Joint Retrieval of PM_(2.5)Concentration and Aerosol Optical Depth over China Using Multi-Task Learning on FY-4A AGRI

Aerosol optical depth(AOD)and fine particulate matter with a diameter of less than or equal to 2.5μm(PM_(2.5))play crucial roles in air quality,human health,and climate change.However,the complex correlation of AOD–PM_(2.5)and the limitations of existing algorithms pose a significant challenge in realizing the accurate joint retrieval of these two parameters at the same location.On this point,a multi-task learning(MTL)model,which enables the joint retrieval of PM_(2.5)concentration and AOD,is proposed and applied on the top-of-the-atmosphere reflectance data gathered by the Fengyun-4A Advanced Geosynchronous Radiation Imager(FY-4A AGRI),and compared to that of two single-task learning models—namely,Random Forest(RF)and Deep Neural Network(DNN).Specifically,MTL achieves a coefficient of determination(R^(2))of 0.88 and a root-mean-square error(RMSE)of 0.10 in AOD retrieval.In comparison to RF,the R^(2)increases by 0.04,the RMSE decreases by 0.02,and the percentage of retrieval results falling within the expected error range(Within-EE)rises by 5.55%.The R^(2)and RMSE of PM_(2.5)retrieval by MTL are 0.84 and 13.76μg m~(-3)respectively.Compared with RF,the R^(2)increases by 0.06,the RMSE decreases by 4.55μg m~(-3),and the Within-EE increases by 7.28%.Additionally,compared to DNN,MTL shows an increase of 0.01 in R^(2)and a decrease of 0.02 in RMSE in AOD retrieval,with a corresponding increase of 2.89%in Within-EE.For PM_(2.5)retrieval,MTL exhibits an increase of 0.05 in R^(2),a decrease of 1.76μg m~(-3)in RMSE,and an increase of 6.83%in Within-EE.The evaluation suggests that MTL is able to provide simultaneously improved AOD and PM_(2.5)retrievals,demonstrating a significant advantage in efficiently capturing the spatial distribution of PM_(2.5)concentration and AOD.

Advances in the Researches of the Middle and Upper Atmosphere in China in 2012–2014

In this report we summarize the research results by Chinese scientists in 2012–2014. The focuses are placed on the researches of the middle and upper atmosphere, specifically the researches related to ground-based observation capability development, dynamical processes, the property of circulation and chemistry-climate coupling of the middle atmospheric layers.

Advances in the Researches of the Middle and Upper Atmosphere in China in 2014-2016

In this report the research results by Chinese scientists in 2014—2016 are summarized.The focuses are placed on the researches of the middle and upper atmosphere,specifically the researches associated with ground-based observation capabihty development,dynamical processes,and properties of circulation and chemistry-climate coupling of the middle atmospheric layers.

Advances in the Researches of the Middle and Upper Atmosphere in China

In this paper we summarize the research results by Chinese scientists in 2016–2018. The focuses are placed on the researches of the middle and upper atmosphere, specifically the researches associated with groundbased observation capability development, dynamical processes, and properties of circulation and chemistryclimate coupling of the middle atmospheric layers.

Initial Results of Lidar Measured Middle Atmosphere Temperatures over Tibetan Plateau

During August 2013,a mobile Rayleigh lidar was deployed in Lhasa,Tibet(29.6°N,91.0°E) for making measurements of middle atmosphere densities and temperatures from 30 to 90 km.In this paper,the authors present the initial results from this scientific campaign,Middle Atmosphere Remote Mobile Observatory in Tibet(MARMOT),and compared the results to the MSIS-00(Mass Spectrometer and Incoherent Scatter) model.This work will advance our understanding of middle atmosphere dynamic processes,especially over the Tibetan Plateau area.

