province, which is a typical provincial cold region in northeast China. The dominant sources were identified for targeted cities. Rice cultivation, coal mining, oil and gas exploitation, and livestock are the dominant emission sectors. Emissions from other sectors, including wastewater disposal, biomass burning, landfill, etc. were also estimated. The provincial CH4 emissions increased gradually from 2003 to 2012, up to 2993.26 Gg with an annual increase rate of 2.85%; the emissions were 2740.63 in 2020. The emissions of CH4 in Harbin, Daqing, Jiamusi, and Hegang cities were higher than in the other nine cities, which were 337.23 Gg, 330.01 Gg, 328.55 Gg, and 307.42 Gg in 2020, respectively. Agriculture, including the rice cultivation, livestock, and biomass burning sectors contributed to 51.24–62.12% of total emissions, and the contributions increased gradually. Coal mining, oil and gas exploration, and fossil fuel combustion are energy-related sources, which contributed up to 37.91% of the total emissions, and the proportion kept decreasing to 23.87% in 2020. Furthermore, meteorological factors are especially relevant to the region, by which the differences of ambient temperature are over 60 °C (±30 °C). In the summer, CH4 emissions from the rice cultivation, biomass burning, livestock, and landfill sectors are obviously distinct from the heating period (winter), while few differences in CH4 emissions are found from wastewater disposal and the fossil fuel production sectors.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-10
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030535
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 536: Investigating the Incorporation of Idle,
High Idle, and Driving Acceleration NOx Emissions Tests into the Periodic
Technical Inspection Procedures
Authors: Daisy Thomas, Gurdas S. Sandhu, Thomas Nilsson, Stefan Bjurkvist
First page: 536
Abstract: NOx pollution is one of the greatest air quality issues that urban areas face today, particularly within the European Union (EU), yet currently this pollutant is only controlled through the homologation process. There is currently no periodic technical inspection (PTI) process for NOx emissions within the EU, leaving a weakness in the legislation that is currently allowing high polluters to negatively impact air quality. Work needs to be performed to incorporate a simple, quick, inexpensive, and representative test to accurately identify these high emitters within the on-road vehicle fleet. This paper investigates options for the incorporation of a NOx test into the EU PTI test procedures. In a trial constituting over 600 vehicles, a 3DATX parSYNC was used to measure the NOx emissions over a series of short test types. These are an idle test, two types of high idle test (a constant high idle and a rapid high idle), and an on-road driving dynamic acceleration test. The repeatability of all three test types was good. The NOx concentrations have strong correlations to the mass emissions for each test type, with the use of mean concentrations being deemed more representative than the use of maximum concentrations. The mean results across the tested fleet are calculated and used to define pass/fail thresholds for different vehicle types. The findings of this work show that multiple test methods have the potential to characterize NOx emissions from a vehicle, but in order to catch high emitters on a PTI test, the unloaded idle and high idle test types are not suitable substitutes for a dynamic acceleration test, particularly for petrol vehicles.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-10
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030536
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 537: Diurnal Variation in Concentration of
Culturable Bacterial and Fungal Bioaerosols in Winter to Spring Season
Authors: Ki Joon Heo, Sang Bin Jeong, Cheol Eun Lim, Gun Woong Lee, Byung Uk Lee
First page: 537
Abstract: Diurnal variations in the concentrations of culturable fungal and bacterial bioaerosols were measured during winter and spring. Significant variations in concentrations of bacterial bioaerosols were observed during the day in this measurement campaign. The bacterial bioaerosol concentration exhibited two peaks during the morning and evening periods in the winter season. Diurnal variation in bacterial bioaerosols was greater in spring than that in winter. However, fungal bioaerosol concentrations were not affected by diurnal and seasonal changes. Environmental properties such as temperature, relative humidity, and ultraviolet irradiation intensity were measured, and their relationship with bioaerosol concentrations was analyzed. The surrounding temperature was suspected as a significant factor. This diurnal variation in culturable bioaerosols can explain various public health phenomena. Variations in the concentrations of non-biological aerosol particles were also analyzed.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-11
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030537
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 538: Distribution and Meteorological Control of
PM2.5 and Its Effect on Visibility in Northern Thailand
Authors: Teerachai Amnuaylojaroen, Phonwilai Kaewkanchanawong, Phatcharamon Panpeng
First page: 538
Abstract: In the dry season, the north of Thailand always experiences reduced air quality, reduced visibility, and public health exposure from the burning of biomass domestically and in surrounding countries. The purpose of this research was to investigate the distribution and the meteorological control of PM2.5 accumulation, as well as its effect on visibility in northern Thailand in 2020. The Geographic Information System (GIS) was applied for the analysis of the spatial distribution, while Pearson’s correlation coefficient was utilized to examine the association between PM2.5 and meteorological variables. The results showed that the PM2.5 concentrations were in the range of 16–195 μg/m3 in 2020. The high level of PM2.5 in Lampang, Chiang Rai, and Chiang Mai provinces was in the range of 150 to 195 μg/m3 from January to May. Favorable meteorological conditions included low wind and relative humidity, and high temperatures contributed to high PM2.5 concentrations in northern Thailand. Domestic burning and burning in neighboring countries contribute to huge amounts of smoke that cause low visibility in northern Thailand, especially at 1 km above ground level, with a reduced visibility in the range of 70–90% for all provinces in April.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-11
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030538
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 539: Responses of Runoff and Its Extremes to
Climate Change in the Upper Catchment of the Heihe River Basin, China
Authors: Zhanling Li, Wen Li, Zhanjie Li, Xiaoyu Lv
First page: 539
Abstract: Understanding the impact of climate change on runoff and its extremes is of great significance for water resource assessment and adaptation strategies, especially in water-scarce regions. This study aims to analyze the impact of future climate change on runoff and its extremes in the upper reaches of the Heihe River basin in northwest China. The projected runoff was derived using the Soil Water Assessment Tool with climate data from the CSIRO-MK-3-6-0 model under the scenario of RCP4.5, and a frequency analysis of runoff was performed by generalized extreme value distribution. The results indicate that, compared with the baseline period of 1961 to 2000, the minimum and maximum temperatures in the period 2031 to 2070 were predicted to increase by 2.5 °C on average. The precipitation in most months was also predicted to increase, with an average rise of 16.5%. The multi-year average runoff was projected to increase by 8%. The annual mean and extreme flows were also expected to rise under future climate change at different return periods, and the low flow was expected to increase the most.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-11
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030539
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 540: Deployment and Evaluation of a Network of
Open Low-Cost Air Quality Sensor Systems
Authors: Philipp Schneider, Matthias Vogt, Rolf Haugen, Amirhossein Hassani, Nuria Castell, Franck R. Dauge, Alena Bartonova
First page: 540
