Dust Emission Model Research Articles

Contribution of the first galaxies to the cosmic far-infrared/sub-millimeter background – I. Mean background level

We study the contribution of the first galaxies to the far-infrared/sub-millimeter (FIR/sub-mm) extragalactic background light (EBL) by implementing an analytical model for dust emission. We explore different dust models, assuming different grain size distributions and chemical compositions. According to our findings, observed re-radiated emission from dust in dwarf-size galaxies at $z \sim 10$ would peak at a wavelength of $\sim 500 \mu {\rm m}$ with observed fluxes of $\sim 10^{-3} - 10^{-2}$ nJy, which is below the capabilities of current observatories. In order to be detectable, model sources at these high redshifts should exhibit luminosities of $\gtrsim 10^{12} L_{\odot}$, comparable to that of local ultra-luminous systems. The FIR/sub-mm EBL generated by primeval galaxies peaks at $\sim 500 \mu {\rm m}$, with an intensity ranging from $\sim 10^{-4}$ to $10^{-3} {\rm nW \ m^{-2} \ sr^{-1}}$, depending on dust properties. These values are $\sim 3 - 4$ orders of magnitude below the absolute measured cosmic background level, suggesting that the first galaxies would not contribute significantly to the observed FIR/sub-mm EBL. Our model EBL exhibits a strong correlation with the dust-to-metal ratio, where we assume a fiducial value of $D = 0.005$, increasing almost proportionally to it. Thus, measurements of the FIR/sub-mm EBL could provide constraints on the amount of dust in the early Universe. Even if the absolute signal from primeval dust emission may be undetectable, it might still be possible to obtain information about it by exploring angular fluctuations at $\sim 500 \mu {\rm m}$, close to the peak of dust emission from the first galaxies.

A VLA SURVEY FOR FAINT COMPACT RADIO SOURCES IN THE ORION NEBULA CLUSTER

ABSTRACT We present Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array 1.3, 3.6, and 6 cm continuum maps of compact radio sources in the Orion Nebular Cluster (ONC). We mosaicked 34 arcmin2 at 1.3 cm, 70 arcmin2 at 3.6 cm and 109 arcmin2 at 6 cm, containing 778 near-infrared detected young stellar objects and 190 Hubble Space Telescope-identified proplyds (with significant overlap between those characterizations). We detected radio emission from 175 compact radio sources in the ONC, including 26 sources that were detected for the first time at these wavelengths. For each detected source, we fitted a simple free–free and dust emission model to characterize the radio emission. We extrapolate the free–free emission spectrum model for each source to ALMA bands to illustrate how these measurements could be used to correctly measure protoplanetary disk dust masses from submillimeter flux measurements. Finally, we compare the fluxes measured in this survey with previously measured fluxes for our targets, as well as four separate epochs of 1.3 cm data, to search for and quantify the variability of our sources.

Long-term assessment of airborne radiocesium after the Fukushima nuclear accident: re-suspension from bare soil and forest ecosystems

Abstract. The long-term effect of 137Cs re-suspension from contaminated soil and forests due to the Fukushima nuclear accident has been quantitatively assessed by numerical simulation, a field experiment on dust emission flux in a contaminated area (town of Namie, Fukushima prefecture), and air concentration measurements inside (Namie) and outside (city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki prefecture) the contaminated area. In order to assess the long-term effect, the full year of 2013 was selected to study just after the start of the field experiments. The 137Cs concentrations at Namie and Tsukuba were approximately 10−1–1 and 10−2–10−1 mBq m−3, respectively. The observed monthly median concentration at Namie was 1 to 2 orders of magnitude larger than that at Tsukuba. This observed difference between the two sites was consistent with the simulated difference, indicating successful modeling of 137Cs re-suspension and atmospheric transport. The estimated re-suspension rate was approximately 10−6 day−1, which was significantly lower than the decreasing rate of the ambient gamma dose rate in Fukushima prefecture (10−4–10−3 day−1) as a result of radioactive decay, migration in the soil and biota, and decontamination. Consequently, re-suspension contributed negligibly in reducing ground radioactivity. The dust emission model could reproduce the air concentration of 137Cs in winter, whereas the summer air concentration was underestimated by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude. Re-suspension from forests at a constant rate of 10−7 h−1, multiplied by the green area fraction, could explain the air concentration of 137Cs at Namie and its seasonal variation. The simulated contribution of dust re-suspension to the air concentration was 0.7–0.9 in the cold season and 0.2–0.4 in the warm season at both sites; the remainder of the contribution was re-suspension from forest. The re-suspension mechanisms, especially through the forest ecosystems, remain unknown. This is the first study that provides a crude estimation of the long-term assessment of radiocesium re-suspension. Additional research activities should investigate the processes/mechanisms governing the re-suspension over the long term. This could be achieved through conducting additional field experiments and numerical simulations.

