Tingting Ju , Bingui Wu , Jianbo Yang , Meng Tian , Yunchen Liao , Hailing Liu
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Existing findings regarding the impacts of aerosol concentrations on fog are inconsistent and have primarily focused on the influence of low aerosol levels. In this study, the effects of high aerosol levels on fog were investigated using the WRF-Chem model to assess the extent to which aerosol levels affect fog in the North China Plain (NCP). The results showed that liquid water content (LWC), fog duration, and fog-top heights all increased nonlinearly with increasing aerosol concentrations, exhibiting a high growth rate when PM2.5 concentration was below 200 μg m−3, and gradually leveling off thereafter. However, when PM2.5 concentration exceeded 427 μg m−3, LWC, fog duration, and fog-top height all rapidly decreased with increasing aerosol concentrations, due to suppressing effect induced by aerosol-radiation interaction (ARI) overweighed promoting effect of aerosol-cloud interaction (ACI) on fog. Meanwhile, excessive cloud condensation nuclei suppressed fog through the intense competitions for vapor and the evaporation of smaller droplets. The results suggested that a PM2.5 concentration in the range of 395–427 μg m−3 is the critical threshold that suppressed fog in the NCP, and current pollution levels remain below this threshold. In addition, we analyzed the individual effects of ARI, ACI, black carbon (BC) and non-BC aerosols on fog under current pollution level. The results suggested that ARI effect played a dominant role during the fog–haze episode, while the effect of ACI on fog was negligible. Furthermore, the results showed that BC played a leading role in fog formation.
期刊介绍:
The journal publishes scientific papers (research papers, review articles, letters and notes) dealing with the part of the atmosphere where meteorological events occur. Attention is given to all processes extending from the earth surface to the tropopause, but special emphasis continues to be devoted to the physics of clouds, mesoscale meteorology and air pollution, i.e. atmospheric aerosols; microphysical processes; cloud dynamics and thermodynamics; numerical simulation, climatology, climate change and weather modification.