Abstract: Low-cost air quality sensors have the potential to complement the regulatory network of air quality monitoring stations, with respect to increased spatial density of observations, however, their data quality continues to be of concern. Here we report on our experience with a small network of open low-cost sensor systems for air quality, which was deployed in the region of Stavanger, Norway, under Nordic winter conditions. The network consisted of AirSensEUR sensor systems, equipped with sensors for, among others, nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter. The systems were co-located at an air quality monitoring station, for a period of approximately six weeks. A subset of the systems was subsequently deployed at various roadside locations for half a year, and finally co-located at the same air quality monitoring station again, for a post-deployment evaluation. For fine particulate matter, the co-location results indicate a good inter-unit consistency, but poor average out-of-the-box performance (R2 = 0.25, RMSE = 9.6 μg m−3). While Köhler correction did not significantly improve the accuracy in our study, filtering for high relative humidity conditions improved the results (R2 = 0.63, RMSE = 7.09 μg m−3). For nitrogen dioxide, the inter-unit consistency was found to be excellent, and calibration models were developed which showed good performance during the testing period (on average R2 = 0.98, RMSE = 5.73 μg m−3), however, due to the short training period, the calibration models are likely not able to capture the full annual variability in environmental conditions. A post-deployment co-location showed, respectively, a slight and significant decrease in inter-sensor consistency for fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide. We further demonstrate, how observations from even such a small network can be exploited by assimilation in a high-resolution air quality model, thus adding value to both the observations and the model, and ultimately providing a more comprehensive perspective of air quality than is possible from either of the two input datasets alone. Our study provides valuable insights on the operation and performance of an open sensor system for air quality, particularly under challenging Nordic environmental conditions.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-11
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030540
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 541: Interdecadal Variation in Rossby Wave
Source over the Tibetan Plateau and Its Impact on the East Asia
Circulation Pattern during Boreal Summer
Authors: Yihui Ding, Xiaoting Sun, Qingquan Li, Yafang Song
First page: 541
Abstract: The wave activity flux representing the energy propagation direction of planetary Rossby wave generally originates from a large wave source area. This study investigates the interdecadal variability and formation mechanism of Rossby wave source over the Tibetan Plateau (TP-RWS) and its impact on the atmospheric circulation and precipitation pattern in East Asia based on the ERA-20C reanalysis dataset in summer (June–July–August) during 1900 to 2010. Results show that the region with the maximum variabilities of Rossby wave source (RWS) in the past 110 years appears over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) during boreal summer, and the TP-RWS shows prominent characteristics of interdecadal oscillation. Secondly, the TP-RWS is mainly composed of the vortex stretching term (RWS-S1) and the absolute vorticity advection term (RWS-S2). The interdecadal TP-RWS is a synergistic result of the snow cover over northwestern TP associated with the RWS-S1, and the deep convection over southeastern TP associated with the RWS-S2. Furthermore, the interdecadal TP-RWS can lead to an alternatively positive and negative pattern of geopotential height anomalies from the northwestern TP to the North Pacific, which has a great climate effect on the precipitation in Huang-huai River Basin, South Korea and Japan Island. Under the guidance of the anomalous cyclonic circulation in East Asia, the prevailing southerly and easterly winds occur over the West Pacific and the Huang-huai River Basin, which lead to the water vapor convergence and upward movement at middle and lower troposphere.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-11
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030541
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 542: Extreme Low-Visibility Events Prediction
Based on Inductive and Evolutionary Decision Rules: An Explicability-Based
Approach
Authors: César Peláez-Rodríguez, Cosmin M. Marina, Jorge Pérez-Aracil, Carlos Casanova-Mateo, Sancho Salcedo-Sanz
First page: 542
Abstract: In this paper, we propose different explicable forecasting approaches, based on inductive and evolutionary decision rules, for extreme low-visibility events prediction. Explicability of the processes given by the rules is in the core of the proposal. We propose two different methodologies: first, we apply the PRIM algorithm and evolution to obtain induced and evolved rules, and subsequently these rules and boxes of rules are used as a possible simpler alternative to ML/DL classifiers. Second, we propose to integrate the information provided by the induced/evolved rules in the ML/DL techniques, as extra inputs, in order to enrich the complex ML/DL models. Experiments in the prediction of extreme low-visibility events in Northern Spain due to orographic fog show the good performance of the proposed approaches.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-12
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030542
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 543: A pptv Level Incoherent Broadband
Cavity-Enhanced Absorption Spectrometer for the Measurement of Atmospheric
NO3
Authors: Liuyi Ling, Weilong Li, Qi Zhang
First page: 543
Abstract: NO3 radicals are one of the very important trace gases in the atmosphere. Accurate measurements of NO3 can provide data support for atmospheric chemistry research. Due to the extremely low content of NO3 radicals in the atmosphere, it is a challenge to accurately detect it. In this paper, an incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectrometer (IBBCEAS) with high sensitivity is developed for measuring atmospheric NO3. The IBBCEAS absorption spectra of NO3 in the range of 648–674 nm are measured. The concentration of NO3 is retrieved by fitting the absorption cross-section of NO3 to the measured absorption coefficient using the least square method. The interference absorption of water vapor is effectively removed by an iterative calculation of its absorption cross-section. The detect limit of the spectrometer is analyzed using the Allan variance and the standard variance. The NO3 detection limit (1σ) of the spectrometer is 1.99 pptv for 1 s integration time, and improves to be 0.69 pptv and 0.21 pptv for 10 s and 162 s integration time, respectively. The developed spectrometer with pptv level sensitivity is applied to the measurements of the real atmospheric NO3 for verifying the effectiveness.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-12
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030543
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 544: Characteristics of Heat Waves in Mainland
China since 1961 Based on Absolute and Relative Methods
Authors: Honghua Ji, Aiqing Feng, Yufei Zhao, Jie Liao, Zhisen Zhang, Changgui Gu, Aixia Feng
First page: 544
Abstract: Based on gridded temperature data from the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), two types of methods, i.e., absolute methods and relative methods, respectively, were used to identify heat waves in Mainland China. Four statistical indicators, including the occurrence frequency, duration days, earliest occurrence date, and latest extinction date, were constructed to analyze the spatial-temporal characteristics of heat waves, especially on the annual and decadal change trends. Firstly, we found that both the frequency and the duration of heat waves decreased in the period from 1960 to 1989 but increased in the 1990s and increased significantly from the early 2000s to the 2010s. Spatially, the frequency and the duration obtained by each type of method are significantly different among different regions when considering different facts, such as different regions that have different degrees of tolerance to heat waves. Secondly, the decadal distribution characteristics of the earliest occurrence date and the latest extinction date of heat waves well capture the hot summer, the stronger sensitivity of winter to warming than other seasons, and the gradually increasing intensity of heat waves. It provides a multidimensional reference for the cause analysis and prediction of extreme heat waves in China.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-12
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030544
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 545: Impacts of Pollutant Emissions from
Authors: Ziyue Zhang, Wenyu Yang, Shucai Zhang, Long Chen
First page: 545
