Aerosol Atmospheric Rivers as Drivers of Extreme Poor Air Quality Events and Record PM2.5 Levels

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651020.pdf (4.98 MB)

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https://essopenarchive.org/doi/full/10.22541/essoar.170000500.05855700

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https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.170000500.05855700/v1
 http://hdl.handle.net/11603/30998

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UMBC Data Science
UMBC Faculty Collection

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2023-11-14

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journal articles
preprints
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This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
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Abstract

This study investigates the impacts of aerosol atmospheric rivers (AARs) on extreme Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) levels (PM2.5 > 15mgm-3, as per the WHO) and on aerosol optical depth (AOD) extremes (AOD > 98th percentile) over the US and the globe, respectively, between 1997-2020. Results show that over various regions over the US, extreme PM2.5values are associated with AARs up to 70% of the time. Dust (sulfate) AARs are responsible for extreme PM2.5 levels over the southwestern (northeastern and the east coastal) US. Organic and black carbon AARs are associated with extreme PM2.5 levels over the Midwest region of the US. Globally, AARs are associated with 40-80% of the extreme AOD levels over the US, Sahel, Europe, Middle East, US, South America, East Asia, India, and South Africa. Such associations often lead to the highest or the second highest PM2.5 and AOD levels recorded over those stations between 1997-2020.