Mesoscale modeling of aeolian dust emission during the BoDEx 2005 experiment

Abstract

The Bodélé depression (Northern Chad) is believed to be the single largest source for the Saharan dust transported over the Atlantic Ocean, especially that emerging in the Gulf of Guinea in boreal winter. During the Bodélé Dust Experiment 2005 (BoDEx 2005), which was performed in February–March 2005, a severe dust event was observed and some of its main characteristics (surface wind, dust concentrations, radiation) were recorded. This paper tests the capability of a mesoscale model coupled online with a dust production model (DPM) to reproduce the small scale features associated to this dust event. These simulations clearly show that a spatial resolution of 10 km × 10 km is required to reproduce satisfactorily the observed surface winds and the main characteristics of the dust plume.