Abstract: Under the state’s key surveillance, petrochemical industries are considered polluting enterprises. Even though large-scale petrochemical enterprises follow the complete treatment of combustion waste gas, process waste gas, and volatile organic waste gas pollutants, the impact of pollutant emissions on the regional air quality is unclear. This study used the atmospheric chemical transport model and adopted the subtraction method to simulate the impacts of air pollutant emissions from four typical petrochemical enterprises on regional air quality of the North China Plain. Results indicated that emissions from petrochemical enterprises on surface PM2.5, SO2, and NO2 concentrations mainly contributed to the nearby area, particularly SO2 and NO2. The pollution can be controlled within the boundaries of the petrochemical plants. Petrochemical enterprises had a small SO2 and NO2 contribution with a maximum of up to 4.65% within a 9 km distance. Emissions from petrochemical enterprises contributed less to surface PM2.5 concentrations (less than 0.5%) within a 9 km distance. Surface O3 concentrations driven by petrochemical enterprises did not show near-source distribution characteristics, which were closely related to its complex precursors and secondary reactions. Contributions of petrochemical enterprises to local pollution decreased significantly with the increase in distance. The SO2 and NO2 pollution contributions to the North China Plain remained around 0.1–0.2%, with the maximum contribution occurring in January and July. The maximum contribution of PM2.5 in this region was in April (0.42%) while it was below 0.1% for other months. The pollutant emission from the four typical petrochemical enterprises in the North China Plain had little impact on the concentration of air pollutants in the North China Plain. However, it had a significant impact on the ambient air quality in the region near the enterprise. This study can be useful in analyzing and refining the influence of enterprises on the region.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-13
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030545
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 546: Seasonality of Relationship between
Tropical Cyclone Frequency over the Southern Hemisphere and Tropical
Climate Modes
Authors: Tomomichi Ogata
First page: 546
Abstract: In this study, the author examined the tropical cyclone (TC) activity over the southern hemisphere (SH) and its relationship with tropical climate modes, such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), during the austral summer (December–January–February; DJF) and fall (March–April–May; MAM). The correlation analysis between the TC activity and the global sea surface temperature (SST) suggested that an increased TC activity over the southwestern and southeastern Indian Ocean (SWIO and SEIO) was associated with a La Niña-like SST pattern, while an increased TC activity over the southwestern Pacific (SWP) was associated with an El Niño-like SST pattern. The atmospheric conditions accompanying the TC increase over the SWIO/SEIO indicated that a La Niña induces tropospheric cooling over the tropics with cyclonic circulation anomalies over the TC genesis region. Both the SST anomalies and the cyclonic circulation anomalies were significantly correlated with TC genesis parameters, suggesting that they contributed to TC genesis. To investigate the SST precursors, a lead-lag correlation analysis was performed. For the TC variations over the SEIO, an SST pattern that resembled the Pacific Meridional Mode (PMM) was statistically significant at a two-season lead. However, such a TC-ENSO relationship is seasonally dependent, with different patterns during DJF and MAM. These results suggest that the Matsuno-Gill response to ENSO is an important factor in TC activity but that this influence is seasonally modulated over the SH.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-13
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030546
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 547: The Influencing Mechanism of Urban Travel
Carbon Emissions from the Perspective of Built Environment: The Case of
Guangzhou, China
Authors: Jianfeng Lu
First page: 547
Abstract: Urban travel is a major component of urban transport, and the total carbon emissions of urban transport can be effectively reduced if the carbon emissions of residents’ travel can be reasonably controlled. Based on the questionnaire data of many different types of residential areas in Guangzhou, the daily travel behaviour of residents was analysed and their travel carbon emissions were calculated. The differences in travel characteristics and travel carbon emissions of residents in different types of residential areas were compared. The influencing factors of residents’ travel carbon emissions were divided into three categories: individual socio-economic factors, built environment, and residents’ travel behaviour. On this basis, a structural equation model is established to study the impact mechanism of residents’ travel carbon emissions. The path relationship between endogenous variables and endogenous variables, as well as the path relationship between exogenous variables and endogenous variables were investigated. The interactions between various influencing factors of residents’ travel carbon emissions were examined. The results show that: (1) there are significant differences in residents’ travel carbon emissions in different types of municipalities. Residents’ travel carbon emissions in Guangzhou are closer to the 60/20 distribution; (2) compared with individual socio-economic factors, the impact of the built environment on travel carbon emissions is more obvious; (3) travel distance and travel mode are the factors that directly affect residents’ travel carbon emissions. Proposals have been made to reduce the carbon emissions of residents travelling.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-13
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030547
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 548: Study on Lowering the Group 1 Protease
Allergens from House Dust Mites by Exposing to Todomatsu Oil Atmosphere
Authors: Yichun Lin, Kai Xiao, Weiqian Wang, Senlin Lu, Qingyue Wang
First page: 548
Abstract: Group 1 protease allergens that persist in fecal particles from house dust mites (HDM) are the prevalent indoor aeroallergens and the primary triggers of dust mite allergy. Consequently, it is vital to discover a secure, efficient, affordable, and eco-friendly inhibitor to restrain these allergens. Herein, an assessment on the suppression of allergens Der f 1 and Der p 1 (predominant Group 1 allergens) with todomatsu oil derived from the remnants of Abies sachalinensis was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and molecular docking analysis in silico. The results demonstrated that todomatsu oil effectively suppresses allergens Der f 1 and Der p 1 by lowering their allergen contents, and the decline rate rises with increasing todomatsu oil concentration. The formation of alkyl hydrophobic interactions, pi-sigma bonds, and hydrogen bonds have been observed between oil ingredients and allergens Der f 1 and Der p 1. Intriguingly, the majority of oil ingredients prefer to dock on hydrophobic amino acids. Additionally, oil ingredients docked to the cysteine protease site on Der f 1 or IgG epitope on Der p 1 were discovered. Notably, the binding affinity (BA) score and inhibition constant (Ki) revealed that bornyl acetate, the component with the maximum relative proportion in todomatsu oil, is included in the top five ingredients with the best inhibition effectiveness. As a result, todomatsu oil has been identified as an efficient inhibitor against Group 1 HDM allergens and a viable measure to improve indoor air quality.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-13
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030548
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 549: The Effects of Fog on the Atmospheric
Electrical Field Close to the Surface
Authors: Yoav Yair, Roy Yaniv
First page: 549
Abstract: Ground-based measurements of the atmospheric electric field have been recorded continuously since 2013 at the Wise Observatory, located in the Negev Desert Highland in southern Israel. The data have been used for defining the characteristics of fair weather and to identify the signatures of dust storms, lightning activity, and clouds. We report here on new results from observations of the variability of the electric field (transformed into the potential gradient, PG) during several foggy days, along with meteorological data on wind speed and relative humidity. The results show a substantial increase in the electric field (up to 400–650 V m−1) compared with the mean fair weather values observed at the site (180–190 V m−1). This increase is especially clear during times of high relative humidity values (95%+) and low wind speed (<3 m s−1). This increase is likely a consequence of the reduction in the atmospheric conductivity at low levels, due to the attachment of charge carriers to fog droplets. Based on this discovery, it is suggested that continuously monitoring the electric field may offer an additional operational tool to alert for the onset and termination of fog at specific locations, such as airports and harbors, where this nowcasting capability is required.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-13
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030549
