Columnar aerosol properties and radiative effects over Dushanbe, Tajikistan in Central Asia

The seasonal aerosol radiative forcing efficiency (ARFE) in the atmosphere was found high (>100 Wm-2) and consistent throughout the year over Dusanbe, the capital city of Tajikistan in central Asia. Consequently, this resulted in similar seasonally coherent high atmospheric solar heating rate (HR) of 1.5 K day-1 during summer-autumnwinter, and ca. 0.9 K day-1 during spring season. High ARFE and HR values indicate that atmospheric aerosols could exert significant implications to regional air quality, climate and cryosphere over the central Asian region and downwind Tianshan and Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau mountain regions with sensitive ecosystems.