AERO-MAP: a data compilation and modeling approach to understand spatial variability in fine- and coarse-mode aerosol composition

Abstract. Aerosol particles are an important part of the Earth climate system, and their concentrations are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, as well as being variable in size and composition. Particles can interact with incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave radiation, change cloud properties, affect photochemistry, impact surface air quality, change the albedo of snow and ice, and modulate carbon dioxide uptake by the land and ocean. High particulate matter concentrations at the surface represent an important public health hazard. There are substantial data sets describing aerosol particles in the literature or in public health databases, but they have not been compiled for easy use by the climate and air quality modeling community. Here, we present a new compilation of PM2.5 and PM10 surface observations, including measurements of aerosol composition, focusing on the spatial variability across different observational stations. Climate modelers are constantly looking for multiple independent lines of evidence to verify their models, and in situ surface concentration measurements, taken at the level of human settlement, present a valuable source of information about aerosols and their human impacts complementarily to the column averages or integrals often retrieved from satellites. We demonstrate a method for comparing the data sets to outputs from global climate models that are the basis for projections of future climate and large-scale aerosol transport patterns that influence local air quality. Annual trends and seasonal cycles are discussed briefly and are included in the compilation. Overall, most of the planet or even the land fraction does not have sufficient observations of surface concentrations – and, especially, particle composition – to characterize and understand the current distribution of particles. Climate models without ammonium nitrate aerosols omit ∼ 10 % of the globally averaged surface concentration of aerosol particles in both PM2.5 and PM10 size fractions, with up to 50 % of the surface concentrations not being included in some regions. In these regions, climate model aerosol forcing projections are likely to be incorrect as they do not include important trends in short-lived climate forcers.

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Publication Details

Journal
Atmospheric chemistry and physics
Published
2025-05-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025
Citations
5
Primary Topic
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.50

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article

AERO-MAP: a data compilation and modeling approach to understand spatial variability in fine- and coarse-mode aerosol composition

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AERO-MAP: a data compilation and modeling approach to understand spatial variability in fine- and coarse-mode aerosol composition

Cassandra J. Gaston, Zsófia Kertész, R. Losno, Zbigniew Klimont, Christoph Hueglin, Daniela Varrica, N. Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera‐Gómez, Béatrice Marticorena, P. Y. Chuang, Giulia Calzolai, J. L. Hand, David Damien Cohen, Brenna Walsh, Corinne Galy‐Lacaux, Julius Vira, Heikki Lihavainen, Darío Gómez, Ron L. Miller, Andrés Alástuey, Roy M. Harrison, Marje Prank, Paulo Eduardo Artaxo, Silvia Becagli, Willy Maenhaut, C. Heyes, Douglas S. Hamilton, F. Lucarelli, Fabrice Lambert, Randall V. Martin, N. M. Mahowald, Xi Zhao, Hitoshi Matsui, Christine Wiedinmyer, Gaetano Dongarrà, Shankararaman Chellam, Xiaohong Liu, Barak Herut, Longlei Li, Katriina Kyllönen, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Louis Lu, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Sergio Rodrı́guez, Johann Engelbrecht, África Barreto, Joseph M. Prospero, Yenny González, Patricia Smichowski, Daphne Meidan, Crystal Weagle, Maria Kanakidou, Philip Karl Hopke, Evangelia Diapouli, Cristina Colombi, Célia Alves, Ezgi Akyüz, Francisco Barraza, Adina Paytan, Peter Hess, Ying Chen
article en
5 citations

Abstract

Abstract. Aerosol particles are an important part of the Earth climate system, and their concentrations are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, as well as being variable in size and composition. Particles can interact with incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave radiation, change cloud properties, affect photochemistry, impact surface air quality, change the albedo of snow and ice, and modulate carbon dioxide uptake by the land and ocean. High particulate matter concentrations at the surface represent an important public health hazard. There are substantial data sets describing aerosol particles in the literature or in public health databases, but they have not been compiled for easy use by the climate and air quality modeling community. Here, we present a new compilation of PM2.5 and PM10 surface observations, including measurements of aerosol composition, focusing on the spatial variability across different observational stations. Climate modelers are constantly looking for multiple independent lines of evidence to verify their models, and in situ surface concentration measurements, taken at the level of human settlement, present a valuable source of information about aerosols and their human impacts complementarily to the column averages or integrals often retrieved from satellites. We demonstrate a method for comparing the data sets to outputs from global climate models that are the basis for projections of future climate and large-scale aerosol transport patterns that influence local air quality. Annual trends and seasonal cycles are discussed briefly and are included in the compilation. Overall, most of the planet or even the land fraction does not have sufficient observations of surface concentrations – and, especially, particle composition – to characterize and understand the current distribution of particles. Climate models without ammonium nitrate aerosols omit ∼ 10 % of the globally averaged surface concentration of aerosol particles in both PM2.5 and PM10 size fractions, with up to 50 % of the surface concentrations not being included in some regions. In these regions, climate model aerosol forcing projections are likely to be incorrect as they do not include important trends in short-lived climate forcers.

Atmospheric chemistry and physicsVol. 25(9)
Goddard Institute for Space Studies (US), Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (ES), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Planetary Science Institute (US), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (AT), Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (AU), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES), North Carolina State University (US), University of Crete (GR), University of Miami (US), Institut de physique du globe de Paris (FR), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (US), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (CL), Clarkson University (US), Duke University (US), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR), Universidade de São Paulo (BR), University of Bremen (DE), University of California, Santa Cruz (US), University of Colorado Boulder (US), HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research (HU), National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos" (GR), Washington University in St. Louis (US), Université Paris Cité (FR), Cornell University (US), Fudan University (CN), Ghent University (BE), Laboratoire d'Aérologie (FR), Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (ES), National Observatory of Athens (GR), Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (FR), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Firenze (IT), Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (FR), Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (ES), Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CL), Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IL), Laboratoire Techniques, Territoires et Sociétés (FR), Azienda Regionale per la protezione dell'ambiente Lombardia (IT), Istanbul Technical University (TR), University of Rochester (US), Nagoya University (JP), Desert Research Institute (US), University of Aveiro (PT), Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (CH), University of Birmingham (GB), Universidad de Navarra (ES), Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (GR), University of Palermo (IT), Texas A&M University (US), University of Haifa (IL), Colorado State University (US), Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (AR)
National Science Foundation, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency, Texas Air Research Center, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Israel Science Foundation, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, European Regional Development Fund, Biological and Environmental Research
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
6.50
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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