A Southern California Perspective of the April, 1998 Trans-Pacific Asian Dust Event

摘要: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) coherent CO2 backscatter lidar has been in almost continuous operation since 1984 and now accumulated a significant time-series database tracking the long-term seasonal variability of from atmospheric column above Pasadena, Calif. locale. A particularly noteworthy episode observed by 1998 was extreme instance incursion Asian-sourced dust during closing days April. Such events are not uncommon northern spring, when strong cold fronts convection over Asian interior deserts loft crustal material into mid-troposphere whence it can be transported across Pacific Ocean, occasionally reaching continental US. However, abnormal strength initiating storm this case generated an atypically dense cloud which resulted dramatically reduced visibility along length Western Seaboard. These recognized as potentially significant, non-negligible radiative forcing influence. progress April eastward Ocean initially satellite imagery transmitted to broader research community via electronic communications. use Internet technology way effective facilitating rapid response correlative measurement exercise numerous observation stations throughout western US its success subsequent establishment ad hoc communications environment, data exchange medium, mechanism for providing early-warning alert other phenomena future.