Strong capping inversion over the Tokyo metropolitan area associated with airborne Asian dust

Abstract

Lidar measurements in the Tokyo metropolitan area showed that the optical thickness of airborne Asian dust rapidly increased on the morning of April 28, 2005, owing to the arrival of a thick Asian dust layer (ADL), which settled on the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Radiosonde measurements showed that atmospheric temperature in the lower troposphere increased considerably after the arrival of the ADL to the extent that the increment rate reached 12 K/ day. Strong capping inversion (CI) was thus formed between the ADL and the PBL with the maximum rate of 0.1 K/m. It was mainly caused by the appearance of a deep isentropic layer that well corresponded to the ADL, indicating that the Asian dust-laden heated and well-mixed air layer led to the temperature increment and consequently induced the CI. The CI inhibited the PBL evolution and caused a higher aerosol concentration in the PBL in the metropolitan area. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.