Atmospheric aerosols in the South Pacific: A regional baseline and characterization of aerosol fractions

IF 4.2 2区 环境科学与生态学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Atmospheric Environment Pub Date : 2025-01-28 DOI:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121048
Alejandra Isaza , Jimmy Hilly , Merlinde Kay , Abhnil Prasad , Andrew Dansie
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Atmospheric aerosols are a major component of the earth's climate system and modulate air quality at local and regional scales. One region that has seen little attention is the South Pacific, despite air quality being of increasing concern for human health in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). A review of literature on sources of pollution emissions in the Pacific region reveals that while most of the studies have focused on specific emission events, the annual cycle and long-term variability of the different aerosol types is rarely considered. Hence, this study provides a regional overview of aerosols over the Pacific using two global reanalyses (NASA/MERRA-2 and ECMWF/CAMS) and one satellite-based product (VIIRS). The uncertainties of the different data sources are discussed. The spatio-temporal variability of total Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and different aerosol species is shown and discussed in relation to the pollution sources previously investigated. In general, CAMS exhibits a higher total AOD (0.11) compared to MERRA-2 (0.09), both lower than VIIRS (0.12). Both reanalyses show that sea salt is the predominant aerosol source in the region, whereas sulphates and organic matter aerosols are also significant pollution sources, particularly over the islands in Melanesia. Both reanalyses capture the annual variation of AOD similarly, with higher total AOD levels occurring from September to February (SON and DJF), and lower levels from March to May (MAM). Besides capturing the aerosols seasonal variability, both reanalyses also capture extreme aerosol peaks, which evidence the long-range transport of dust from the Australian outback, black carbon and organic matter from major Australian bushfires, and sulphates from volcanic eruptions. This study serves as a baseline for further air quality assessment in the PICTs, considering that the seasonal variation presented here has not been thoroughly analyzed before but can be expected to play an important role in regional atmospheric and ocean biochemistry as well as potential impacts on human health in the Pacific.
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来源期刊
Atmospheric Environment
Atmospheric Environment 环境科学-环境科学
CiteScore
9.40
自引率
8.00%
发文量
458
审稿时长
53 days
期刊介绍: Atmospheric Environment has an open access mirror journal Atmospheric Environment: X, sharing the same aims and scope, editorial team, submission system and rigorous peer review. Atmospheric Environment is the international journal for scientists in different disciplines related to atmospheric composition and its impacts. The journal publishes scientific articles with atmospheric relevance of emissions and depositions of gaseous and particulate compounds, chemical processes and physical effects in the atmosphere, as well as impacts of the changing atmospheric composition on human health, air quality, climate change, and ecosystems.
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