Correlated Modes of Spatiotemporal Variations Between Biomass Burning Aerosols and Tropospheric Temperature Over the Indian Region

Abstract Biomass burning aerosols influence atmospheric temperatures by absorbing solar radiation, thereby altering the contrast between day and night temperatures. This study investigates the correlation between these aerosols and day‐night (D‐N) temperature changes over India by applying principal component analysis (PCA) in long‐term (2003–2021) satellite observations (MODIS AOD, AIRS D‐N temperature at 850 hPa, MOPITT CO) and MERRA‐2 reanalysis data. Mode analysis for the premonsoon period identifies biomass burning in northeast India as the dominant source of the second mode of AOD, BC AOD, and CO, with strong covariations between BC AOD and AOD ( R = 0.90) and between CO and AOD ( R > 0.79). PCA of satellite observations shows that long‐term variation of AOD and D‐N temperature at 850 hPa in the second mode is strongly correlated ( R = 0.83), highlighting the sensitivity of diurnal temperature variations to light‐absorbing aerosols. This strong relationship is further confirmed with MERRA‐2 reanalysis data. Moreover, high correlations ( R > 0.85) between BC AOD and D‐N temperature in the second mode validate the role of biomass burning in driving long‐term diurnal temperature contrast. Reconstruction analysis over northeast India indicates that the BC AOD fraction accounts for approximately 42% of the D‐N temperature variability during the 19‐year study period. These findings not only quantify the critical role of biomass burning aerosols in modulating diurnal temperature variations across the Indian region but also provide satellite observation‐based insights that have the potential to constrain the aerosol radiative effects on the atmospheric temperature profile in climate models.