Using albedo to reform wind erosion modelling, mapping and monitoring

Wind erosion and dust emission models are used to assess the impacts of dust on radiative forcing in the atmosphere, cloud formation, nutrient fertilisation and human health. The models are underpinned by a two-dimensional geometric property (lateral cover; L) used to characterise the three-dimensional aerodynamic roughness (sheltered area or wakes) of the Earth’s surface and calibrate the momentum it extracts from the wind. We reveal a fundamental weakness in L and demonstrate that values are an order of magnitude too small and significant aerodynamic interactions between roughness elements and their sheltered areas have been omitted, particularly under sparse surface roughness. We describe a solution which develops published work to establish a relation between sheltered area and the proportion of shadow over a given area; the inverse of direct beam directional hemispherical reflectance (black sky albedo; BSA). We show direct relations between shadow and wind tunnel measurements and thereby provide direct calibrations of key aerodynamic properties. Estimation of the aerodynamic parameters from albedo enables wind erosion assessments over areas, across platforms from the field to airborne and readily available satellite data. Our new approach demonstrated redundancy in existing wind erosion models and thereby reduced model complexity and improved fidelity. We found that the use of albedo enabled an adequate description of aerodynamic sheltering to characterise fluid dynamics and predict sediment transport without the use of a drag partition scheme (Rt) or threshold friction velocity (u∗t). We applied the calibrations to produce global maps of aerodynamic properties which showed very similar spatial patterns to each other and confirmed the redundancy in the traditional parameters of wind erosion modelling. We evaluated temporal patterns of predicted horizontal mass flux at locations across Australia which revealed variation between land cover types that would not be detected using traditional models. Our new approach provided new opportunities to investigate the dynamics of wind erosion in space and time and elucidate aeolian processes across scales.

Arabian Red Sea coastal soils as potential mineral dust sources

Abstract. Both Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) satellite observations suggest that the narrow heterogeneous Red Sea coastal region is a frequent source of airborne dust that, because of its proximity, directly affects the Red Sea and coastal urban centers. The potential of soils to be suspended as airborne mineral dust depends largely on soil texture, moisture content and particle size distributions. Airborne dust inevitably carries the mineralogical and chemical signature of a parent soil. The existing soil databases are too coarse to resolve the small but important coastal region. The purpose of this study is to better characterize the mineralogical, chemical and physical properties of soils from the Arabian Red Sea coastal plain, which in turn will help to improve assessment of dust effects on the Red Sea, land environmental systems and urban centers. Thirteen surface soils from the hot-spot areas of windblown mineral dust along the Red Sea coastal plain were sampled for analysis. Analytical methods included optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), ion chromatography (IC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laser particle size analysis (LPSA). We found that the Red Sea coastal soils contain major components of quartz and feldspar, as well as lesser but variable amounts of amphibole, pyroxene, carbonate, clays and micas, with traces of gypsum, halite, chlorite, epidote and oxides. The range of minerals in the soil samples was ascribed to the variety of igneous and metamorphic provenance rocks of the Arabian Shield forming the escarpment to the east of the Red Sea coastal plain. The analysis revealed that the samples contain compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus and iron that are essential nutrients to marine life. The analytical results from this study will provide a valuable input into dust emission models used in climate, marine ecology and air quality studies.