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 550: Towards Space Deployment of the NDSA
Concept for Tropospheric Water Vapour Measurements
Authors: Luca Facheris, Andrea Antonini, Fabrizio Argenti, Flavio Barbara, Ugo Cortesi, Fabrizio Cuccoli, Samuele Del Bianco, Federico Dogo, Arjan Feta, Marco Gai, Anna Gregorio, Giovanni Macelloni, Agnese Mazzinghi, Samantha Melani, Francesco Montomoli, Alberto Ortolani, Luca Rovai, Luca Severin, Tiziana Scopa
First page: 550
Abstract: A novel measurement concept specifically tuned to monitoring tropospheric water vapour’s vertical distribution has been demonstrated on a theoretical basis and is currently under development for space deployment. The NDSA (Normalised Differential Spectral Attenuation) technique derives the integrated water vapour (IWV) along the radio link between a transmitter and a receiver carried by two LEO satellites, using the linear correlation between the IWV and a parameter called spectral sensitivity. This is the normalised incremental ratio of the spectral attenuation at two frequencies in the Ku and K bands, with the slope of the water vapour absorption line at 22.235 GHz. Vertical profiles of WV can be retrieved by inverting a set of IWV measurements acquired in limb geometry at different tangent altitudes. This paper provides a comprehensive insight into the NDSA approach for sounding lower tropospheric WV, from the theoretical investigations in previous ESA studies, to the first experimental developments and testing, and to the latest advancements achieved with the SATCROSS project of the Italian Space Agency. The focus is on the new results from SATCROSS activities; primarily, on the upgrading of the instrument prototype, with improved performance in terms of its power stability and the time resolution of the measurements. Special emphasis is also placed on discussing tomographic inversion methods capable of retrieving tropospheric WV content from IWV measurements, i.e., the least squares and the external reconstruction approaches, showing results with different spatial features when applied to a given atmospheric scenario. The ultimate goal of deploying the NDSA measurement technique from space is thoroughly examined and conclusions are drawn after presenting the results of an Observing System Simulation Experiment conducted to assess the impact of NDSA data assimilation on environmental model simulations.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-14
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030550
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 551: Influence of Oil Content on Particle
Loading Characteristics of a Two-Stage Filtration System
Authors: Xinjiao Tian, Qisheng Ou, Yajing Lu, Jingxian Liu, Yun Liang, David Y. H. Pui, Hang Yi
First page: 551
Abstract: Filter media may encounter aerosols mixed with solid and oil ingredients from various sources, such as industries, transportation, and households, in the air purification process, while the influence such oil content has on the loading performance of single-stage and two-stage filtration systems is under-reported. Thus, this study aims to evaluate oil fraction effects on the loading performance of single-stage and two-stage filtration systems. First, to reveal the oil–solid mixed particle deposition mechanisms, the filter media parameters, i.e., specific cake resistance ε and cake porosity K2, were tested, indicating that a slight amount of oil can increase the dust holding capacity (DHC) of filters by forming a more porous cake, while an excess of oil results in reduced DHC by forming impermeable liquid films on the solid skeleton. Further two-stage experimental results indicate that the effectiveness of a pre-stage filter can be significantly affected by the properties of incoming aerosol and main-stage filters. The utilization of a pre-stage filter unintentionally deteriorated the service lifetime of the main-stage filter when challenged with contaminants with certain oil particles. This counter-intuitive negative phenomenon is due to the special loading behaviors of oil–solid mixed particles. The existing pre-stage filters allow a higher fine oil particle fraction to reach the main-stage downstream, while the induced cake filtration scenario leading to a film clogging scenario adversely reduced the lifetime of the main-stage filter. The findings suggest that the feasibility of a pre-stage in the filtration system requires compressive evaluations according to the specific oil-coated contaminants.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-14
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030551
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 552: Arboreal Urban Cooling Is Driven by Leaf
Area Index, Leaf Boundary Layer Resistance, and Dry Leaf Mass per Leaf
Area: Evidence from a System Dynamics Model
Authors: Harold N. Eyster, Brian Beckage
First page: 552
Abstract: Heat waves are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Summer heat waves can be particularly deadly in cities, where temperatures are already inflated by abundant impervious, dark surfaces (i.e., the heat island effect). Urban heat waves might be ameliorated by planting and maintaining urban forests. Previous observational research has suggested that conifers may be particularly effective in cooling cities. However, the observational nature of these studies has prevented the identification of the direct and indirect mechanisms that drive this differential cooling. Here, we develop a systems dynamics representation of urban forests to model the effects of the percentage cover of either conifers or broadleaf trees on temperature. Our model includes physiological and morphological differences between conifers and broadleaf trees, and physical feedback among temperature and energy fluxes. We apply the model to a case study of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Our model suggests that in temperate rainforest cities, conifers may by 1.0 °C cooler than broadleaf trees; this differential increases to 1.2 °C when percentage tree cover increases from 17% to 22% and to 1.7 °C at 30% cover. Our model suggests that these differences are due to three key tree traits: leaf area index, leaf boundary layer resistance, and dry mass per leaf area. Creating urban forests that optimize these three variables may not only sequester CO2 to mitigate global climate change but also be most effective at locally minimizing deadly urban heat waves.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-14
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030552
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 553: Daily Precipitation and Temperature
Extremes in Southern Italy (Calabria Region)
Authors: Giuseppe Prete, Elenio Avolio, Vincenzo Capparelli, Fabio Lepreti, Vincenzo Carbone
First page: 553
Abstract: We apply extreme value theory (EVT) to study the daily precipitation and temperature extremes in the Calabria region (southern Italy) mainly considering a long-term observational dataset (1990–2020) and also investigating the possible use of the ERA5 (ECMWF Reanalysis v5) fields. The efficiency of the EVT applied on the available observational dataset is first assessed—both through a punctual statistical analysis and return-level maps. Two different EVT methods are adopted, namely the peak-over-threshold (POT) approach for the precipitation and the block-maxima (BM) approach for the temperature. The proposed methodologies appear to be suitable for describing daily extremes both in quantitative terms, considering the punctual analysis in specific points, and in terms of the most affected areas by extreme values, considering the return-level maps. Conversely, the analysis conducted using the reanalysis fields for the same time period highlights the limitations of using these fields for a correct quantitative reconstruction of the extremes while showing a certain consistency regarding the areas most affected by extreme events. By applying the methodology on the observed dataset but focusing on return periods of 50 and 100 years, an increasing trend of daily extreme rainfall and temperature over the whole region emerges, with specific areas more affected by these events; in particular, rainfall values up to 500 mm/day are predicted in the southeastern part of Calabria for the 50-year-return period, and maximum daily temperatures up to 40 °C are expected in the next 100 years, mainly in the western and southern parts of the region. These results offer a useful perspective for evaluating the exacerbation of future extreme weather events possibly linked to climate change effects.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-14
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030553
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 554: Preface to State-of-the-Art in Real-Time
Air Quality Monitoring through Low-Cost Technologies
Authors: Domenico Suriano
First page: 554
Abstract: Air pollution represents one of the biggest concerns worldwide [...]
