Atmosphere, Volume 5, Issue 1 (March 2014) – 9 articles , Pages 1-155

Total gaseous mercury (TGM) data from urban Nanjing, at the western edge of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region in China, over nine months, were analyzed for peak and background mercury concentrations. The background concentration of TGM was found to be 2.2 ng∙m⁻³. In examining episodic influences of free tropospheric air masses on the surface TGM concentrations in Nanjing, we hypothesize heterogeneity in the global distribution of TGM concentrations in the free troposphere. The nine-month averaged diurnal cycles of TGM indicate a strong co-emission with SO₂ and an underestimation of greater than 80% TGM emissions in current inventories. Regular peak concentrations of mercury were investigated and the major causes were YRD emissions, transport from rural areas, and monsoonal transport. Transport of rural emissions is hypothesized to be from illegal artisanal small-scale gold mining that are currently missing in the emission inventories. Enhancement of TGM associated with summer monsoon contributed to a maximum TGM concentration in mid-May–early June, an inverse seasonality in comparison to most other observations in China, North America, and Europe. Full article

In this study, the spatial patterns and their interannual variability of wintertime low-level winds over the Indochina Peninsula (IDP) were studied by using the analysis of the empirical orthogonal function for complex numbers. The leading mode accounts for 46.6% of the total variance. The composite and regressed patterns of wind components show dominant northeasterly wind over the IDP, which are related to the East Asia winter monsoon (EAWM) circulation and connected to the cyclonic circulation near Borneo. The correlations between the EAWM indices and the leading principal component (PC) suggest the plausible connections between the low-level wind over the IDP and EAWM predominantly via the wind circulation. We also performed correlation analysis on the relationship between leading mode and sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs). The result indicates that there is a linkage between the northeasterly wind over the IDP and EAWM and with SSTAs in the Pacific Ocean. This study provides useful information and a mechanism related to the monsoon variability over the IDP. Full article

In several cases (e.g., thermal noise, weather echoes, …), the incoming signal to a radar receiver can be assumed to be Rayleigh distributed. When estimating the mean power from the inherently fluctuating Rayleigh signals, it is necessary to average either the echo power intensities or the echo logarithmic levels. Until now, it has been accepted that averaging the echo intensities provides smaller variance values, for the same number of independent samples. This has been known for decades as the implicit consequence of two works that were presented in the open literature. The present note deals with the deriving of analytical expressions of the variance of the two typical estimators of mean values of echo power, based on echo intensities and echo logarithmic levels. The derived expressions explicitly show that the variance associated to an average of the echo intensities is lower than that associated to an average of logarithmic levels. Consequently, it is better to average echo intensities rather than logarithms. With the availability of digital IF receivers, which facilitate the averaging of echo power, the result has a practical value. As a practical example, the variance obtained from two sets of noise samples, is compared with that predicted with the analytical expression derived in this note (Section 3): the measurements and theory show good agreement. Full article

Columnar aerosol volume size distributions from March 2012 to February 2013 in Wuhan, China, were investigated with a focus on monthly and seasonal variations in the aerosol optical depths (AODs) and Ångström exponents. AOD is wavelength dependent, and for AOD at, for example, 500 nm, the seasonal averaged AOD value decreased in the order of winter (~0.84), spring (~0.83), summer (~0.76) and autumn (~0.55). The Ångström exponent suggested that the aerosol sizes in summer (~1.22), winter (~1.14), autumn (~1.06) and spring (~0.99) varied from fine to coarse particles. The Ångström exponent and AOD could provide a qualitative evaluation of ASD. Moreover, aerosol size distribution (ASD) was larger in winter than the other three seasons, especially from 1.0 µm to 15 µm due to heavy anthropogenic aerosol and damp climate. The ASD spectral shape showed a bimodal distribution in autumn, winter, and spring, with one peak (<0.1) in the fine mode range and the other (>0.14) in the coarse mode range. However, there appeared to be a trimodal distribution during summer, with two peaks in the coarse mode, which might be due to the hygroscopic growth of the local particles and the generation of aerosol precursor resulting from the extreme-high temperature and relative humidity. Full article

Gaining knowledge on weather patterns, trends and the influence of their extremes on various crop production yields and quality continues to be a quest by scientists, agriculturists, and managers. Precise and timely information aids decision-making, which is widely accepted as intrinsically necessary for increased production and improved quality. Studies in this research domain, especially those related to data mining and interpretation are being carried out by the authors and their colleagues. Some of this work that relates to data definition, description, analysis, and modelling is described in this paper. This includes studies that have evaluated extreme dry/wet weather events against reported yield at different scales in general. They indicate the effects of weather extremes such as prolonged high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and severe wind gusts. Occurrences of these events are among the main weather extremes that impact on many crops worldwide. Wind gusts are difficult to anticipate due to their rapid manifestation and yet can have catastrophic effects on crops and buildings. This paper examines the use of data mining methods to reveal patterns in the weather conditions, such as time of the day, month of the year, wind direction, speed, and severity using a data set from a single location. Case study data is used to provide examples of how the methods used can elicit meaningful information and depict it in a fashion usable for management decision making. Historical weather data acquired between 2008 and 2012 has been used for this study from telemetry devices installed in a vineyard in the north of New Zealand. The results show that using data mining techniques and the local weather conditions, such as relative pressure, temperature, wind direction and speed recorded at irregular intervals, can produce new knowledge relating to wind gust patterns for vineyard management decision making. Full article