ASSESSMENT OF MODELS OF GALACTIC THERMAL DUST EMISSION USING COBE/FIRAS AND COBE/DIRBE OBSERVATIONS

ABSTRACT Accurate modeling of the spectrum of thermal dust emission at millimeter wavelengths is important for improving the accuracy of foreground subtraction for cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements, for improving the accuracy with which the contributions of different foreground emission components can be determined, and for improving our understanding of dust composition and dust physics. We fit four models of dust emission to high Galactic latitude COBE/FIRAS and COBE/DIRBE observations from 3 mm to 100 μm and compare the quality of the fits. We consider the two-level systems (TLS) model because it provides a physically motivated explanation for the observed long wavelength flattening of the dust spectrum and the anti-correlation between emissivity index and dust temperature. We consider the model of Finkbeiner et al. because it has been widely used for CMB studies, and the generalized version of this model that was recently applied to Planck data by Meisner and Finkbeiner. For comparison we have also fit a phenomenological model consisting of the sum of two graybody components. We find that the two-graybody model gives the best fit and the FDS model gives a significantly poorer fit than the other models. The Meisner and Finkbeiner model and the TLS model remain viable for use in Galactic foreground subtraction, but the FIRAS data do not have a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio to provide a strong test of the predicted spectrum at millimeter wavelengths.

INFRARED OBSERVATIONS OF THE QUINTUPLET PROPER MEMBERS USING SOFIA/FORCAST AND GEMINI/TReCS

ABSTRACT Since their discovery, the Quintuplet proper members (QPMs) have been somewhat mysterious in nature. Originally dubbed the “cocoon stars” due to their cool featureless spectra, high-resolution near-infrared imaging observations have shown that at least two of the objects exhibit “pinwheel” nebulae consistent with binary systems with a carbon-rich Wolf–Rayet star and O/B companion. In this paper, we present 19.7, 25.2, 31.5, and 37.1 μm observations of the QPMs (with an angular resolution of 3.2″–3.8″) taken with the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) in conjunction with high-resolution (∼0.1″–0.2″) images at 8.8 and 11.7 μm from the Thermal-Region Camera Spectrograph (TReCS). DUSTY models of the thermal dust emission of two of the four detected QPMs, Q2 and Q3, are fitted by radial density profiles that are consistent with constant mass-loss rates ( ). For the two remaining sources, Q1 and Q9, extended structures (∼1″) are detected around these objects in high-resolution imaging data. Based on the fitted dust masses, Q9 has an unusually large dust reservoir ( ) compared to typical dusty Wolf–Rayet stars, which suggests that it may have recently undergone an episode of enhanced mass loss.

FOREGROUND BIAS FROM PARAMETRIC MODELS OF FAR-IR DUST EMISSION

ABSTRACT We use simple toy models of far-IR dust emission to estimate the accuracy to which the polarization of the cosmic microwave background can be recovered using multi-frequency fits, if the parametric form chosen for the fitted dust model differs from the actual dust emission. Commonly used approximations to the far-IR dust spectrum yield CMB residuals comparable to or larger than the sensitivities expected for the next generation of CMB missions, despite fitting the combined CMB + foreground emission to precision 0.1% or better. The Rayleigh–Jeans approximation to the dust spectrum biases the fitted dust spectral index by and the inflationary B-mode amplitude by . Fitting the dust to a modified blackbody at a single temperature biases the best-fit CMB by if the true dust spectrum contains multiple temperature components. A 13-parameter model fitting two temperature components reduces this bias by an order of magnitude if the true dust spectrum is in fact a simple superposition of emission at different temperatures, but fails at the level for dust whose spectral index varies with frequency. Restricting the observing frequencies to a narrow region near the foreground minimum reduces these biases for some dust spectra but can increase the bias for others. Data at THz frequencies surrounding the peak of the dust emission can mitigate these biases while providing a direct determination of the dust temperature profile.