Observation of a Summer Tropopause Fold by Ozonesonde at Changchun,China:Comparison with Reanalysis and Model Simulation

Tropopause folds are one of the key mechanisms of stratosphere-troposphere exchange （STE） in extratropical regions, transporting ozone-rich stratospheric air into the middle and lower troposphere. Although there have been many studies of tropopause folds that have occurred over Europe and North America, a very limited amount of work has been carried out over northeastern Asia. Ozonesondes produced by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics were launched in Changchun （43.9°N, 125.2° E）, Northeast China, in June 2013, and observed an ozone-enriched layer with thickness of 3 km and an ozone peak of 180 ppbv at 6 km in the troposphere. The circulation field from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Reanalysis （ERA-Interim） dataset shows that this ozone peak was caused by a tropopause fold associated with a jet stream at the eastern flank of the East Asian trough. By analyzing the ozone data from the ozone monitoring instrument and Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry （WRF-Chem） simulations, it was found that a high ozone concentration tongue originating from the lower stratosphere at high latitude （near central Siberia） intruded into the middle troposphere over Changchun between 5 and 8 km on 12 June 2013. The high-resolution WRF-Chem simulation was capable of describing events such as the tropopause fold that occurred on the cyclonic shear side of the jet stream. In addition, the TRAJ3D trajectory model was used to trace the origin of measured secondary ozone peaks in the middle troposphere back, for example, to stratospheric intrusion through the tropopause fold.

Dynamic and Thermodynamic Features of Low and Middle Clouds Derived from Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Mobile Facility Radiosonde Data at Shouxian, China

By using the radiosonde measurements collected at Shouxian,China,we examined the dynamics and thermodynamics of single- and two-layer clouds formed at low and middle levels.The analyses indicated that the horizontal wind speed above the cloud layers was higher than those within and below cloud layers.The maximum balloon ascent speed（5.3 m s^-1） was located in the vicinity of the layer with the maximum cloud occurrence frequency（24.4%）,indicating an upward motion（0.1-0.16 ms^-1）.The average thickness,magnitude and gradient of the temperature inversion layer above single-layer clouds were117±94 m,1.3±1.3℃ and 1.4±1.5℃（100 m）^-1,respectively.The average temperature inversion magnitude was the same（1.3℃） for single-low and single-middle clouds;however,a larger gradient[1.7±1.8℃（100 m）^-1]and smaller thickness（94±67 m） were detected above single-low clouds relative to those above single-middle clouds[0.9±0.7℃（100 m）^-1 and157±120 m].For the two-layer cloud,the temperature inversion parameters were 106±59 m,1.0±0.9℃ and 1.0±1.0℃（100 m）^-1 above the upper-layer cloud and 82 ± 60 m,0.6±0.9℃ and 0.7±0.6℃（100 m）^-1 above the low-layer cloud.Absolute differences between the cloud-base height（cloud-top height） and the lifting condensation level（equilibrium level）were less than 0.5 km for 66.4%（36.8%） of the cases analyzed in summer.

Microphysical Characteristics of Rainfall Based on Long-Term Observations with a 2DVD in Yangbajain,Tibet

Raindrop size distribution(DSD)plays a crucial role in enhancing the accuracy of radar quantitative precipitation estimates in the Tibetan Plateau(TP).However,there is a notable scarcity of long-term,high-resolution observations in this region.To address this issue,long-term observations from a two-dimensional video disdrometer(2DVD)were leveraged to refine the radar and satellite-based algorithms for quantifying precipitation in the hinterland of the TP.It was observed that weak precipitation(R<1,mm h-1)accounts for 86%of the total precipitation time,while small raindrops(D<2 mm)comprise 99%of the total raindrop count.Furthermore,the average spectral width of the DSD increases with increasing rain rate.The DSD characteristics of convective and stratiform precipitation were discussed across five different rain rates,revealing that convective precipitation in Yangbajain(YBJ)exhibits characteristics similar to maritime-like precipitation.The constrained relationships between the slopeΛand shapeμ,D_(m)and N_(w)of gamma DSDs were derived.Additionally,we established a correlation between the equivalent diameter and drop axis ratio and found that raindrops on the TP attain a nearly spherical shape.Consequently,the application of the rainfall retrieval algorithms of the dual-frequency precipitation radar in the TP is improved based on the statistical results of the DSD.

