A dataset of high–spatiotemporal–resolution dust and non–dust aerosol mass concentration profiles from ground–based remote sensing in central China (2018–2024)
Description
This dataset contains quality-controlled dust, non-dust, and total aerosol mass concentration profiles derived from continuous ground-based polarization lidar observations at the Shouxian National Climate Observatory (SXNCO; 32.434° N, 116.793° E), central China, from January 2018 to December 2024. The final data are provided on a 15 min temporal grid and a 7.5 m vertical grid from approximately 0.3 to 6 km. The high-resolution concentration files contain time–height matrices. The first row gives the vertical coordinate in kilometres (AGL), the first column gives observation time in Beijing Time (BJT; UTC+08:00), and the remaining cells contain retrieved aerosol mass concentrations in μg m−3. Separate files are provided for dust, non-dust, and total aerosol mass concentrations. Monthly mean products are additionally provided for convenient climatological and long-term analyses. A pointwise Retrieval Quality Index (RQI) is provided on the same time–height grid. RQI is a dimensionless, non-probabilistic quality indicator ranging from 0 to 100 and should not be interpreted as a percentage uncertainty. RQI values of 75–100 are recommended for pointwise quantitative analyses, event studies, and collocated satellite or model comparisons; values of 50–75 are suitable for routine quantitative and statistical analyses; values of 25–50 should preferably be used with temporal or vertical averaging or together with independent observations; and values of 0–25 are retained mainly for qualitative screening and contextual interpretation. Retrievals were produced using the Fernald inversion and POLIPHON framework. Monthly extinction-to-mass conversion factors were constrained using collocated CE-318 sun-photometer observations. Invalid retrievals associated with clouds, precipitation, insufficient signal quality, or instrumental problems are represented as missing data rather than zero aerosol concentration. Detailed descriptions of the file structure, variables, units, missing-value conventions, retrieval parameters, RQI interpretation, quality control, and recommended data-use practices are provided in the accompanying README.