Impact of Different Aerosols on the Evolution of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

The present work analyzes the effect of aerosols on the evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over Shangdianzi in Beijing. A one-dimensional ABL model and a radiative transfer scheme are incorporated to develop the structure of the ABL. The diurnal variation of the atmospheric radiative budget, atmospheric heating rate, sensible and latent heat fluxes, surface and the 2 m air temperatures as well as the ABL height, and its perturbations due to the aerosols with different single-scattering albedo (SSA) are studied by comparing the aerosol-laden atmosphere to the clean atmosphere. The results show that the absorbing aerosols cause less reduction in surface evaporation relative to that by scatting aerosols, and both surface temperature and 2 m temperature decrease from the clean atmosphere to the aerosol-laden atmosphere. The greater the aerosol absorption, the more stable the surface layer. After 12:00 am, the 2 m temperature increases for strong absorption aerosols. In the meantime, there is a slight decrease in the 2 m temperature for purely scattering aerosols due to radiative cooling. The purely scattering aerosols decrease the ABL temperature and enhance the capping inversion, further reducing the ABL height.