Unveiling Cloud Vertical Structures over the Interior Tibetan Plateau through Anomaly Detection in Synergetic Lidar and Radar Observations

Cloud vertical structure(CVS)strongly affects atmospheric circulation and radiative transfer.Yet,long-term,groundbased observations are scarce over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)despite its vital role in global climate.This study utilizes ground-based lidar and Ka-band cloud profiling radar(KaCR)measurements at Yangbajain(YBJ),TP,from October 2021 to September 2022 to characterize cloud properties.A satisfactorily performing novel anomaly detection algorithm(LevelShiftAD)is proposed for lidar and KaCR profiles to identify cloud boundaries.Cloud base heights(CBH)retrieved from KaCR and lidar observations show good consistency,with a correlation coefficient of 0.78 and a mean difference of-0.06 km.Cloud top heights(CTH)derived from KaCR match the FengYun-4A and Himawari-8 products well.Thus,KaCR measurements serve as the primary dataset for investigating CVSs over the TP.Different diurnal cycles occur in summer and winter.The diurnal cycle is characterized by a pronounced increase in cloud occurrence frequency in the afternoon with an early-morning decrease in winter,while cloud amounts remain high all day,with scattered nocturnal increases in summer.Summer features more frequent clouds with larger geometrical thicknesses,a higher multi-layer ratio,and greater inter-cloud spacing.Around 26%of the cloud bases occur below 0.5 km.Winter exhibits a bimodal distribution of cloud base heights with peaks at 0-0.5 km and 2-2.5 km.Single-layer and geometrically thin clouds prevail at YBJ.This study enriches long-term measurements of CVSs over the TP,and the robust anomaly detection method helps quantify cloud macro-physical properties via synergistic lidar and radar observations.

Erratum to:Deriving Temporal and Vertical Distributions of Methane in Xianghe Using Ground-based Fourier Transform Infrared and Gas-analyzer

“Diurnal variation of CH4 at the surface from spring to winter.The time units are in local time(+8 h UTC).The error bar is 1σfor all the observed hourly mean data within that season at that local time.”in the caption of Fig.8 on Page 604 should be“Diurnal variation of CH4 at the surface from spring to winter.The time units are in UTC.The error bar is 1σfor all the observed hourly mean data within that season at that local time.”

The Impact of Cut-off Lows on Ozone in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere over Changchun from Ozonesonde Observations

In situ measurements of the vertical structure of ozone were made in Changchun （43.53°N, 125.13°E）, China, by the Institute of Atmosphere Physics, in the summers of 2010-13. Analysis of the 89 validated ozone profiles shows the vari- ation of ozone concentration in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere （UTLS） caused by cut-off lows （COLs） over Changchun. During the COL events, an increase of the ozone concentration and a lower height of the tropopause are observed. Backward simulations with a trajectory model show that the ozone-rich airmass brought by the COL is from Siberia. A case study proves that stratosphere-troposphere exchange （STE） occurs in the COL. The ozone-rich air mass transported from the stratosphere to the troposphere first becomes unstable, then loses its high ozone concentration. This process usually happens during the decay stage of COLs. In order to understand the influence of COLs on the ozone in the UTLS, statistical analysis of the ozone profiles within COLs, and other profiles, are employed. The results indicate that the ozone concentrations of the in-COL profiles are significantly higher than those of the other profiles between ±4 km around the tropopause. The COLs induce an increase in UTLS column ozone by 32% on average. Meanwhile, the COLs depress the lapse-rate tropopause （LRT）/dynamical tropopause height by 1.4/1.7 km and cause the atmosphere above the tropopause to be less stable. The influence of COLs is durable because the increased ozone concentration lasts at least one day after the COL has passed over Changchun. Furthermore, the relative coefficient between LRT height and lower stratosphere （LS） column ozone is -0.62, which implies a positive correlation between COL strength and LS ozone concentration.

