Long-range Transport Of Saharan Dust Research Articles

Variations of PM2.5 sources in the context of meteorology and seasonality at an urban street canyon in Southwest Germany

In order to assess the factors controlling urban air pollution, we characterized fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at an urban street canyon in southwest Germany, in summer 2019 and winter 2020. The average mass concentration of PM2.5 was higher in dry and hot summer (7.0 ± 3.5 μg m−3) than in cold and humid winter (5.8 ± 2.8 μg m−3) with frequent wet scavenging. The non-refractory PM2.5 (NR-PM2.5) measured with an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) plus black carbon (BC) mostly consists of organic aerosol (OA) with 60% in summer and 44% in winter. The contributions of sulfate to NR-PM2.5 plus BC was higher in summer (18%) than in winter (13%), while that of nitrate was lower in summer (6%) than in winter (22%). During the entire measurement periods in both seasons, relatively flat diurnal variations of sulfate were found, suggesting that it was associated with regional transport. However, occasionally rapid increase of sulfate can be caused by the transport of upwind industrial sources and enhanced vertical mixing processes. Nitrate showed a peak at morning rush hours related to traffic emissions, and then subsequently decreased by evaporation processes during daytime with higher temperature. Positive matrix factorization analysis revealed that the total OA was dominated by secondary organic aerosol (SOA) over the primary traffic emissions with ∼82% in summer and ∼48% in winter. A detailed analysis of two pollution episodes clearly demonstrated the impact of meteorological conditions on secondary aerosol formation and accumulation. A summertime heatwave episode showed high contributions of SOA to PM2.5 mass, which formed locally through daytime photochemical oxidation as well as nighttime chemistry of biogenic precursors. A wintertime transitional episode occurred with significant shift from relatively warm and humid to cold and dry conditions. The fast formation of sulfate, nitrate, ammonium and SOA were found under the warm and humid period after receiving a local industrial emission plume. The cold and dry period was influenced by various sources including long-range transport of Saharan dust and anthropogenic emissions in central Europe. This study highlights the variations of urban PM2.5 sources under certain meteorological conditions such as summer heatwave and humid winter, which are expected high occurrence in future. Our results provide the implication on actual needs of mitigation actions to these pollution episodes in less-polluted western Europe cities.

Evaluation of ECMWF IFS-AER (CAMS) operational forecasts during cycle 41r1–46r1 with calibrated ceilometer profiles over Germany

Abstract. Aerosol forecasts by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecasting System aerosol module (IFS-AER) for the years 2016–2019 (cycles 41r1–46r1) are compared to vertical profiles of particle backscatter from the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) ceilometer network. The system has been developed in the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and its precursors. The focus of this article is to evaluate the realism of the vertical aerosol distribution from 0.4 to 8 km above ground, coded in the shape, bias and temporal variation of the profiles. The common physical quantity, the attenuated backscatter β∗(z), is directly measured and calculated from the model mass mixing ratios of the different particle types using the model's inherent aerosol microphysical properties. Pearson correlation coefficients of daily average simulated and observed vertical profiles between r=0.6–0.8 in summer and 0.7–0.95 in winter indicate that most of the vertical structure is captured. It is governed by larger β∗(z) in the mixing layer and comparably well captured with the successive model versions. The aerosol load tends to be biased high near the surface, underestimated in the mixing layer and realistic at small background values in the undisturbed free troposphere. A seasonal cycle of the bias below 1 km height indicates that aerosol sources and/or lifetimes are overestimated in summer and pollution episodes are not fully resolved in winter. Long-range transport of Saharan dust or fire smoke is captured and timely, only the dispersion to smaller scales is not resolved in detail. Over Germany, β∗(z) values from Saharan dust and sea salt are considerably overestimated. Differences between model and ceilometer profiles are investigated using observed in situ mass concentrations of organic matter (OM), black carbon, SO4, NO3, NH4 and proxies for mineral dust and sea salt near the surface. Accordingly, SO4 and OM sources as well as gas-to-particle partitioning of the NO3–NH4 system are too strong. The top of the mixing layer on average appears too smooth and several hundred meters too low in the model. Finally, a discussion is included of the considerable uncertainties in the observations as well as the conversion from modeled to observed physical quantities and from necessary adaptions of varying resolutions and definitions.

