RETRIEVAL OF ATMOSPHERIC PARTICULATE MATTER USING SATELLITE DATA OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN CHINA

Abstract. Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is a particle cluster with diameters less than or equal to 2.5 μm. Over the past few decades, regional air pollution composed of PM_2.5 has frequently occurred over Central and Eastern China. In order to estimate the concentration, distribution and other properties of PM_2.5, the general retrieval models built by establishing the relationship between aerosol optical depth (AOD) and PM_2.5 has been widely used in many studies, including experimental models via statistics analysis and physical models with certain physical mechanism. The statistical experimental models can’t be extended to other areas or historical period due to its dependence on the ground-based observations and necessary auxiliary data, which limits its further application. In this paper, a physically based model is applied to estimate the concentration of PM_2.5 over Central and Eastern China from 2007 to 2016. The ground-based PM_2.5 measurements were used to be as reference data to validate our retrieval results. Then annual variation and distribution of PM_2.5 concentration in the Central and Eastern China was analysed. Results shows that the annual average PM_2.5 show a trend of gradually increasing and then decreasing during 2007–2016, with the highest value in 2011.