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-14
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030554
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 555: Nitrate and Ammonium Nitrogen Addition Did
Not Alter Nutrient Resorption of Dominant Plant in an Alpine Grassland
Authors: Lei Li, Bo Liu
First page: 555
Abstract: Worldwide increases in nitrogen deposition rates are influenced by human activities. Although the total amount of N deposition tends to be stable in our country, atmospheric N deposition of the reactive N forms (NO4+-N, NH4+; NO3−-N, NO3−) is remarkably different, and the ratios of NH4+ to NO3− change continuously. Nutrient resorption is a crucial driver of plant nutrient conservation strategies and litter quality. Therefore, the plant nutrient resorption pattern has remarkable ecological significance for nutrient cycling and the community structure of the ecosystem. However, previous studies have found that plants have different preferences in NH4+ and NO3−, and the response of nutrient resorption to different N forms remains unclear. In 2017 and 2018, we conducted field experiments simulating five NO3− and NH4+ addition ratios to examine the responses of the nutrient resorption of the dominant species, Stipa capillata, in the alpine grassland of northwest China. Results showed that N addition treatments did not affect the nutrient resorption efficiencies. The results showed that N application had little effect on soil inorganic N composition, so there was no significant change in the nutrient resorption efficiencies. In addition, the nutrient resorption efficiencies were unaffected across the five different ratios of nitrate and NH4+ addition, suggesting that nutrient resorption was not only controlled by the nutrient supply and nutrient form. Our results have important implications in understanding the significance of the frequency of N addition due to N loss through leaching and denitrification. The results also highlight that low intensity and high frequency N addition are required to investigate the response of plant nutrient resorption to the N supply in the future study.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-14
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030555
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 556: Thermospheric NO Cooling during an Unusual
Geomagnetic Storm of 21–22 January 2005: A Comparative Study between
TIMED/SABER Measurements and TIEGCM Simulations
Authors: Tikemani Bag, Diptiranjan Rout, Yasunobu Ogawa, Vir Singh
First page: 556
Abstract: The geomagnetic storm is the manifestation of the solar wind–magnetosphere interaction. It deposits huge amount of the solar energy into the magnetosphere–ionosphere–thermosphere (MIT) system. This energy creates global perturbations in the chemistry, dynamics, and energetics of the MIT system. The high latitude energy deposition results in the Joule and particle heating that subsequently increases the thermospheric temperature. The thermospheric temperature is effectively regulated by the process of thermospheric cooling emission by nitric oxide via 5.3 µm. A peculiar, intense geomagnetic storm (Dst = −105 nT) occurred during 21–22 January 2005, where the main phase developed during the northward orientation of the z-component of interplanetary magnetic field. We utilized the nitric oxide 5.3 µm infrared emission from the NCAR’s Thermosphere–Ionosphere–Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM) simulation and the Sounding of Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) onboard the thermosphere–ionosphere–mesosphere energetic and dynamics satellite to investigate its response to this anomalous geomagnetic storm. We compared the model results with the observations on both the local and global scales. It is observed that the model results agree very well with the observations during quiet times. However, the model severely underestimates the cooling emission by one-fourth of the observations, although it predicts an enhancement in the thermospheric temperature and densities of atomic oxygen and nitric oxide during the geomagnetic storm.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-14
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030556
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 557: Trends and Variability in Flood Magnitude:
A Case Study of the Floods in the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China
Authors: Xueliang Wang, Rensheng Chen, Kailu Li, Yong Yang, Junfeng Liu, Zhangwen Liu, Chuntan Han
First page: 557
Abstract: Analyzing trends in flood magnitude changes, and their underlying causes, under climate change, is a key challenge for the effective management of water resources in arid and semi-arid regions, particularly for inland rivers originating in the Qilian Mountains (QMs). Sen’s slope estimator and the Mann–Kendall test were used to investigate the spatial and temporal trends in flood magnitude, based on the annual maximum peak discharge (AMPD) and Peaks Over Threshold magnitude (POT3M) flood series, of twelve typical rivers, from 1970 to 2021. The results showed that, in the AMPD series, 42% of the rivers had significantly decreasing trends, while 8% had significantly increasing trends; in the POT3M series, 25% of the rivers had significantly decreasing trends, while 8% had significantly increasing trends. The regional differences in the QMs from east to west were that, rivers in the eastern region (e.g., Gulang, Zamu, and Xiying rivers) showed significantly decreasing trends in the AMPD and POT3M series; most rivers in the central region had non-significant trends, while the Shule river in the western region showed a significantly increasing trend. Temperatures and precipitation showed a fluctuating increasing trend after 1987, which were the main factors contributing to the change in flood magnitude trends of the AMPD and POT3M flood series in the QMs. Regional differences in precipitation, precipitation intensity, and the ratio of glacial meltwater in the eastern, central and western regions, resulted in the differences in flood magnitude trends between the east and west.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-14
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030557
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 558: URANS Simulations of Vehicle Exhaust
Plumes with Insight on Remote Emission Sensing
Authors: Justin Plogmann, Christian Stauffer, Panayotis Dimopoulos Eggenschwiler, Patrick Jenny
First page: 558
Abstract: Remote Emission Sensing (RES) is a measurement method based on absorption spectroscopy for the determination of pollutant concentrations. The absorption of the exhaust plume of a vehicle is measured from the roadside without intervention by means of a light/laser barrier during a short measurement (∼0.5 s) and concentration ratios of pollutants (e.g., NOx to CO2) are estimated. Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulations of exhaust plumes in vehicle wakes are performed using the k-ω SST turbulence model with focus on pollutant dispersion. The simulation setup has been validated by a comparison with experimentally obtained drag coefficients. The resulting concentration fields represent the pollutants available for measurements by a RES device. The influence of the characteristics of the RES device on the measurement is assessed. In addition, investigations involve several environmental and vehicle related parameters. The results demonstrate that due to strong turbulence, mixing is enhanced and the exhaust plumes rapidly disperse in the near vehicle wakes. Results show that emission characteristics of a vehicle are contained downstream for approximately half the vehicle length, regardless of different vehicle configurations, driving and ambient parameters. Further downstream dispersion of pollutants results in concentrations that are less than 1/100 of the pollutant concentration in the vehicle’s exhaust tailpipe implying that RES devices have to measure at a high sampling frequency. Therefore, reliable determination of the concentration ratios of pollutant at high vehicle velocities requires the RES device to operate in the order of 1000 Hz sampling frequency. Ultimately, the numerical simulations not only help to understand exhaust plume dispersion, but provide a very useful tool to minimize RES uncertainties.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-15
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030558
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 559: Applying Bayesian Models to Reduce
Computational Requirements of Wildfire Sensitivity Analyses
Authors: Ujjwal KC, Jagannath Aryal, K. Shuvo Bakar, James Hilton, Rajkumar Buyya
First page: 559