This paper presents the methodology and results of impact assessment of renewable energy policies on atmospheric emissions of mercury in Europe. The modeling exercise described here involves an interaction of several models. First, a set of energy scenarios has been developed with the REMix (Renewable Energy Mix) model that simulates different levels of penetration of renewable energies in the European power sector. The energy scenarios were input to the GAINS (Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies) model, which prepared projections of mercury releases to the atmosphere through 2050, based on the current air pollution control policies in each country. Data on mercury emissions from individual sectors were subsequently disaggregated to a fine spatial resolution using various proxy parameters. Finally, the dispersion of mercury in the atmosphere was computed by the chemistry transport model, implemented to the air quality system, Polyphemus. The simulations provided information on changes in concentrations and depositions of various forms of mercury over Europe. Scenarios that simulate a substantial expansion of renewable energies within the power sector indicate extensive co-benefits for mercury abatement, due to the restructuring of the energy system and changes in the fuel mix. The potential for mercury reductions in Europe depends on the rate of fuel switches and renewable technology deployment, but is also influenced by the stringency and timing of the air quality measures. The overall scope for co-benefits is therefore higher in regions relying on coal combustion as a major energy source. Full article

Convective precipitation associated with tropical depression (TD) is one primary type of post-flooding season rainfall in South China (SC). Observations of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite have shown specific diurnal features of convective rainfall in South China, which is somewhat different from that in other seasons or regions of China. Convective precipitation is usually organized into a rainfall band along the southeastern coast of South China in the early morning hours. The rainfall band develops and intensifies quickly in the morning, then moves inland in the afternoon and, finally, diminishes at night. The daily convective rainfall along the coast is much more than that in the inland region, and heavy rainfall is often found along the coast. A long-duration heavy rainfall event associated with tropical depression “Fitow” during the period from 28 August to 6 September 2001, is selected in this study to explore the diurnal feature of convective rainfall and its formation mechanism. Modeling results of the 10-day heavy rainfall event are compared with both rain-gauge observation and satellite-retrieved rainfall. Total precipitation and its spatial distribution, as well as diurnal variations are reasonably simulated and agree well with observations. Further analysis reveals that the development and movement of convective precipitation is mainly related to the land and sea breezes. The anomalous height-latitudinal circulation in the morning-to-noon hours is completely reversed in the afternoon-to-late-evening hours, with the convective rainfall swinging back and forth, following its updraft branch. Sensitivity experiments show that the afternoon convective rainfall in the inland region of SC is caused by the diurnal variation of solar radiation forcing. The mountain range along the coast and the complex topography in the inland region of SC plays a critical role in the enhancement of diurnal convective rainfall everywhere. The formation of a heavy rainfall band along the southeastern coast of SC and the diurnal variation of the rainfall pattern are mainly the results of the land-sea thermal contrast. Full article

In most ecosystems, atmospheric deposition is the primary input of mercury. The total wet deposition of mercury in atmospheric chemistry models is sensitive to parameterization of the aqueous-phase reduction of divalent oxidized mercury (Hg²⁺). However, most atmospheric chemistry models use a parameterization of the aqueous-phase reduction of Hg²⁺ that has been shown to be unlikely under normal ambient conditions or use a non mechanistic value derived to optimize wet deposition results. Recent laboratory experiments have shown that Hg²⁺ can be photochemically reduced to elemental mercury (Hg) in the aqueous-phase by dissolved organic matter and a mechanism and the rate for Hg²⁺ photochemical reduction by dicarboxylic acids (DCA) has been proposed. For the first time in a regional scale model, the DCA mechanism has been applied. The HO₂-Hg²⁺ reduction mechanism, the proposed DCA reduction mechanism, and no aqueous-phase reduction (NAR) of Hg²⁺ are evaluated against weekly wet deposition totals, concentrations and precipitation observations from the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model version 4.7.1. Regional scale simulations of mercury wet deposition using a DCA reduction mechanism evaluated well against observations, and reduced the bias in model evaluation by at least 13% over the other schemes evaluated, although summertime deposition estimates were still biased by −31.4% against observations. The use of the DCA reduction mechanism physically links Hg²⁺ reduction to plausible atmospheric processes relevant under typical ambient conditions. Full article