Research of the Angstrom Parameter Variability over the Black Sea Region

D. V. Kalinskaya

Marine Hydrophysical Institute of RAS, Sevastopol, Russian Federation

e-mail: kalinskaya_d_v@mail.ru

Abstract

Purpose. The study is purposed at identifying the variability features of the Angstrom parameter values obtained at the Black Sea stations Sevastopol and Section_7 of the AERONET network from spring 2019 to spring 2024 based on the satellite and ground monitoring data, as well as the results of atmospheric dynamics modeling.

Methods and Results. Comparative analysis and assessment of the Angstrom parameter values involved application of the following information on atmospheric aerosol: the data of ground-based measurements derived by a portable SPM photometer, the photometer at the stations of the AERONET international aerosol monitoring network, the VIIRS radiometer platform from the Suomi NPP satellite, the data on concentrations of suspended particles of PM2.5 and PM10 resulted from the Espada M3 detector measurements, as well as the results of atmosphere dynamics modeling (data of the HYSPLIT and SILAM models). The comparative analysis made it possible to reveal the dates on which the optical characteristics corresponding to dust aerosol were recorded at one of two indicated stations in the Black Sea, whereas at the other one, no aerosol of this type (i.e. optical characteristics corresponded to a clean atmosphere) was detected. This fact confirms the different aerosol loading in the atmosphere over the western and central parts of the Black Sea, and also the spatial variability of aerosol basic optical characteristics during dust transport from the Sahara Desert. The measurements of the PM2.5 and PM10 particle concentrations performed on the days with the background optical characteristics of atmospheric aerosol permitted to obtain the values of background characteristics of suspended particles: PM2.5 = 7 µg/m3 and PM10 = 8 µg/m3).

Conclusions. Low values of the Angstrom parameter (less than 0.8) do not by themselves indicate the presence of an aerosol, such as dust or smoke, in the atmosphere. However, being combined with high (exceeding the background values by more than 1.5 times) values of aerosol optical thickness and concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 particles (exceeding the background values by more than 3 times), the data set is an evidence of the presence of aerosol – dust or smoke – in the atmosphere. It is noted that the aerosols of such types can be detected by the measurements of PM2.5 and PM10 particle concentrations only when they are in the atmosphere surface layer. Therefore, the conclusions on presence of these types of aerosols in the atmosphere, being based only on the measurements of calculated concentrations, are not reliable.

Keywords

SPM, AERONET, VIIRS, SILAM, reverse trajectories, HYSPLIT, Angstrom parameter, dust aerosol, aerosol, smoke, spectral coefficient of sea brightness, aerosol optical thickness, AOD, Black Sea, atmospheric aerosol, satellite monitoring, ground monitoring, optical characteristics

Acknowledgements

The work was carried within the framework of theme of state assignment of Marine Hydriphysical Institute, RAS FNNN-2024-0012 “Analysis, nowcast and forecast of the state of hydrophysical and hydrochemical fields of marine water areas based on mathematical modeling using the data of remote and contact measurement methods”. The author is grateful to S.M. Sakerin and D.M. Kabanov for providing the SPM photometer and its software. The author thanks Tom Kucsera, Brent Holben, Giuseppe Zibordi and the group of Gene Feldman from NASA for providing the AOD data, calculating the BTA data, processing the measurement results obtained at the Sevastopol AERONET station, as well as for the opportunity to use high-quality photometric measurement data.

Original russian text

Original Russian Text © D. V. Kalinskaya, 2025, published in MORSKOY GIDROFIZICHESKIY ZHURNAL, Vol. 41, Iss. 1, pp. 101–118 (2025)

For citation

Kalinskaya, D.V., 2025. Research of the Angstrom Parameter Variability over the Black Sea Region. Physical Oceanography, 32(1), pp. 133-149.

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