Aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing over Shandong Peninsula in East Asia from 2004 to 2011

AbstractRecent vigorous industrialization and urbanization in Shandong Peninsula, China, have resulted in the emission of heavy anthropogenic aerosols over the region. The annual means of aerosol optical depth (AOD), Angstrom exponent (∝), single-scattering albedo (SSA), aerosol direct radiative forcing (ARF), surface radiative forcing (SRF), and top-of-the atmospheric radiative forcing (TOA) recorded during 2004–2011 were respectively 0.67±0.19, 1.25±0.24, 0.93±0.03, 47±9 W m-2, 61±9 W m-2, and −14±8 W m -2, The aerosol optical properties and ARF characteristics showed remarkable seasonal variations due to cycle changes in the aerosol components and dominance type. The atmosphere-surface system was cooled by ARF in all years of the study due to anthropogenic sulfate and nitrate emission and sea salt aerosols. The magnitude of TOA cooling was larger in summer (−15±17 W m-2) and autumn (−12±7 W m-2) than that in spring (−8±4 W m-2) and winter (−9±10 W m-2).