Road salt emissions: A comparison of measurements and modelling using the NORTRIP road dust emission model

De-icing of road surfaces is necessary in many countries during winter to improve vehicle traction. Large amounts of salt, most often sodium chloride, are applied every year. Most of this salt is removed through drainage or traffic spray processes but a certain amount may be suspended, after drying of the road surface, into the air and will contribute to the concentration of particulate matter. Though some measurements of salt concentrations are available near roads, the link between road maintenance salting activities and observed concentrations of salt in ambient air is yet to be quantified. In this study the NORTRIP road dust emission model, which estimates the emissions of both dust and salt from the road surface, is applied at five sites in four Nordic countries for ten separate winter periods where daily mean ambient air measurements of salt concentrations are available. The model is capable of reproducing many of the salt emission episodes, both in time and intensity, but also fails on other occasions. The observed mean concentration of salt in PM10, over all ten datasets, is 4.2 μg/m3 and the modelled mean is 2.8 μg/m3, giving a fractional bias of −0.38. The RMSE of the mean concentrations, over all 10 datasets, is 2.9 μg/m3 with an average R2 of 0.28. The mean concentration of salt is similar to the mean exhaust contribution during the winter periods of 2.6 μg/m3. The contribution of salt to the kerbside winter mean PM10 concentration is estimated to increase by 4.1 ± 3.4 μg/m3 for every kg/m2 of salt applied on the road surface during the winter season. Additional sensitivity studies showed that the accurate logging of salt applications is a prerequisite for predicting salt emissions, as well as good quality data on precipitation. It also highlights the need for more simultaneous measurements of salt loading together with ambient air concentrations to help improve model parameterisations of salt and moisture removal processes.

Reduction in soil aggregation in response to dust emission processes

Dust emission by aeolian (wind) soil erosion depends on the topsoil properties of the source area, especially on the nature of the aggregates where most dust particles are held. Although the key role of soil aggregates in dust emission, the response of soil aggregation to aeolian processes and its implications for dust emission remain unknown. This study focuses on aggregate size distribution (ASD) analyses before and after in-situ aeolian experiments in semiarid loess soils that are associated with dust emission. Wind tunnel simulations show that particulate matter (PM) emission and saltation rates depend on the initial ASD and shear velocity. Under all initial ASD conditions, the content of saltator-sized aggregates (63–250μm) increased by 10–34% due to erosion of macro-aggregates (>500μm), resulting in a higher size ratio (SR) between the saltators and macro-aggregates following the aeolian erosion. The results revealed that the saltator production increases significantly for soils that are subjected to short-term (anthropogenic) disturbance of the topsoil. The findings highlight a decrease in soil aggregation for all initial ASD's in response to aeolian erosion, and consequently its influence on the dust emission potential. Changes in ASD should be considered as a key parameter in dust emission models of complex surfaces.

Modelling road dust emission abatement measures using the NORTRIP model: Vehicle speed and studded tyre reduction

Road dust emissions in Nordic countries still remain a significant contributor to PM10 concentrations mainly due to the use of studded tyres. A number of measures have been introduced in these countries in order to reduce road dust emissions. These include speed reductions, reductions in studded tyre use, dust binding and road cleaning. Implementation of such measures can be costly and some confidence in the impact of the measures is required to weigh the costs against the benefits. Modelling tools are thus required that can predict the impact of these measures. In this paper the NORTRIP road dust emission model is used to simulate real world abatement measures that have been carried out in Oslo and Stockholm. In Oslo both vehicle speed and studded tyre share reductions occurred over a period from 2004 to 2006 on a major arterial road, RV4. In Stockholm a studded tyre ban on Hornsgatan in 2010 saw a significant reduction in studded tyre share together with a reduction in traffic volume. The model is found to correctly simulate the impact of these measures on the PM10 concentrations when compared to available kerbside measurement data. Importantly meteorology can have a significant impact on the concentrations through both surface and dispersion conditions. The first year after the implementation of the speed reduction on RV4 was much drier than the previous year, resulting in higher mean concentrations than expected. The following year was much wetter with significant rain and snow fall leading to wet or frozen road surfaces for 83% of the four month study period. This significantly reduced the net PM10 concentrations, by 58%, compared to the expected values if meteorological conditions had been similar to the previous years. In the years following the studded tyre ban on Hornsgatan road wear production through studded tyres decreased by 72%, due to a combination of reduced traffic volume and reduced studded tyre share. However, after accounting for exhaust contributions and the impact of meteorological conditions in the model calculations then the net mean reduction in PM10 concentrations was only ∼50%, in agreement with observations. The NORTRIP model is shown to be able to reproduce the impacts of both traffic measures and meteorology on traffic induced PM10 concentrations, making it a unique and valuable tool for predicting the impact of measures for air quality management applications.

