Abstract
Anthropogenic SO2emissions increased alongside economic development in China at a rate of 12.7%yr-1from 2000 to 2005. However, under new Chinese government policy, SO2emissions declined by 3.9%yr-1 between 2005 and 2009. Between 2000 and 2010, we found that the variability in the fine-mode (submicron) aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the oceans adjacent to East Asia increased by 3-8% yr-1to a peak around 2005-2006 and subsequently decreased by 2-7% yr-1, based on observations by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's Terra satellite and simulations by a chemical transport model. This trend is consistent with ground-based observations of aerosol particles at a mountainous background observation site in central Japan. These fluctuations in SO2 emission intensity and fine-mode AOD are thought to reflect the widespread installation of fuel-gas desulfurization (FGD) devices in power plants in China, because aerosol sulfate is a major determinant of the fine-mode AOD in East Asia. Using a chemical transport model, we confirmed that the contribution of particulate sulfate to the fine-mode AOD is more than 70% of the annual mean and that the abovementioned fluctuation in fine-mode AOD is caused mainly by changes in SO2emission rather than by other factors such as varying meteorological conditions in East Asia. A strong correlation was also found between satellite-retrieved SO2vertical column density and bottom-up SO2 emissions, both of which were also consistent with observed fine-mode AOD trends. We propose a simplified approach for evaluating changes in SO2 emissions in China, combining the use of modeled sensitivity coefficients that describe the variation of fine-mode AOD with changes in SO2 emissions and satellite retrieval. Satellite measurements of fine-mode AOD above the Sea of Japan marked a 4.1%yr -1 decline between 2007 and 2010, which corresponded to the 9% yr-1 decline in SO2emissions from China during the same period.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2631-2640 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 17 2012 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Atmospheric Science
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Interannual variation in the fine-mode MODIS aerosol optical depth and its relationship to the changes in sulfur dioxide emissions in China between 2000 and 2010. / Itahashi, S.; Uno, Itsushi; Yumimoto, Keiya; Irie, H.; Osada, K.; Ogata, K.; Fukushima, H.; Wang, Z.; Ohara, T.
In: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 12, No. 5, 17.12.2012, p. 2631-2640.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Interannual variation in the fine-mode MODIS aerosol optical depth and its relationship to the changes in sulfur dioxide emissions in China between 2000 and 2010
AU - Itahashi, S.
AU - Uno, Itsushi
AU - Yumimoto, Keiya
AU - Irie, H.
AU - Osada, K.
AU - Ogata, K.
AU - Fukushima, H.
AU - Wang, Z.
AU - Ohara, T.
PY - 2012/12/17
Y1 - 2012/12/17
N2 - Anthropogenic SO2emissions increased alongside economic development in China at a rate of 12.7%yr-1from 2000 to 2005. However, under new Chinese government policy, SO2emissions declined by 3.9%yr-1 between 2005 and 2009. Between 2000 and 2010, we found that the variability in the fine-mode (submicron) aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the oceans adjacent to East Asia increased by 3-8% yr-1to a peak around 2005-2006 and subsequently decreased by 2-7% yr-1, based on observations by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's Terra satellite and simulations by a chemical transport model. This trend is consistent with ground-based observations of aerosol particles at a mountainous background observation site in central Japan. These fluctuations in SO2 emission intensity and fine-mode AOD are thought to reflect the widespread installation of fuel-gas desulfurization (FGD) devices in power plants in China, because aerosol sulfate is a major determinant of the fine-mode AOD in East Asia. Using a chemical transport model, we confirmed that the contribution of particulate sulfate to the fine-mode AOD is more than 70% of the annual mean and that the abovementioned fluctuation in fine-mode AOD is caused mainly by changes in SO2emission rather than by other factors such as varying meteorological conditions in East Asia. A strong correlation was also found between satellite-retrieved SO2vertical column density and bottom-up SO2 emissions, both of which were also consistent with observed fine-mode AOD trends. We propose a simplified approach for evaluating changes in SO2 emissions in China, combining the use of modeled sensitivity coefficients that describe the variation of fine-mode AOD with changes in SO2 emissions and satellite retrieval. Satellite measurements of fine-mode AOD above the Sea of Japan marked a 4.1%yr -1 decline between 2007 and 2010, which corresponded to the 9% yr-1 decline in SO2emissions from China during the same period.
AB - Anthropogenic SO2emissions increased alongside economic development in China at a rate of 12.7%yr-1from 2000 to 2005. However, under new Chinese government policy, SO2emissions declined by 3.9%yr-1 between 2005 and 2009. Between 2000 and 2010, we found that the variability in the fine-mode (submicron) aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the oceans adjacent to East Asia increased by 3-8% yr-1to a peak around 2005-2006 and subsequently decreased by 2-7% yr-1, based on observations by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's Terra satellite and simulations by a chemical transport model. This trend is consistent with ground-based observations of aerosol particles at a mountainous background observation site in central Japan. These fluctuations in SO2 emission intensity and fine-mode AOD are thought to reflect the widespread installation of fuel-gas desulfurization (FGD) devices in power plants in China, because aerosol sulfate is a major determinant of the fine-mode AOD in East Asia. Using a chemical transport model, we confirmed that the contribution of particulate sulfate to the fine-mode AOD is more than 70% of the annual mean and that the abovementioned fluctuation in fine-mode AOD is caused mainly by changes in SO2emission rather than by other factors such as varying meteorological conditions in East Asia. A strong correlation was also found between satellite-retrieved SO2vertical column density and bottom-up SO2 emissions, both of which were also consistent with observed fine-mode AOD trends. We propose a simplified approach for evaluating changes in SO2 emissions in China, combining the use of modeled sensitivity coefficients that describe the variation of fine-mode AOD with changes in SO2 emissions and satellite retrieval. Satellite measurements of fine-mode AOD above the Sea of Japan marked a 4.1%yr -1 decline between 2007 and 2010, which corresponded to the 9% yr-1 decline in SO2emissions from China during the same period.
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U2 - 10.5194/acp-12-2631-2012
DO - 10.5194/acp-12-2631-2012
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84862515176
VL - 12
SP - 2631
EP - 2640
JO - Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
JF - Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
SN - 1680-7316
IS - 5
ER -