Results of an integrated aerosol experiment in the continent-ocean transition zone (Primorye and the Sea of Japan); Part 1: Variations of atmospheric aerosol optical depth and vertical profiles

We discuss the results of an integrated aerosol experiment, performed in spring 2009 simultaneously in two regions: near Ussuriysk and in the Sea of Japan onboard the Nadezhda training boat. For the measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and moisture content of the atmosphere, we used multiwavelength sun photometers operating in the wavelength range 0.34–2.14 μm. The measurements of the vertical profiles of aerosol characteristics were made using two types of lidars: a lidar based on a three-frequency (1.064, 0.532, and 0.355 μm) Big Sky Laser CFR 200 in Primorye and a one-frequency laser based on the second harmonic of the Nd:YAG (0.532 μm) laser onboard the sailing vessel. It was shown that the springtime atmosphere in the Far East region has two times larger aerosol turbidity in comparison with other (maritime and continental) midlatitude regions. Average values of the atmospheric AOD in the region of 0.5 μm were 0.46 in Primorye and 0.35 in the Sea of Japan. The elevated atmospheric turbidity is caused by continental aerosol of different types (smoke, anthropogenic, and dust) blown off the neighboring regions. We present the characteristic vertical profiles of aerosol-molecular scattering for the cases of advection of air masses from arid regions of Southeastern Asia and the boreal zone of Siberia. A relation is demonstrated between the dust activity in the Taklamakan Desert and light scattering characteristics of aerosol layers in tropopause region.