Aerosol Precipitation Interaction in the Pearl River Delta Region from Remote Sensing

Principal Investigator: Prof. Chiu Longsang

Start Date:	2007/04/01
End Date:	2008/03/31
Type of Grant:	Direct Grant for Research (2006-2007) - 2nd Round

This proposal addresses the impact of aerosol on precipitation on the Pearl River Delta regions from a remote sensing perspective. Remotely sensed information, when carefully calibrated, can provide large area coverage and timely information at reduced cost. The suitability of remote sensing data for monitoring the aerosol and precipitation in the region is investigated. The presence of aerosol reduces the reflected radiation, but may heat the absorbing layer, hence stabilizing the region and thus reduce rainfall. Another mechanism is the so call ˇ§Elevated Heat Pumpˇ¨ effect that the heating due to aerosols heat the layer and acts to induce convergence at the surface. This large scale convergence mechanism has been shown to induce early on-set of the monsoon in the Indian subcontinent. This project will first establish the regional climatology of aerosol, precipitation, and other cloud parameters and related to in situ observations. Trends will be detected using the Empirical Mode Decomposition technique that can delineate other climate signals. Seasonal, non-seasonal changes and long-term trends will be investigated and factors contributing to these variations will be discussed.