Classification of aerosols using particle linear depolarization ratio (PLDR) over seven urban locations of Asia

Active lidar remote sensing has been used to obtain detailed and quantitative information about the properties of aerosols. We have analyzed the spatio-temporal classification of aerosols using the parameters of particle linear depolarization ratio and single scattering albedo from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) over seven megacities of Asia namely; Lahore, Karachi, Kanpur, Pune, Beijing, Osaka, and Bandung. We find that pollution aerosols dominate during the winter season in all the megacities. The concentrations, however, vary concerning the locations, i.e., 70–80% pollution aerosols are present over Lahore, 40–50% over Karachi, 90–95% over Kanpur and Pune, 60–70% and over Beijing and Osaka. Pure Dust (PD), Pollution Dominated Mixture (PDM), and Dust Dominated Mixture (DDM) are found to be dominant during spring and summer seasons.This proposes that dust over Asia normally exists as a mixture with pollution aerosols instead of pure form. We also find that black carbon (BC) dominated pollution aerosols. [Display omitted] •Aerosol classification has been performed over seven megacities of Asia.•Pollution aerosols dominate during the winter season.•Dust over Asia was observed to exist in the form of a mixture.