Abstract: Scenario analysis and improved decision-making for wildfires often require a large number of simulations to be run on state-of-the-art modeling systems, which can be both computationally expensive and time-consuming. In this paper, we propose using a Bayesian model for estimating the impacts of wildfires using observations and prior expert information. This approach allows us to benefit from rich datasets of observations and expert knowledge on fire impacts to investigate the influence of different priors to determine the best model. Additionally, we use the values predicted by the model to assess the sensitivity of each input factor, which can help identify conditions contributing to dangerous wildfires and enable fire scenario analysis in a timely manner. Our results demonstrate that using a Bayesian model can significantly reduce the resources and time required by current wildfire modeling systems by up to a factor of two while still providing a close approximation to true results.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-15
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030559
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 560: Thermodynamics of Evaporation from the
Ocean Surface
Authors: Rainer Feistel, Olaf Hellmuth
First page: 560
Abstract: Adopted by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO in 2010 and the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) in 2011, the Thermodynamic Equation of Seawater 2010 (TEOS-10) is the current geophysical standard for the thermodynamic properties of humid air, seawater and ice. TEOS-10 equations for evaporation and sublimation enthalpies are derived mathematically from the thermodynamic potential of a »sea air« model, denoting a multi-phase equilibrium composite of the geophysical aqueous mixtures. To estimating evaporation rates from the ocean, Dalton equations in various versions are implemented in numerical climate models. Some of those equations appear to be biased on climatic time scales if compared with proper thermodynamic driving forces. Such equations may lead to a spurious amplification of the hydrological cycle and an implied effect of cooling oceans. As an unbiased alternative, Dalton equations are proposed in terms of TEOS-10 relative fugacity (RF) or its conventional relative humidity (RH) approximations. With respect to RH uncertainties or trends, the substantial sensitivity of the evaporation flux may be estimated to be as much as 5 W m−2 per 1 %rh. Within a maximum error of only 0.04 %rh, sea-surface RF may be approximated in terms of dew-point or frost-point temperatures using a simple formula.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-15
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030560
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 561: Association between the Rail Breakage
Frequency in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei High-Speed Railway and the
Eurasian Atmospheric Circulation Anomaly
Authors: Liwei Huo, Linman Xiao, Ji Wang, Dachao Jin, Yinglong Shi, Qian Zhang
First page: 561
Abstract: The spatiotemporal variations in the frequency of rail breakage (FRB) in the high-speed railway of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region and its relationship with atmospheric circulation anomalies and surface temperature are analyzed in this study, based on the monthly FRB data of BTH region and the ERA5 reanalysis data from 2010 to 2020. The frequency of rail breaking in the BTH region varies significantly depending on the season, with winter having the highest incidence. In fact, more than 60% of the total FRB in the BTH region occur during the winter season. Both the annual total and winter FRB in BTH region are very unevenly distributed in time and space, and both are relatively similar in spatial distribution patterns. The FRB in Beijing railway section is the most frequent, followed by Tianjin, and the lowest frequency is observed in Chengde. It is found that the increasing winter FRB in BTH region and the intensified Siberian high are related. When the Siberian high is strong, the East Asian winter monsoon and the East Asian Trough in the middle troposphere could be enhanced through atmospheric teleconnection, which is conducive to the cold air advection from northern high latitudes to the BTH region, resulting in an abnormally cold winter in BTH region, thus providing low temperatures for broken rails on high-speed railways, and vice versa. The research results might provide a scientific basis for monitoring and predicting the broken rails in BTH high-speed railway during winter, thereby providing a guarantee for the safe operation of the high-speed railway.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-15
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030561
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 562: Evaluation of Respiratory, Genotoxic and
Cytotoxic Effects from Occupational Exposure to Typography Activities
Authors: Diana Linhares, Joana Rocha, Armindo Rodrigues, Ricardo Camarinho, Patrícia Garcia
First page: 562
Abstract: This cross-sectional study was structured to allow the evaluation of the respiratory, genotoxic, and cytotoxic effects of occupational exposure to products resulting from the activity of printers in typographies and, to determine the risk of genotoxicity associated with such exposure. This study comprised 69 subjects, 25 individuals occupationally exposed to the products of typographies (study group), and 44 individuals non-exposed to the environment studied (reference group). The frequency of micronucleated cells and other nuclear anomalies (binucleated, karyolitic, pyknotic, and karyorrhectic cells) in the oral epithelia of each subject were analyzed. The frequency of micronucleated cells was significantly higher in the study group when compared to the reference one (12.96 MN/2000 cells vs. 4 MN/2000 cells, respectively). Occupational exposure to products of typography is a risk factor for the occurrence of micronucleated cells in the study group (RR = 3.2; 95% CI, 2.7–3.9; p < 0.001). The results of the spirometry test did not reveal significant respiratory effects between the reference and study groups.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-15
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030562
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 563: Design and Evaluation of ACFC—An
Automatic Cloud/Fog Collector
Authors: Ping Du, Xiaoling Nie, Hongtao Liu, Zhiru Hou, Xiaole Pan, Hang Liu, Xinghui Liu, Xinfeng Wang, Xiaomin Sun, Yan Wang
First page: 563
Abstract: Cloud and fog droplets are essential in atmospheric chemistry since they affect the distribution and chemical transformation of pollutants. Collecting sufficient volumes using cloud/fog samplers is the premise of cloud fog chemical studies. Accurate identification of fog events and high collection efficiency are the basic principles of sampler design. Therefore, an automatic cloud/fog collector (ACFC) has been designed, fabricated, and extensively tested for collecting samples of cloud/fog water. The control box and standard sensors for air temperature, relative humidity, and instantaneous rainfall were used to ensure sampling automation. Airflow measurement was used to guarantee the stability of the airspeed on the inlet section, and the airspeed is 7.5 m s−1. Moreover, the median collection rate of ACFC was 160–220 mL h−1, which was tested via a simulation experiment. To evaluate the actual performance of the device in the field, we obtained eight samples of cloud fog water from Shanghuang Observatory in eastern China from the summer through the fall of 2022. Collection rates varied from 62 to 169 mL h−1. For a cloud/fog sampler equipped with multiple sensors, the ACFC has excellent sampling efficiency in thick fog, sufficient cloud fog water samples can be collected in weak fog, and it can precisely identify fog mingled with rain.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030563
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 564: Key Factors of the Strong Cold Wave Event
in the Winter of 2020/21 and Its Effects on the Predictability in CMA-GEPS
Authors: Pengfei Ren, Li Gao, Jiawen Zheng, Hongke Cai
First page: 564
Abstract: During the 2020/2021 winter season, three nationwide cold waves took place from 28 to 31 December 2020, as well as from 5 to 8 January and 14 to 17 January 2021. These cold waves resulted in extreme cold weather in northern and eastern China. In this study, the common features of these cold waves were analyzed, and the key factors contributing to cold waves were illustrated, and the performance of the CMA-GEPS numerical model was evaluated in predicting the cooling effect of the cold waves, and its predictability source was discussed. The results indicated that the cold waves were caused by synergistic effects in the mid- to high-latitude atmospheric circulation of both the upper and lower atmosphere, including polar vortex splitting, enhancement of blocking high, and increased meridional circulation anomaly in the Siberian high area. During the time of cold waves, the mid- to high-latitude atmospheric circulation was undergoing low-frequency adjustment, with the Arctic oscillation continuously weakening, while the blocking high and Siberian high gradually increased to historically high-intensity states. The outbreaks of the three cold waves occurred at the peak and declining points of the blocking high and Siberian high, respectively, acting as short- to medium-term forecast factors. The CMA-GEPS model demonstrated high forecasting ability for the cooling of the cold waves due to its ability to accurately predict the evolution of the Siberian high and blocking high prior to and after the cold wave with a long lead time. Predictability analysis suggested the strong variability of key factors (such as the Siberian high and blocking) in cold wave events may benefit the model’s prediction of cold wave events. These findings contribute to the understanding of the physical mechanisms behind cold waves and the potential for improved forecasting of extreme cold weather events.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030564
