Atmospheric Brown Clouds in the Himalayas: first two years of continuous observations at the Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (5079 m)
This paper provides a detailed description of the atmospheric conditions characterizing the high Himalayas, thanks to continuous observations begun in March 2006 at the Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (NCO-P) located at 5079 m a.s.l. on the southern foothills of Mt. Everest, in the framework of ABC UNEP and SHARE-Ev-K2-CNR projects. The work presents a characterization of meteorological conditions and air-mass circulation at NCO-P during the first two years of activity.The mean values of atmospheric pressure, temperature and wind speed recorded at the site were: 551 hPa, -3.0°C, 4.7 m s -1 ,respectively. The highest seasonal values of temperature (1.7 ° C) and relative humidity (94%) were registered during the monsoon season, which was also characterized by thick clouds, present in about 80% of the afternoon hours, and by a frequency of cloud-free sky of less than 10%. The lowest temperature and relative humidity seasonal values were registered during winter, -6.3° C and 22%, respectively, the season being characterised by mainly cloud-free sky conditions and rarehick clouds. The summer monsoon influenced rain precipitation (seasonal mean: 237 mm), while wind was dominated by flows from the bottom of the valley (S-SW) and upper mountain (N-NE). The atmospheric composition at NCO-P has been studied thanks to measurements of black carbon (BC), aerosol scattering coefficient, PM1, coarse particles and ozone.The annual behaviour of the measured parameters shows the highest seasonal values during the premonsoon (BC: 316.9 ng m-3 , PM1: 3.9 µg m-3, scattering coefficient: 11.9 Mm-1 , coarse particles: 0.37 cm-3 and O3: 60.9 ppbv), while the lowest concentrations occurred during the monsoon (BC: 49.6 ng m-3 , PM1: 0.6 µg m-3 , scattering coefficient: 2.2 Mm-1 , and O3: 38.9 ppbv) and, for coarse particles, during the post-monsoon (0.07 cm-3 ). At NCO-P, the synoptic-scale circulation regimes present three principal contributions: Westerly, South-Westerly and Regional, as shown by the analysis of in-situ meteorological parameters and 5-day LAGRANTO back-trajectories. The influence of the brown cloud (AOD>0.4) extending over Indo–Gangetic Plains up to the Himalayan foothills has been evaluated by analysing the in-situ concentrations of the ABC constituents. This analysis revealed that brown cloud hot spots mainly influence the South Himalayas during the pre-monsoon, in the presence of very high levels of atmospheric compounds (BC: 1974.1 ng m-3 , PM1: 23.5 µg m-3, scattering coefficient: 57.7 Mm-1, coarse particles: 0.64 cm-3, O3: 69.2 ppbv, respectively). During this season 20% of the days were characterised by a strong brown cloud influence during the afternoon, leading to a 5-fold increased in the BC and PM1 values, in comparison with seasonal means. Our investigations provide clear evidence that, especially during the pre-monsoon, the southern side of the high Himalayan valleys represent a “direct channel” able to transport brown cloud pollutants up to 5000 m a.s.l., where the pristine atmospheric composition can be strongly influenced.
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Paolo Bonasoni (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR) - Paolo Laj (CNRS Laboratoire de Meteorologie Physique - Laboratoire de Glaciologie) - Angela Marinoni (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR) - Michael Sprenger (ETHZ-Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) - Federico Angelini (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR) - Jgor Arduini (The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" - Chemical Science Institute) - Ubaldo Bonafè (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR) - Francescopiero Calzolari (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR) - Stefano Decesari (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR) - Fabrizio Roccato (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR) - Maria Cristina Facchini (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR) - Elisa Vuillermoz (Ev-K2-CNR) - Gianpietro Verza (Ev-K2-CNR) - Paolo Villani (Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS) - H. Venzac (Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS) - Karine Sellegri (Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS) - Anrico Panday (Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia,) - Michela Maione (The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" - Chemical Science Institute) - Gian Paolo Gobbi (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) -CNR) - Paolo Cristofanelli (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR) - Sandro Fuzzi (Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR) - Alcide di Sarra (ENEA, ACS-CLIM-OSS) - Claudia di Biagio (ENEA, ACS-CLIM-OSS) - Tiziano Colombo (Italian Air Force Meteorological Service – C.A.M.M. Mt. Cimone) (2010) . Atmospheric Brown Clouds in the Himalayas: first two years of continuous observations at the Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (5079 m). https://geoportal.mountaingenius.org/geonetwork/srv/api/records/a074a73f-17ff-4071-87c0-f45b00b2a4c9 |
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- Atmospheric Brown Clouds
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- Himalayas , Nepal , Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid
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- aerosols , trace gases , brown cloud , black carbon (BC) , coarse particles , aerosol scattering coefficient , PM1 , ozone
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- ABC , SHARE
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The scientific paper produced by researchers EvK2Cnr in the special issue of Chemistry and Physics, entitled "atmospheric brown clouds in the Himalayas".