FAR-INFRARED DUST TEMPERATURES AND COLUMN DENSITIES OF THE MALT90 MOLECULAR CLUMP SAMPLE

We present dust column densities and dust temperatures for $\sim3000$ young high-mass molecular clumps from the Millimetre Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz (MALT90) survey, derived from adjusting single temperature dust emission models to the far-infrared intensity maps measured between 160 and 870 \micron\ from the Herschel/Hi-Gal and APEX/ATLASGAL surveys. We discuss the methodology employed in analyzing the data, calculating physical parameters, and estimating their uncertainties. The population average dust temperature of the clumps are: $16.8\pm0.2$ K for the clumps that do not exhibit mid-infrared signatures of star formation (Quiescent clumps), $18.6\pm0.2$ K for the clumps that display mid-infrared signatures of ongoing star formation but have not yet developed an HII region (Protostellar clumps), and $23.7\pm0.2$ and $28.1\pm0.3$ K for clumps associated with HII and photo-dissociation regions, respectively. These four groups exhibit large overlaps in their temperature distributions, with dispersions ranging between 4 and 6 K. The median of the peak column densities of the Protostellar clump population is $0.20\pm0.02$ gr cm$^{-2}$, which is about 50% higher compared to the median of the peak column densities associated with clumps in the other evolutionary stages. We compare the dust temperatures and column densities measured toward the center of the clumps with the mean values of each clump. We find that in the Quiescent clumps the dust temperature increases toward the outer regions and that they are associated with the shallowest column density profiles. In contrast, molecular clumps in the Protostellar or HII region phase have dust temperature gradients more consistent with internal heating and are associated with steeper column density profiles compared with the Quiescent clumps.

Dust environment of an airless object: A phase space study with kinetic models

The study of dust above the lunar surface is important for both science and technology. Dust particles are electrically charged due to impact of the solar radiation and the solar wind plasma and, therefore, they affect the plasma above the lunar surface. Dust is also a health hazard for crewed missions because micron and sub-micron sized dust particles can be toxic and harmful to the human body. Dust also causes malfunctions in mechanical devices and is therefore a risk for spacecraft and instruments on the lunar surface. Properties of dust particles above the lunar surface are not fully known. However, it can be stated that their large surface area to volume ratio due to their irregular shape, broken chemical bonds on the surface of each dust particle, together with the reduced lunar environment cause the dust particles to be chemically very reactive. One critical unknown factor is the electric field and the electric potential near the lunar surface. We have developed a modelling suite, Dusty Plasma Environments: near-surface characterisation and Modelling (DPEM), to study globally and locally dust environments of the Moon and other airless bodies. The DPEM model combines three independent kinetic models: (1) a 3D hybrid model, where ions are modelled as particles and electrons are modelled as a charged neutralising fluid, (2) a 2D electrostatic Particle-in-Cell (PIC) model where both ions and electrons are treated as particles, and (3) a 3D Monte Carlo (MC) model where dust particles are modelled as test particles. The three models are linked to each other unidirectionally; the hybrid model provides upstream plasma parameters to be used as boundary conditions for the PIC model which generates the surface potential for the MC model. We have used the DPEM model to study properties of dust particles injected from the surface of airless objects such as the Moon, the Martian moon Phobos and the asteroid RQ36. We have performed a (v0, m/q)-phase space study where the property of dust particles at different initial velocity (v0) and initial mass per charge (m/q) ratio were analysed. The study especially identifies regions in the phase space where the electric field within a non-quasineutral plasma region above the surface of the object, the Debye layer, becomes important compared with the gravitational force. Properties of the dust particles in the phase space region where the electric field plays an important role are studied by a 3D Monte Carlo model. The current DPEM modelling suite does not include models of how dust particles are initially injected from the surface. Therefore, the presented phase space study cannot give absolute 3D dust density distributions around the analysed airless objects. For that, an additional emission model is necessary, which determines how many dust particles are emitted at various places on the analysed (v0, m/q)-phase space. However, this study identifies phase space regions where the electric field within the Debye layer plays an important role for dust particles. Overall, the initial results indicate that when a realistic dust emission model is available, the unified lunar based DPEM modelling suite is a powerful tool to study globally and locally the dust environments of airless bodies such as planetary moons, Mercury, asteroids and non-active comets far from the Sun.