Characterization of In Situ Aerosol Optical Properties at Three Observatories in the Central Mediterranean

In this work, results of scattering and backscattering coefficients, scattering Ångström exponent (SAE), single scattering albedo (SSA), and asymmetry parameter (g) of atmospheric aerosols are presented. All these parameters were measured during the month of April 2016 in Southern Italy on three different Global Atmosphere Watch observatories in the Central Mediterranean. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that optical aerosol properties were studied at the same time, even if in a brief intensive measurement campaign, at three sites in the South of Italy. In order to obtain a characteristic value for aerosol optical properties, different kinds of particle sources (i.e., dust, marine, and anthropic) have been identified and studied. In the measurement period, one event of a long-range transport of Saharan dust from Northern Africa was observed at all observatories. During the Saharan dust transport event, a minimum value of the SAE (0.69 ± 0.34) and a relatively higher values of SSA were observed. During the dust event, g increased up to 0.69. Marine aerosol contribution and anthropic/urban aerosol intrusion were analysed. From this analysis, SAE average values were 0.70, 0.84, and 1.22, respectively, for dust, marine, and anthropic particles. On the other hand, the SSA minimum value was 0.86 for anthropic particles, and it increased for dust (0.88) and marine (0.93) aerosols. The asymmetry parameter had a limited variability for the three types of aerosol from 0.62 to 0.58, as reported also in literature.

Modelling and Observation of Mineral Dust Optical Properties over Central Europe

This paper is focused on Saharan dust transport to Central Europe/Poland; we compare properties of atmospheric Saharan dust using data from NAAPS, MACC, AERONET as well as observations obtained during HyMountEcos campaign in June 2012. Ten years of dust climatology shows that long-range transport of Saharan dust to Central Europe is mostly during spring and summer. HYSPLIT back-trajectories indicate airmass transport mainly in November, but it does not agree with modeled maxima of dust optical depth. NAAPS model shows maximum of dust optical depth (~0.04–0.05, 550 nm) in April–May, but the MACC modeled peak is broader (~0.04). During occurrence of mineral dust over Central-Europe for 14% (NAAPS) / 12% (MACC) of days dust optical depths are above 0.05 and during 4% (NAAPS) / 2.5% (MACC) of days dust optical depths exceed 0.1. The HyMountEcos campaign took place in June–July 2012 in the mountainous region of Karkonosze. The analysis includes remote sensing data from lidars, sunphotometers, and numerical simulations from NAAPS, MACC, DREAM8b models. Comparison of simulations with observations demonstrates the ability of models to reasonably reproduce aerosol vertical distributions and their temporal variability. However, significant differences between simulated and measured AODs were found. The best agreement was achieved for MACC model.

Long-range transport of Saharan dust and chemical transformations over the Eastern Mediterranean

