Published 2014
4 views Journal article Open Access Open Access

Origin of atmospheric aerosols at the Pierre Auger Observatory using studies of air mass trajectories in South America

Creators

  • 1. Folkwang University of the Arts
  • 2. Technical University of Lisbon
  • 3. University of Turin
  • 4. University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 5. Fermilab
  • 6. University of São Paulo
  • 7. Balseiro Institute
  • 8. City University of New York
  • 9. Ohio State University
  • 10. National Technological University
  • 11. National Autonomous University of Mexico
  • 12. University of Santiago de Compostela
  • 13. University of Hamburg
  • 14. Radboud University Nijmegen
  • 15. University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
  • 16. Complutense University of Madrid
  • 17. Centre national de la recherche scientifique
  • 18. Joseph Fourier University
  • 19. Politehnica University of Bucharest
  • 20. University of Adelaide
  • 21. University of Paris
  • 22. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  • 23. University of Wuppertal
  • 24. Max Planck Society
  • 25. Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
  • 26. Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
  • 27. Colorado State University
  • 28. Colorado State University–Pueblo
  • 29. University of Granada
  • 30. University of Milan
  • 31. University of Rome Tor Vergata
  • 32. University of Catania
  • 33. University of Salento
  • 34. Pennsylvania State University
  • 35. State University of Campinas
  • 36. Case Western Reserve University
  • 37. University of Chicago
  • 38. École des mines de Nantes
  • 39. National Scientific and Technical Research Council
  • 40. Federal Fluminense University
  • 41. University of Groningen
  • 42. University of Alcalá
  • 43. Michigan Technological University
  • 44. National University of La Plata
  • 45. RWTH Aachen University
  • 46. University of Hawaii
  • 47. University of Buenos Aires
  • 48. State University of Feira de Santana
  • 49. Palacký University, Olomouc
  • 50. Charles University in Prague
  • 51. Louisiana State University
  • 52. University of Leeds
  • 53. INAF
  • 54. University of New Mexico
  • 55. Universidade Federal do ABC
  • 56. Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
  • 57. Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
  • 58. CINVESTAV
  • 59. Colorado School of Mines
  • 60. University of Valencia
  • 61. Federal University of Bahia
  • 62. University of Nebraska–Lincoln
  • 63. University of Bucharest
  • 64. Argonne National Laboratory
  • 65. Northeastern University
  • 66. University of Nova Gorica
  • 67. Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • 68. University of L'Aquila

Description

The Pierre Auger Observatory is making significant contributions towards understanding the nature and origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. One of its main challenges is the monitoring of the atmosphere, both in terms of its state variables and its optical properties. The aim of this work is to analyze aerosol optical depth ta(z) values measured from 2004 to 2012 at the observatory, which is located in a remote and relatively unstudied area of the Pampa Amarilla, Argentina. The aerosol optical depth is in average quite low ‐ annual mean ta(3.5 km) 0.04 ‐ and shows a seasonal trend with a winter minimum ‐ ta(3.5 km) 0.03 ‐, and a summer maximum ‐ ta(3.5 km) 0.06 ‐, and an unexpected increase from August to September ‐ ta(3.5 km) 0.055). We computed backward trajectories for the years 2005 to 2012 to interpret the air mass origin. Winter nights with low aerosol concentrations show air masses originating from the Pacific Ocean. Average concentrations are affected by continental sources (wind-blown dust and urban pollution), while the peak observed in September and October could be linked to biomass burning in the northern part of Argentina or air pollution coming from surrounding urban areas.
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