Characterizing Aerosol Impacts on the Distribution of Water in the Tropospheric Column During the Monsoon Season in the Philippines

The Philippines is a country with complex topography and extensive regional urbanized air pollution. In many of these zones localized flooding within metropolitan regions is increasingly a critical issue. Since cloud and precipitation formation are based upon the availability and physical properties of particulate suspended within the atmosphere and the distribution of water in the atmospheric column, it is important to examine the effect of local pollutants on the distribution of water in the atmospheric column within the archipelago. This region also is challenged with extreme rainfall events during the onset of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). The characterization of cloud properties and the distribution of water throughout the atmospheric column is another important factor that is critical for improving prediction and algorithm development for precipitation accumulation. Data obtained in this study is from 2000 to 2010 during the Western North Pacific Summer Monsoon (WNPSM) from Level-3 MODIS Terra monthly global data retrievals and TRMM precipitation data during the months of July through December. MODIS cloud retrieval properties examined included the mean atmospheric water vapor, mean cloud optical thickness in the liquid and ice form, mean cloud effective radius for liquid and ice and the mean cloud water path in the liquid and ice form. The implications of this study will enhance prediction of atmospheric microphysical processes for extreme precipitation occurrences in equatorial regions and increase knowledge of the distribution of water in the tropospheric column.