Analysis of Low-level Temperature Inversions and Their Effects on Aerosols in the Lower Atmosphere

High-quality and continuous radiosonde, aerosol and surface meteorology datasets are used to investigate the statistical characteristics of meteorological parameters and their effects on aerosols. The data were collected at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains climate research facility during 2000–15. The parameters and vertical distribution of temperature inversion layers were found to have strong diurnal and seasonal changes. For surface-based temperature inversion (SBI), the mean frequency and depth of temperature inversion layers were 39.4% and 198 m, respectively. The temperature difference between the top and bottom of SBI was 4.8℃, and so the temperature gradient was 2.4℃(100 m)^-1. The detailed vertical distributions of temperature inversion had been determined, and only the temperature inversion layers below 1000 m showed diurnal and seasonal variations. Mean surface aerosol number concentrations increased by 43.0%, 21.9% and 49.2% when SBIs were present at 0530, 1730 and 2330 LST, respectively. The effect of SBI on surface aerosol concentration was weakest in summer (18.1%) and strongest in winter (58.4%). During elevated temperature inversion events, there was no noticeable difference in surface aerosol number concentrations. Temperature differences and temperature gradients across SBIs correlated fairly well with aerosol number concentrations, especially for temperature gradients. The vertical distribution of aerosol optical properties with and without temperature inversions was different. Surface aerosol measurements were representative of the air within (below), but not above, SBIs and EIs. These results provide a basis for developing a boundary layer aerosol accumulation model and for improving radiative transfer models in the lower atmosphere.

Simulation of the Madden-Julian Oscillation in Wintertime Stratospheric Ozone over the Tibetan Plateau and East Asia: Results from the Specified Dynamics Version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model

The authors examined the Madden-Julian Oscillation(MJO) in stratospheric ozone during boreal winter using a simulation from the Specified Dynamics version of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model(SD-WACCM) in 2004 and 2010. Comparison with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Reanalysis(ERA-Interim) data suggested that the model simulation represented well the three-dimensional structure of the MJO-related ozone anomalies in the upper troposphere and stratosphere(i.e., between 200 and 20 h Pa). The negative ozone anomalies were over the Tibetan Plateau and East Asia in MJO phases 3–7, when the MJO convective anomalies travelled from the equatorial Indian Ocean towards the equatorial western Pacific Ocean. Due to the different vertical structures of the MJO-related circulation anomalies, the MJO-related stratospheric ozone anomalies showed different vertical structure over the Tibetan Plateau(25–40°N, 75–105°E) and East Asia(25–40°N, 105–135°E). As a result of the positive bias in the model-calculated ozone in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, the amplitude of MJO-related stratospheric ozone column anomalies(10–16 Dobson Units(DU)) in the SD-WACCM simulation was slightly larger than that(8–14 DU) in the ERA-Interim reanalysis.

A multi-location joint field observation of the stratosphere and troposphere over the Tibetan Plateau

The unique geographical location and high altitude of the Tibetan Plateau can greatly influence regional weather and climate.In particular, the Asian summer monsoon(ASM) anticyclone circulation system over the Tibetan Plateau is recognized to be a significant transport pathway for water vapor and pollutants to enter the stratosphere. To improve understanding of these physical processes, a multi-location joint atmospheric experiment was performed over the Tibetan Plateau from late July to August in 2018, funded by the fiveyear(2018–2022) STEAM(stratosphere and troposphere exchange experiment during ASM) project, during which multiple platforms/instruments—including long-duration stratospheric balloons, dropsondes, unmanned aerial vehicles, special sounding systems, and ground-based and satellite-borne instruments—will be deployed. These complementary methods of data acquisition are expected to provide comprehensive atmospheric parameters(aerosol, ozone, water vapor, CO_2, CH_4, CO, temperature, pressure,turbulence, radiation, lightning and wind); the richness of this approach is expected to advance our comprehension of key mechanisms associated with thermal, dynamical, radiative, and chemical transports over the Tibetan Plateau during ASM activity.

