Studies on the Characteristics of the Tropospheric Aerosols and its Long Term Impacts

Abstract

The accurate estimation of aerosols and their effect on climate highly depends on their spatio-temporal variation, especially vertical distribution. Therefore, it is essential to understand the characteristics of aerosol on the local as well as regional scales over the globe. In the present thesis, efforts are made to investigate the physical, optical, and vertical characteristics of tropospheric aerosols and their long-term impact on the tropical coastal environment of Kattankulathur (12.82oN, 80.04oE). This site is a semi-urban coastal region with very high population density and abundance of both natural and anthropogenic sources. This region also functions as a sink due to its proximity to the coastal line. Besides, it is a unique region to study the effect of the northeast and southwest monsoon on aerosol distribution. Thus, in the present thesis, the vertical characteristics of the aerosols is investigated for the first time over this location newline