"Atmospheric Brown Clouds in the Himalayas: first two years of continuous observations at the Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (5079 m)".
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 7515–7531, 2010.
6 Bonasoni, P., Laj, P., Marinoni, A., Sprenger, M., Angelini, F., Arduini, J., Bonafè, U., Calzolari, F., Colombo, T., Decesari, S., Di Biagio, C., di Sarra, A.G., Evangelisti, F., Duchi, R., Facchini, M.C., Fuzzi, S., Gobbi, G.P., Maione, M., Panday, A., Roccato, F., Sellegri, K., Venzac, H., Verza, G.P., Villani, P., Vuillermoz, E., Cristofanelli, P.
http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/10/7515/2010/acp-10-7515-2010.html
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- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- p.bonasoni@isac.cnr.it
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- CNRS Laboratoire de Meteorologie Physique - Laboratoire de Glaciologie
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- a.marinoni@isac.cnr.it
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- ETHZ-Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- F.Angelini@isac.cnr.it
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- The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" - Chemical Science Institute
- j.arduini@uniurb.it
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- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- U.Bonafe@isac.cnr.it
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- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- F.Calzolari@isac.cnr.it
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- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- S.Decesari@isac.cnr.it
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- F.Roccato@isac.cnr.it
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- MC.Facchini@isac.cnr.it
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- Ev-K2-CNR
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- Ev-K2-CNR
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- Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS
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- Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS
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- Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS
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- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia,
- arnico@virginia.edu
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- The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" - Chemical Science Institute
- michela.maione@uniurb.it
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) -CNR
- g.gobbi@isac.cnr.it
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- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
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- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- S.Fuzzi@isac.cnr.it
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- ENEA, ACS-CLIM-OSS
- alcide.disarra@enea.it
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- Italian Air Force Meteorological Service – C.A.M.M. Mt. Cimone
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- CNRS Laboratoire de Meteorologie Physique - Laboratoire de Glaciologie
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- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- a.marinoni@isac.cnr.it
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- ETHZ-Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
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- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- F.Angelini@isac.cnr.it
- Organisation name
- The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" - Chemical Science Institute
- j.arduini@uniurb.it
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- U.Bonafe@isac.cnr.it
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- F.Calzolari@isac.cnr.it
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- S.Decesari@isac.cnr.it
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- F.Roccato@isac.cnr.it
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- MC.Facchini@isac.cnr.it
- Organisation name
- Ev-K2-CNR
- Organisation name
- Ev-K2-CNR
- Organisation name
- Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS
- Organisation name
- Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS
- Organisation name
- Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS
- Organisation name
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia,
- arnico@virginia.edu
- Organisation name
- The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" - Chemical Science Institute
- michela.maione@uniurb.it
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) -CNR
- g.gobbi@isac.cnr.it
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- Organisation name
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) - CNR
- S.Fuzzi@isac.cnr.it
- Organisation name
- ENEA, ACS-CLIM-OSS
- alcide.disarra@enea.it
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- ENEA, ACS-CLIM-OSS
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- Italian Air Force Meteorological Service – C.A.M.M. Mt. Cimone
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- 2012-04-02T09:07:46
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