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 565: Performance of a Hybrid Gain Ensemble Data
Authors: Xin Xia, Jiali Feng, Kun Wang, Jian Sun, Yudong Gao, Yuchao Jin, Yulong Ma, Yan Gao, Qilin Wan
First page: 565
Abstract: Hybrid data assimilation (DA) methods have received extensive attention in the field of numerical weather prediction. In this study, a hybrid gain data assimilation (HGDA) method that combined the gain matrices of ensemble and variational methods was first applied in the mesoscale version of the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES_Meso). To evaluate the performance of the HGDA method in the GRAPES_Meso model, different DA schemes, including the three-dimensional variational (3DVAR), local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF), and HGDA schemes, were compared across eight tropical cyclone (TC) cases, and FY-4A atmospheric motion vectors were assimilated. The results indicated that the HYBRID scheme outperformed the 3DVAR and LETKF schemes in TC position forecasting, and with ensemble forecasting techniques, the HYBRID scheme promoted the accuracy of the prediction TC intensity. The threat score (TS) values for the light and medium precipitation forecasts obtained in the HYBRID experiment were higher than those for the forecasts obtained in the 3DVAR and LETKF experiments, which may be attributed to the forecasting accuracy for the TC position. Regarding heavy and extreme rainfall, the HYBRID scheme achieved a more stable effect than those of the 3DVAR and LETKF schemes. The results demonstrated the superiority of the HGDA scheme in TC prediction with the GRAPES_Meso model.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030565
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 566: Emissions and CO2
Concentration—An Evidence Based Approach
Authors: Joachim Dengler, John Reid
First page: 566
Abstract: The relation between CO2 emissions and atmospheric CO2 concentration has traditionally been treated with more or less complex models with several boxes. Our approach is motivated by the question of how much CO2 must necessarily be absorbed by sinks. This is determined by accepted measurements and the global carbon budget. Observations lead to the model assumption that carbon sinks, similar to oceans or the biosphere, are linearly dependent on CO2 concentration on a decadal scale. In particular, this implies the falsifiable hypothesis that oceanic and biological CO2 buffers have not significantly changed in the past 70 years and are not saturated in the foreseeable future. A statistical model with two parameters is built from the global carbon budget and two testable assumptions. This model explains the relation between CO2 emission and historical CO2 concentration data very well. The model gives estimates of the natural emissions, the pre-industrial CO2 equilibrium concentration levels, the half-life time of an emission pulse, and the future CO2 concentration level from a given emission scenario. It is validated by an ex-post forecast of the last 20 years. The important result is that, with the stated polices emission scenario of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the future CO2 concentrations will not rise above 475 ppm. The model is compared with the carbon module of the Bern model, mapping their complex impulse response functions (IRFs) to a single time variant absorption parameter.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030566
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 567: A Gridded Solar Irradiance Ensemble
Prediction System Based on WRF-Solar EPS and the Analog Ensemble
Authors: Stefano Alessandrini, Ju-Hye Kim, Pedro A. Jimenez, Jimy Dudhia, Jaemo Yang, Manajit Sengupta
First page: 567
Abstract: The WRF-Solar Ensemble Prediction System (WRF-Solar EPS) and a calibration method, the analog ensemble (AnEn), are used to generate calibrated gridded ensemble forecasts of solar irradiance over the contiguous United States (CONUS). Global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and direct normal irradiance (DNI) retrievals, based on geostationary satellites from the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) are used for both calibrating and verifying the day-ahead GHI and DNI predictions (GDIP). A 10-member ensemble of WRF-Solar EPS is run in a re-forecast mode to generate day-ahead GDIP for three years. The AnEn is used to calibrate GDIP at each grid point independently using the NSRDB as the “ground truth”. Performance evaluations of deterministic and probabilistic attributes are carried out over the whole CONUS. The results demonstrate that using the AnEn calibrated ensemble forecast from WRF-Solar EPS contributes to improving the overall quality of the GHI predictions with respect to an AnEn calibrated system based only on the deterministic run of WRF-Solar. In fact, the calibrated WRF-Solar EPS’s mean exhibits a lower bias and RMSE than the calibrated deterministic WRF-Solar. Moreover, using the ensemble mean and spread as predictors for the AnEn allows a more effective calibration than using variables only from the deterministic runs. Finally, it has been shown that the recently introduced algorithm of correction for rare events is of paramount importance to obtain the lowest values of GHI from the calibrated ensemble (WRF-Solar EPS AnEn), qualitatively consistent with those observed from the NSRDB.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030567
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 568: Understanding the Susceptibility of the
Tropical Proglacial Environment in Peru Using Optical Imagery and Radon
Measurements
Authors: Diego Antonio García-Tadeo, Modesto Montoya-Zavaleta, Yumin Tan
First page: 568
Abstract: The tropical glaciers of the Cordillera Blanca have played host to some of the most significant mass movements ever recorded in the world and Peru; many proglacial lakes formed in this mountain range have natural dikes made of moraine material, which, if they collapse, would present a risk for the cities located downstream of a proglacial lake, where the proglacial lake Palcacocha has a remarkable background regarding floods. The Sentinel-2 MSI (Multi-Spectral Instrument, Level-2A) has a specific band for snow probability mapping that indicates glaciers and snow cover; this is effective for recognizing proglacial lakes by calculating the NDWIice. It is also helpful for lithology with SWIR for granite moraine deposits and slate moraines in the proglacial environment Palcacocha; these deposits surround the proglacial lake, with NDWIice determining the perimeter where sediment interacts with the rocks and meltwater. In addition, there are high radon concentrations made by ice avalanche impacts on the proglacial lake. Unstable glacier blocks cause ice avalanches into this proglacial lake, and the radon responds to flow variations from these high-impact avalanches. We used the device RadonEye PLus2, which allows real-time detection of radon flux changes in the proglacial environment. Our results indicated that ice avalanches making a high impact in the proglacial lake cause turbulent flow and generate radon concentration marks with a rising magnitude, while the absence of ice avalanches in the lake will cause the values to go down. The relationships of radon concentrations in the atmosphere for a tropical proglacial environment are radon and temperature (R2 = 0.364), radon and humidity (R2 = 0.469). In a passive proglacial environment with prolonged rainfall, radon concentrations tend to decrease, with an inversely proportional relationship between humidity and radon in the tropical proglacial environment. Proglacial lakes in the tropical zone often have large volumes of freshwater with high slopes from tropical glaciers, and climate change effects are an imminent danger for nearby cities.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030568
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 569: Distribution and Long-Term Trends of
Tropospheric Ozone Concentrations in Ireland
Authors: Keelan McHugh, Thomas Cummins, Julian Aherne
First page: 569
