资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

This study uses observations and atmospheric reanalysis products in order to understand the impacts of smoke aerosols advected from the Southern Hemisphere on the dynamics of the West African monsoon. Seasonal biomass burning and resulting aerosol emissions have been well documented to affect regional weather patterns, especially low-level convection. Out of all monsoon months, precipitation shows the most variability over land during August, in which anomalous smoke aerosol values can increase (decrease) by 33% (29%) in the Northern Gulf of Guinea and precipitation can decrease (increase) by up to similar to 2.5 mm day(-1) (similar to 3 mm day(-1)) along the West African monsoon region accounting for a 17% (18%) change in precipitation. Smoke aerosols produced by biomass burning occurring near Central Africa are advected towards the Gulf of Guinea at elevations around the 850 hPa level. Satellite observations show an increase (decrease) in cloud fraction and optical depth below (above) the 300-hPa level in the Gulf of Guinea and along the West African coastline along with concurrent decreases (increases) in cloud droplet radius during dirty (clean) aerosol episodes. Additional observations of shortwave radiation quantify changes in cloud coverage and monsoon dynamics. On average, reductions in surface shortwave radiation of similar to 10-15 W m(-2) occur over the Gulf of Guinea during increased aerosol transport, with aerosols accounting for similar to 33-50% of that reduction. Reductions in shortwave radiation are associated with decreased convective available potential energy (CAPE). This demonstrates that increased transport of aerosols perturbs surface radiation, convection in the lower troposphere and eventually cloud coverage, potentially leading to the observed monsoon precipitation suppression. In a broader social context, this region houses 200 million people and thus understanding these climate patterns may carry great importance.