An Aerosol Climatology Via Remote Sensing Over Metro Manila, Philippines
Presenter: Genie Lorenzo1
Co-Author(s): Abdulmonam M. Aldhaif, Ali Behrangi, Maria Obiminda Cambaliza, Christopher Castro, Justin Dale Chan, Melliza Templonuevo Cruz, Glenn Franco Gacal, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Brent Holben, Nofel Lagrosas, Hans Jarett Ong,
James Bernard Simpas, and Sherdon Niño Uy
Advisor(s): Dr. Armin Sorooshian
1Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona
Panapto Presentation Video
Oral Session 3: Aerosols, Isotopes, and Soils
Aerosols in Southeast Asia have different sources, thus they are challenging to characterize. The diverse topography and weather in the region adds complexity to the situation. An aerosol climatology was implemented based on the AERONET data (December 2009 to October 2018) for clear sky days in Metro Manila. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) values were highest in August, during the summer southwest monsoon due to fine particles from urban aerosols, including soot. August is burning season in Southeast Asia and smoke is probably transported to Metro Manila. A cluster analysis of AERONET volume size distributions (VSD) resulted in five air masses that are based on the location and magnitude of their peaks in the VSD and compositional contributions to AOD from MERRA-2. The majority of the aerosols were from clean marine (58%) followed by fine polluted (20%), mixed polluted (12%), urban/industrial (5%), and cloud processing (5%) air masses. Furthermore, MERRA-2 aerosol optical depth (AOD, 550 nm) data in Southeast Asia were analyzed using empirical orthogonal functions (EOF). This along with AOD fractional compositional contributions and wind regimes revealed four dominant aerosol air masses: two sulfate air masses from East Asia, an organic carbon source from Indonesia, and a small but visible sulfate source from the Philippines. Winds influenced the mixing of air masses. Knowing the local and regional aerosol air masses that impact Metro Manila helps manage the sources while gaining insight on how aerosols are affected by long-range transport and affect weather in the region.