Retrieval of particle size distribution from aerosol optical thickness using an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm

Particle size distribution is essential for describing direct and indirect radiation of aerosols. Because the relationship between the aerosol size distribution and optical thickness (AOT) is an ill-posed Fredholm integral equation of the first type, the traditional techniques for determining such size distributions, such as the Phillips–Twomey regularization method, are often ambiguous. Here, we use an approach based on an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm (IPSO) to retrieve aerosol size distribution. Using AOT data measured by a CE318 sun photometer in Yinchuan, we compared the aerosol size distributions retrieved using a simple genetic algorithm, a basic particle swarm optimization algorithm and the IPSO. Aerosol size distributions for different weather conditions were analyzed, including sunny, dusty and hazy conditions. Our results show that the IPSO-based inversion method retrieved aerosol size distributions under all weather conditions, showing great potential for similar size distribution inversions.