Performance Evaluation of a Self-Developed Ozonesonde and Its Application in an Intensive Observational Campaign

To make a detailed test on the reliability and detection performance of the electrochemical concentra- tion cell （ECC） type ozonesonde which had been devel- oped and preliminarily evaluated by the authors, an inten- sive ozonesonde release experiment was held at two sites in Beijing and Changchun in June 2013. The results showed that the mean background current and its standard deviation were 0.03 （0.04） pA and 0.02 （0.03） pA in Bei- jing （Changchun）. The average response time and its standard deviation were 27.8 s （30.4 s） and 4.0 s （3.7 s） in Beijing （Changchun）. The ozone partial pressure profiles at both sites showed a central peak in the stratosphere and a side peak in the boundary layer. Large variation in ozone partial pressure was observed at the middle levels of the atmosphere （10-17 kin）. A more marked gradient of ozone change was observed in Beijing （3.4 mPa km-1） at the lower atmosphere level, as compared to that in Changchun （0.4 mPa km-l）. The results presented in this paper indicate that this self-developed ozonesonde shows a high level of reliability and good performance. The ozonsonde is expected to play an important role in opera- tional observations of ozone profiles.

Observation and Simulation of Abnormal Transmittance over Yangbajing,Tibet

Defining abnormal transmittance as the case where the magnitude of the shortwave flux transmittance is greater than 1.0,the authors used surface solar irradiance and all-sky images obtained at the Yangbajing site in Tibet to analyze the reasons for the occurrence of abnormal shortwave flux transmittance.Based on the International Intercomparision of Three-Dimensional Radiation Code(I3RC) Monte Carlo community model of three-dimensional radiative transfer,the authors also performed simulations at a nonabsorbing wavelength and an absorbing wavelength through a stratocumulus and a cumulus field.The results showed the detection of abnormal transmittance on more than half the days,and the maximum transmittance was 1.34.The probability of the occurrence of abnormal transmittance appeared to be largest in summer,and on a daily basis was mainly at about noon local time.Abnormal transmittance mainly appeared when clear sky and clouds co-existed,especially at the edges of broken clouds and nearby regions with clear-sky conditions.The flux transmittance decreased as the solar zenith angle increased.

Effects of Ocean Particles on the Upwelling Radiance and Polarized Radiance in the Atmosphere–Ocean System

Based on a vector radiative transfer model of the atmosphere–ocean system,the influence of oceanic components on radiation processes,including polarization effects,was investigated in the wavelength region ranging from 0.380 to 0.865 μm.The components considered were phytoplankton,inorganic suspended material（sediment）,and colored,dissolved organic matter.Due to their important roles in oceanic radiation processes,the sensitivity of the bidirectional reflectance to the rough ocean surface,represented by the wind velocity 10 m above the ocean surface,and aerosol,were taken into account.The results demonstrated that both radiance and polarized radiance just below the ocean surface were sensitive to the change of the concentrations of the considered components,while the dependence of polarized radiance on the observation geometry was more sensitive than radiance.Significant differences in the specular plane existed between the impacts of the phytoplankton and sediment on the degree of polarization just above the ocean surface at 670 nm.At the top of the atmosphere（TOA）,polarization was relatively insensitive to changing concentrations of ocean particles at longer wavelengths.Furthermore,the radiance at the TOA in the solar plane was more sensitive to the aerosol optical thickness than wind velocity.In contrast,wind velocity strongly influenced the radiance at the TOA in the sun glint region,while the polarization degree showed less dependence in that region.Finally,a nonlinear optimal inversion method was proposed to simultaneously retrieve the aerosol and wind velocity using radiance measurement.