Abstract: Tropospheric ozone (O3) is highly variable over space and time reflecting local production and destruction as well as addition and loss through regional and long-range transport. In this study, O3 concentrations at 11 stations in Ireland and their long-term trends (7–9 sites) were evaluated; O3 concentrations (2015–2019) varied spatially, with the highest annual mean concentrations along the Atlantic west coast (69–75 µg/m3), and the lowest in urban centres (39–43 µg/m3). Ozone followed a seasonal pattern of spring and winter maximum and summer–autumn minimum. Significant long-term (2005–2019) increases were observed in annual O3 concentration at two rural stations, while increases were larger and more frequent during winter with increases at four out of seven stations. During the decade 2010–2019, significant annual increases were observed at four out of nine stations. Observed site- and season-specific increasing trends in O3 concentrations likely reflected changes in regional precursor gas emissions sources. Despite reported decreases in background concentrations in the marine boundary layer in northern mid-latitudes in recent decades, O3 concentrations at some sites in Ireland have increased significantly primarily driven by changes in winter concentrations. There were no significant decreasing trends at any site or in any season.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030569
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 570: Assessment of Meteorological Drought under
the Climate Change in the Kabul River Basin, Afghanistan
Authors: Massouda Sidiqi, Kasiapillai S. Kasiviswanathan, Traugott Scheytt, Suresh Devaraj
First page: 570
Abstract: Kabul River Basin is one of the most significant river basins in Afghanistan from a socio-economic perspective. Since the country is located in an arid climate zone with drastically varying climatic behavior, an effective assessment of meteorological drought is very essential to managing the limited availability of water resources. For this endeavor, the outputs of three general circulation models under two representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) were used against the baseline period of 1961–1980. Different bias correction methods were applied, and the results show that the delta change method, quantile mapping method, and empirical quantile mapping all performed better for the precipitation, maximum temperature, and minimum temperature datasets, respectively. The ERA5-Land datasets and WorldClim Version 2 are used to validate the bias-corrected precipitation and temperature datasets, respectively, to determine their dependability, and the results were found to be promising. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI), Deciles Index (DI), and New Drought Index (NDI) were used to assess the drought condition in the past and forecast for the future periods of the 2020s, 2050s, and 2080s. The spatial distribution of assessed drought indices was mapped using the inverse distance weighting (IDW) method. Our results revealed that moderate to extreme droughts are consistent across the entire basin. This might be because the projected annual precipitation in the river basin shows a decline of 53–65% up to the end of this century (2100), and the average annual temperature is projected to increase by 1.8 °C, 3.5 °C, and 4.8 °C, respectively, for the three future periods of the 2020s, 2050s, and 2080s. Furthermore, the results show that the drought estimated by SPI and RDI for future climate scenarios is almost the same, whereas NDI estimates frequent drought events after the 2050s. However, for moderate drought, RDI, which includes the effects of evapotranspiration, was found to be far greater than SPI under both scenarios, and NDI considering temperature and precipitation also estimates a larger number of drought years, strengthening the possibility of its occurrence in the basin. A regional comparison of drought also indicates a decrease in precipitation in future periods, predominantly in high altitudes.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030570
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 571: Investigating the Inter-Relationships
Authors: Haobo Li, Suelynn Choy, Safoora Zaminpardaz, Brett Carter, Chayn Sun, Smrati Purwar, Hong Liang, Linqi Li, Xiaoming Wang
First page: 571
Abstract: In this study, a comprehensive investigation into the inter-relationships among twelve atmospheric variables and their responses to precipitation was conducted. These variables include two Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) tropospheric products, eight weather variables and two time-varying parameters. Their observations and corresponding precipitation record over the period 2008–2019 were obtained from a pair of GNSS/weather stations in Hong Kong. Firstly, based on the correlation and regression analyses, the cross-relationships among the variables were systematically analyzed. Typically, the variables of precipitable water vapor (PWV), zenith total delay (ZTD), temperature, pressure, wet-bulb temperature and dew-point temperature have closer cross-correlativity. Next, the responses of these variables to precipitation of different intensities were investigated and some precursory information of precipitation contained in these variables was revealed. The lead times of using ZTD and PWV to detect heavy precipitation are about 8 h. Finally, by using the principal component analysis, it is shown that heavy precipitation can be effectively detected using these variables, among which, ZTD, PWV and cloud coverage play more prominent roles. The research findings can not only increase the utilization and uptake of atmospheric variables in the detection of precipitation, but also provide clues in the development of more robust precipitation forecasting models.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030571
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 572: Urban Wind Corridors Analysis via Network
Theory
Authors: Ido Nevat, Ayu Sukma Adelia
First page: 572
Abstract: We develop a new model for urban wind corridors analysis and detection of urban wind ventilation potential based on concepts and principles of network theory. Our approach is based solely on data extracted from spatial urban features that are easily obtained from a 3D model of the city. Once the spatial features have been extracted, we embed them onto a graph topology. This allows us to use theories and techniques of network theory, and in particular graph theory. Utilizing such techniques, we perform end-to-end network flow analysis of the wind potential across the city and, in particular, estimate the locations, strengths, and paths of the wind corridors. To calibrate our model, we use a dataset generated by a meso-scale climate model and estimate the model parameters by projecting the wind vector field of the climate model onto a graph, thus providing a meaningful comparison of the two models under a new metric. We illustrate our modeling approach on the city of Singapore and explain how the results are useful for climate-informed urban design.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030572
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
- Atmosphere, Vol. 14, Pages 573: Stabilized Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile
Fibers for Advancements in Clean Air Technology
Authors: Ivan P. Beckman, Gentry Berry, Mine Ucak-Astarlioglu, Travis L. Thornell, Heejin Cho, Guillermo Riveros
First page: 573
Abstract: Particulate matter air pollution and volatile organic compounds released into the air from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and wildfires creates significant damage to human health and the environment. Advances in air filtration and purification technology are needed to mitigate aerosol hazards. This article details an effort to explore the potential benefits of new materials and methods for the production of nonwoven air filtration media through electrospinning and stabilizing polyacrylonitrile fibers. The investigated production methods include electrospinning fibrous matting onto a stainless steel wire mesh and stabilizing the nonwoven media in a chamber furnace. The media is then tested for air filtration penetration and airflow resistance, and the fiber size distribution is measured using scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results show that the electrospun media approaches the performance criteria for airflow resistance and particle capture efficiency of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter media. Furthermore, performance estimations for electrospun media of increased thickness and for a decreased filtration velocity show potential to exceed the HEPA media resistance and efficiency criteria. Thus, it is suggested that electrospun and stabilized nonwoven fibrous media are candidates as alternatives to traditionally manufactured HEPA media and may potentially benefit modern air filtration technology and reduce hazards associated with particulate matter. Additionally, the authors recommend future exploration into the carbonization and activation of electrospun filter media for the adsorption and mitigation of volatile organic compounds as a secondary benefit, while maintaining high efficiency and low airflow resistance in the removal of particulate matter from aerosol streams.
Citation: Atmosphere
PubDate: 2023-03-16
DOI: 10.3390/atmos14030573
Issue No: Vol. 14, No. 3 (2023)
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