Influence of smoke aerosols on low-level clouds over the Indian region during winter

The effect of smoke aerosols on the low-level clouds over the Indian landmass during the winter season is examined using 15 years (2005–2019) of long-term multi-satellite observations and reanalyses (MERRA-2 and ERA-5) datasets. Climatologically higher values of aerosol optical depth (AOD) (> 0.6), Angstrom exponent (> 1.5), UV-aerosol index (> 0.7), and black carbon and organic carbon (BC + OC) extinction aerosol optical thickness (EXTAOT) (> 0.18) are found over the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) compared to the rest of India indicating the dominance of smoke aerosols over the region. However, considerable enhancements in AOD (~ 60%) and (BC + OC) EXTAOT (20–40%) are observed over some parts of eastern India (particularly Odisha and Chhattisgarh) and central-south India compared to IGP (< 10% and