Study Of Atmospheric Aerosol Characteristics And Their Impact On African Climate

Abstract

Atmospheric aerosols play a vital role in the current climate change scenario. They help to maintain the energy balance between the Earth and the atmosphere through interactions between incoming solar radiation and outgoing terrestrial radiation. Despite their short lifespan in the atmosphere, their radiative impact is significant yet uncertain due to their complex interactions with radiation and their spatial and temporal inhomogeneous distribution. Due to atmospheric dynamics, these tiny particles can be transported to distant locations from their source regions. It s fascinating to consider how the dynamics of the atmosphere can affect the distribution of atmospheric aerosols. The concentration of these tiny particles can be influenced by the wind, which may either disperse them or accumulate them in certain areas. It s important to note that the global map of aerosol optical depth only gives information about the distribution of aerosols, not their actual location or strength. That s why the study presented in this thesis tried to find the exact sources and sinks of atmospheric aerosols over Africa by using the aerosol flux continuity equation. The researchers also investigated how these aerosol sources and sinks impact rainfall over east Africa. The study found that, western Africa has high concentration of aerosols due to localized pressure changes and winds from Sahara desert. However, there are also other source and sink newline newline