Evaluating the Impacts of Cloud Microphysical and Overlap Parameters on Simulated Clouds in Global Climate Models

The improvement of the accuracy of simulated cloud-related variables,such as the cloud fraction,in global climate models(GCMs)is still a challenging problem in climate modeling.In this study,the influence of cloud microphysics schemes(one-moment versus two-moment schemes)and cloud overlap methods(observation-based versus a fixed vertical decorrelation length)on the simulated cloud fraction was assessed in the BCC_AGCM2.0_CUACE/Aero.Compared with the fixed decorrelation length method,the observation-based approach produced a significantly improved cloud fraction both globally and for four representative regions.The utilization of a two-moment cloud microphysics scheme,on the other hand,notably improved the simulated cloud fraction compared with the one-moment scheme;specifically,the relative bias in the global mean total cloud fraction decreased by 42.9%–84.8%.Furthermore,the total cloud fraction bias decreased by 6.6%in the boreal winter(DJF)and 1.64%in the boreal summer(JJA).Cloud radiative forcing globally and in the four regions improved by 0.3%−1.2% and 0.2%−2.0%,respectively.Thus,our results showed that the interaction between clouds and climate through microphysical and radiation processes is a key contributor to simulation uncertainty.

Formation of the Summertime Ozone Valley over the Tibetan Plateau:The Asian Summer Monsoon and Air Column Variations

The summertime ozone valley over the Tibetan Plateau is formed by two influences,the Asian summer monsoon（ASM） and air column variations.Total ozone over the Tibetan Plateau in summer was ～33 Dobson units（DU） lower than zonal mean values over the ocean at the same latitudes during the study period 2005-2009.Satellite observations of ozone profiles show that ozone concentrations over the ASM region have lower values in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere（UTLS） than over the non-ASM region.This is caused by frequent convective transport of low-ozone air from the lower troposphere to the UTLS region combined with trapping by the South Asian High.This offset contributes to a ～20-DU deficit in the ozone column over the ASM region.In addition,along the same latitude,total ozone changes identically with variations of the terrain height,showing a high correlation with terrain heights over the ASM region,which includes both the Tibetan and Iranian plateaus.This is confirmed by the fact that the Tibetan and Iranian plateaus have very similar vertical distributions of ozone in the UTLS,but they have different terrain heights and different total-column ozone levels.These two factors（lower UTLS ozone and higher terrain height） imply 40 DU in the lower-ozone column,but the Tibetan Plateau ozone column is only ～33 DU lower than that over the non-ASM region.This fact suggests that the lower troposphere has higher ozone concentrations over the ASM region than elsewhere at the same latitude,contributing ～7 DU of total ozone,which is consistent with ozonesonde and satellite observations.

Characterization and Source Apportionment of Volatile Organic Compounds in Urban and Suburban Tianjin, China

Tianjin is the third largest megacity and the fastest growth area in China,and consequently faces the problems of surface ozone and haze episodes.This study measures and characterizes volatile organic compounds （VOCs）,which are ozone precursors,to identify their possible sources and evaluate their contribution to ozone formation in urban and suburban Tianjin,China during the HaChi （Haze in China） summer campaign in 2009.A total of 107 species of ambient VOCs were detected,and the average concentrations of VOCs at urban and suburban sites were 92 and 174 ppbv,respectively.Of those,51 species of VOCs were extracted to analyze the possible VOC sources using positive matrix factorization.The identified sources of VOCs were significantly related to vehicular activities,which specifically contributed 60％ to urban and 42％ to suburban VOCs loadings in Tianjin.Industrial emission was the second most prominent source of ambient VOCs in both urban and suburban areas,although the contribution of industry in the suburban area （36％） was much higher than that at the urban area （16％）.We conclude that controlling vehicle emissions should be a top priority for VOC reduction,and that fast industrialization and urbanization causes air pollution to be more complex due to the combined emission of VOCs from industry and daily life,especially in suburban areas.