ANALYSIS OF THE ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOL OPTICAL DEPTH OVER CHINA IN 1980s^*

This paper retrieves the yearly and monthly mean 0.75μm aerosol optical depth(AOD) of 41 A-class solar radiation stations over China from 1979 to 1990,and analyzes the spatial and temporal distribution of AOD over China mainland.The data employed are daily direct solar radiation and sunshine duration,as well as the TOMS version-7 ozone observation data in the same time.The results indicate that the Siehuan Basin is the largest center of yearly mean AOD over China.and the other two larger centers lie in Wuhan City and the South Xinjiang Basin,separately.AOD values are also relatively larger in the middle-and-lower reaches area of Changjiang River.Shandong Peninsula and coastal area of Guangdong Province:while in Yunnan Province,coastal area of Fujian Province.most parts of Northwest and Northeast China,AOD values are relatively smaller.The distribution of AOD varies with different months.In most parts of China.the maximum of AOD occurs in spring season;but the minimum varies in different regions,From 1979 to 1990.in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau,West Siehuan Basin,North Guizhou Province.most areas of the middle-and-lower reaches of Changjiang River,Shandong Peninsula and west part of South Xinjiang Basin.AOD shows an increasing trend.But in Northeast China,most part of Northwest China,Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau,western Guangxi Region and the coastal areas of East China,AOD shows decreasing tendency.Generally,the seasonal variation characteristics of AOD in China can be classified into four typical models,i.e.,mono-modal types A and B,bimodal and Poly-modal.