Three recent Saharan dust outbreaks during different seasons (4–6 days in winter of 2009, late autumn of 2010 and summer of 2011) are selected in order to study the chemical footprint and aging processes of dust intrusions over the Eastern Mediterranean (EM). The applied model system (PMCAMx, WRF and GEOS-CHEM) and methodology are found competent to reproduce dust production, long-range transport and chemical transformations over the EM, with the synergistic use of synoptic patterns analysis, optical depth retrievals, back-trajectories, surface and satellite aerosol measurements. The dust loads were high during the cold period events and much lighter during summertime, when transport was mainly in the free troposphere. In all cases, dust originated from the northwest and/or west Saharan desert and reached the EM from the west/southwest. Sensitivity runs underlie the effect of dust transport on the chemical constituents of aerosols over the EM and show a large impact on calcium (70–90% of maximum daily values 2–5 μg m−3), with its gradient at surface level being around −10% per 100 km along the dust pathway. For the cold period cases, this value can also be considered analogous to the dust dissipation ratio, because the plume is vertically extended down to the surface layers. Interestingly, the surface particulate nitrate concentrations over the EM are reversely affected by the approaching dust loads, exhibiting the highest values (up to 6 μg m−3) and the largest dust fraction (ca. 70%) during summertime. This is attributed to the enhanced nitric acid formation under high atmospheric temperature and insolation, its uptake onto the carbonate dust particles, and their effective accumulation, due to low deposition rates over the sea and scarce precipitation. Sulfate formation onto dust particles is found insignificant (rapid reaction with ammonia and/or sea-salt), while the influence of dust and sea-salt on sodium, when spatio-temporal averages are calculated, is approximately equal.

Increased PM Concentrations during a Combined Wildfire and Saharan Dust Event Observed at High-Altitude Sonnblick Observatory, Austria

A period of increased particulate matter concentrations was observed at the high-altitude Sonnblick Observatory in August 2013. Trajectory analysis, wildfire maps and the evaluation of aerosol measurements revealed a combined and sometimes alternating influence of long-range transport of Saharan dust and emissions of wildfires. The occurrence of Saharan dust was confirmed by an increase of coarse particle number concentration and a negative exponent of the single scattering albedo wavelength dependence, determined by Nephelometer and Aethalometer measurements. During time periods less influenced by Saharan dust, number concentration of accumulation mode particles increased and a marked correlation of aerosol mass concentrations and CO mixing ratios was observed. By analyzing the wavelength dependence of the absorption coefficients determined with a seven wavelength Aethalometer, the influence of the two aerosol sources was decoupled. Therefore, absorption exponents of 3 and 1.3 were assumed for Saharan dust and wildfires, respectively. Mass concentrations of particulate matter caused by Saharan dust and wildfire emissions were estimated, with the contribution of Saharan dust to overall particulate matter mass ranging from 5% to 80%.

Status and trend of atmospheric deposition chemistry at the CONECOFOR plots, 1998-2005

Ion deposition in the open field and under the canopy was monitored in 13 CONECOFOR plots during 1998-2005. In spite of the remote location of most plots, atmospheric deposition carries considerable amounts of anthropogenic ions (sulphate, nitrate and ammonium). Deposition acidity is buffered by the deposition of base cations, partially due to the long-range transport of Saharan dust. In the study period, sulphate deposition and deposition acidity significantly decreased, because of the decrease in sulphur dioxide emissions in Europe, while nitrate and ammonia deposition did not show a clear temporal pattern.

Long-Range Transport of Saharan Dust to East Asia Observed with Lidars

Dust layers in the free troposphere were observed with the lidars in Suwon, Gosan, and Tsukuba in March 7-9, 2005. The observed dust distributions were compared with the results of the regional and global dust transport models (CFORS, NRL NAAPS, and SPRINTARS). The results with the global models reproduced the dust layer qualitatively, but the regional model did not. This suggests the source of the dust layers is located outside of the modeled region of the regional model that includes Taklimakan Desert and Gobi Desert. The global models showed the plumes were from the Sahara Desert, and the both models showed there was no major dust emission in Taklimakan and Gobi Deserts during the observation period. The trajectory analysis using NOAA HYSPLIT showed that the dust originated in the Sahara Desert 5-10 days before.

The airborne transport of Saharan dust: A review

The extent of the short and long-range transport, and the atmospheric residence time of airborne Saharan dust are dependent on factors like the initial size distribution of the dust and the type of weather systems raising dust and creating different kinds of dust storms. The paper discusses these factors. It further reviews a number of investigations of long-range transport of Saharan dust out from the Sahara, and shows how eolian dust can be monitored with the help of meteorological SYNOP and METAR observations.