Effect of wind speed on mixing region aerosol concentrations at a tropical station

Abstract

Altitude distribution of aerosols in the mixing region in a tropical coastal environment is studied using a bistatic continuous-wave lidar. It is found that aerosols remain fairly well mixed—their number density showing little variation with altitude up to an altitude of approximately 300 m from the surface, and above this their number density, in general, decreases with an increase in altitude. The aerosol number density shows a significant dependence on the near-surface wind speed. This dependence, could be represented fairly well by an exponential function of wind speed. The wind contribution to aerosol content is found to be at its maximum during the southwest monsoon period.