Column-integrated aerosol optical properties and direct radiative forcing based on sun photometer measurements at a semi-arid rural site in Northeast China

• Aerosol optical properties at a semi-arid rural site in Northeast China were shown.
• An increase of SSA with increasing AOD was found in both fine and coarse mode cases.
• Frequent dust events resulted in a high AOD but a low SSA at 440 nm in spring.
• The high AAE implied the impact of brown carbon on absorption in autumn and winter.

Ground and satellite remote sensing measurements have revealed heavy aerosol loading in China; however, aerosol optical properties and direct radiative forcing in Northeast China – important in climate modeling and remote sensing – have not been widely studied. We studied four years of continuous sun photometer measurements at Tongyu, a typical semi-arid rural site in Northeast China, to better understand column-integrated aerosol optical properties and direct radiative forcing. The annual average aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm was 0.20 ± 0.26; the Ångström exponent (AE) between 440 and 870 nm was 1.37 ± 0.64; and the single scattering albedo (SSA) at 440 nm was 0.91 ± 0.05. The AOD at this rural site was a quarter of that observed in the polluted North China Plain and Yangtze River Delta regions. Anthropogenic fine-mode particles were the dominant contributor to AOD. The AOD and AE showed generally opposite seasonal variation patterns. Relatively higher AOD values in summer (0.26 ± 0.27) and spring (0.24 ± 0.30) were likely related to long-range transportation of anthropogenic aerosols from southern industrial regions in summer, and the increased contribution of dust events in spring. The minimum AOD (0.16 ± 0.22) was concurrent with the maximum AE (1.75 ± 0.76), observed in winter. On average, the absorption AOD (AAOD) at 440 nm and its absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) between 440 and 870 nm were 0.06 ± 0.03 and 1.04 ± 0.43, respectively. The mean AAE was considerably higher than 1 in autumn and winter, indicating that brown carbon from biomass burning contributed greatly to aerosol absorption. The AAE was lower than 1 in summer and spring, related to the coating of black carbon particles. Large negative aerosol direct radiative forcing was estimated at the bottom of the atmosphere, with relatively lower values estimated at the top of the atmosphere; the means were − 26.28 and − 9.42 W m− 2, respectively. This resulted in a strong cooling effect on the surface, but warming in the atmosphere, potentially impacting the regional climate.