Perfiles verticales de propiedades de los aerosoles atmosféricos en la Península Ibérica

Abstract

Con el objetivo de profundizar en el conocimiento de las propiedades ópticas y microfísicas de los aerosoles atmosféricos, la red CAECENET combina datos con resolución vertical, obtenidos mediante ceilómetros, con información de propiedades integradas a la columna atmosférica, que se pueden obtener mediante fotómetros. Utilizando estos dos tipos de medidas en el algoritmo de inversión GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties), es posible obtener propiedades ópticas extensivas con resolución vertical. En este estudio, se comparan los datos de esta red con los de AERONET, considerada red de referencia en el estudio de los aerosoles, obteniendo una buena concordancia. Además, se calcula la climatología entre 2014 y 2023 de perfiles verticales de propiedades de los aerosoles en Valladolid. Por último, se emplean datos de diferentes estaciones para mostrar la posibilidad de monitorear eventos de transporte de polvo desértico hacia la Península Ibérica utilizando esta red.

Atmospheric aerosols play a fundamental role in the Earth's thermal balance; however, they still pose significant uncertainties. In order to deepen our understanding of their optical and microphysical properties, various scientific studies have proposed combining vertically resolved data obtained from ceilometers with column-integrated information obtained from photometers. By utilizing these two types of measurements in GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) inversion algorithm, it is possible to retrieve extensive optical properties with vertical resolution, such as vertical profiles of scatiering, backscatiering, extinction coefficients, as well as volume concentration. These results have been used to establish the CAECENET network, an association of measurement stations in the Iberian Peninsula that have both photometers and ceilometers collocated, share instrument calibration protocols, and provide their data to implement this aerosol property calculation methodology. In order to test the utility of this data in determining the vertical properties of aerosols in the Iberian Peninsula, this study conducted a comparison of the data provided by this network for the city of Valladolid with those from the AERONET network, considered as a reference for columnar aerosol property studies, resulting in a good agreement. These data were also used to calculate a climatology of vertical profiles of volume concentration and extinction, scatiering, and backscatiering coefficients. Finally, data from different stations were utilized to demonstrate the capability of monitoring a desert dust transport event to the Peninsula in near-real-time.