New Mexico State University Carlsbad

About: New Mexico State University Carlsbad is a education organization based out in Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Asian Dust & Aerosol. The organization has 25 authors who have published 54 publications receiving 4159 citations. The organization is also known as: NMSU-Carlsbad & NMSU Carlsbad.

Sources of Asian dust and role of climate change versus desertification in Asian dust emission

Abstract: [1] Simulations of Asian dust emissions over the past 43 years are presented based on a size-dependent soil dust emission and transport model (NARCM) along with supporting data from a network of surface stations. The deserts in Mongolia and in western and northern China (mainly the Taklimakan and Badain Juran, respectively) contribute ∼70% of the total dust emissions; non-Chinese sources account for ∼40% of this. Several areas, especially the Onqin Daga sandy land, Horqin sandy land, and Mu Us Desert, have increased in dust emissions over the past 20 years, but efforts to reduce desertification in these areas may have little effect on Asian dust emission amount because these are not key sources. The model simulations indicate that meteorology and climate have had a greater influence on the Asian dust emissions and associated Asian dust storm occurrences than desertification.

Analysis of 40 years of solar radiation data from China, 1961-2000

Abstract: [1] Trends in Chinese global radiation, direct horizontal radiation, diffuse radiation, clearness index, diffuse fraction and percentage of possible sunshine duration for the period 1961–2000 were evaluated based on data for daily surface solar radiation and monthly sunshine duration. Annual means for all six variables were calculated for each station and for China as a whole. Linear regression analysis was used to characterize long-term annual trends in these variables. Over the latter half of the 20th century, there have been significant decreases in global radiation (−4.5 W/m2 per decade), direct radiation (−6.6 W/m2 per decade), clearness index (−1.1% per decade), and the percentage of possible sunshine duration (−1.28% per decade), but diffuse fraction has increased (1.73% per decade). Although there is some evidence that conditions have improved in the last decade, the consistent spatial and temporal variations of these variables support the theory that increased aerosol loadings were at least partially responsible for the observed decreases in global radiation and direct radiation, the clearness index, and the monthly percentage of possible sunshine duration over much of China.

Chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols from Zhenbeitai, China, and Gosan, South Korea, during ACE-Asia

Abstract: [1] Studies were conducted as part of Asian Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia) to characterize the major ion and elemental composition of aerosol particle samples collected at Gosan, an ACE-Asia supersite (GOS, Korea, total suspended particle or TSP samples) and at Zhenbeitai (ZBT, China, TSP and particles < 2.5 mm diameter or PM2.5 samples), a site closer to the sources for Asia dust. The concentrations of 24 elements in the ZBT PM2.5 samples were correlated with Al (an indicator of mineral dust), and the ratios of these elements to Al were similar to those in a loess certified reference material, but a second group of elements was enriched over crustal proportions most likely as a result of pollution emissions. The concentrations of various water-soluble (WS) cations (Na + ,K + ,C a 2+ ,M g 2+ ) also were generally well correlated with Al in both the ZBT and GOS samples, with the exception being WS K + at ZBT, where biomass burning may have had an effect. The percentage of calcium that was soluble approached 100% at ZBT versus � 60% at GOS, and the ratio WS Ca 2+ /Al also was higher at ZBT. The molar ratio of sulfate to WS Ca 2+ was � 0.1 at ZBT but increased to near unity at GOS, where the aerosol nitrate/WS Ca 2+ ratio was tenfold to hundredfold higher compared with ZBT, presumably because of anthropogenic influences. The observed differences in aerosol characteristics between sites can only be explained as the end product of different source contributions combined with complex processes involving gas-particle conversion, size-dependent fractionation, and aerosol mixing. INDEX TERMS: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801); 0330 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Geochemical cycles; 0365 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere—composition and chemistry; 0368 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere—constituent transport and chemistry; 9320 Information Related to Geographic Region: Asia; KEYWORDS: aerosol, biogeochemistry, atmospheric dust, air pollution, Asia