Altitude profiles of aerosol BC, derived from aircraft measurements over an inland urban location in India

Abstract

Altitude profiles of aerosol black carbon (BC) in the atmospheric boundary layer and above it were measured for the first time in India, over the urban location Hyderabad, onboard an aircraft during two consecutive days of February 2004. The profiles on both the days were consistent, and showed a rapid decrease in BC concentration within the boundary up to ∼550 m AGL (where convective activity prevailed). Sodar measurements from the nearby location revealed the mean boundary layer height to be ∼600 m during the flight period. The decrease in BC above the boundary layer was quite weak up to ∼2.2 km AGL.