Toward enhanced capability for detecting and predicting dust events in the western United States: the Arizona case study

Abstract. Dust aerosols affect human life, ecosystems, atmospheric chemistry and climate in various aspects. Some studies have revealed intensified dust activity in the western US during the past decades despite the weaker dust activity in non-US regions. It is important to extend the historical dust records, to better understand their temporal changes, and to use such information to improve the daily dust forecasting skill as well as the projection of future dust activity under the changing climate. This study develops dust records in Arizona in 2005–2013 using multiple observation data sets, including in situ measurements at the surface Air Quality System (AQS) and Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) sites, and level 2 deep blue aerosol product by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. The diurnal and inter-annual variability of identified dust events are shown related to observed weather patterns (e.g., wind and soil moisture) and surface conditions (e.g., land cover type and vegetation conditions), suggesting a potential for use of satellite soil moisture and land products to help interpret and predict dust activity. Backtrajectories computed using NOAA's Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model indicate that the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts are important dust source regions during identified dust events in Phoenix, Arizona. Finally, we assess the impact of a recent strong dust event on western US air quality, using various observational and modeling data sets, during a period with a stratospheric ozone intrusion event. The capability of the current US National Air Quality Forecasting Capability (NAQFC) Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system to represent the magnitude and the temporal variability of aerosol concentrations is evaluated for this event. Directions for integrating observations to further improve dust emission modeling in CMAQ are also suggested.

ON THE DUST ENVIRONMENT OF MAIN-BELT COMET 313 P/Gibbs

We present observations carried out using the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias and an interpretative model of the dust environment of activated asteroid 313P/Gibbs. We discuss three different models relating to different values of the dust parameters, i.e, dust loss rate, maximum and minimum sizes of particles, power index of the size distribution, and emission pattern. The best model corresponds with an isotropic emission of particles which started on August 1st. The size of grains were in the range of $0.1-2000$ $\mu$m, with velocities for 100 $\mu$m particles between $0.4-1.9$ m$~$s$^{-1}$, with a dust production rate in the range of $0.2-0.8$ kg$~$s$^{-1}$. The dust tails' brightness and morphology are best interpreted in terms of a model of sustained and low dust emission driven by water-ice sublimation, spanning since 2014 August 1st, and triggered by a short impulsive event. This event produced an emission of small particles of about 0.1 $\mu$m with velocities of $\sim$4 m$~$s$^{-1}$. From our model we deduce that the activity of this Main-Belt Comet continued for, at least, four months, since activation.

From flux to dust mass: Does the grain-temperature distribution matter for estimates of cold dust masses in supernova remnants?

The amount of dust estimated from infrared to sub-millimetre (submm) observations strongly depends on assumptions of different grain sizes, compositions and optical properties. Here we use a simple model of thermal emission from cold silicate/carbon dust at a range of dust grain temperatures and fit the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the Crab Nebula as a test. This can lower the derived dust mass for the Crab by ~50% and 30-40% for astronomical silicates and amorphous carbon grains compared to recently published values (0.25M_sun -> 0.12M_sun and 0.12M_sun -> 0.072M_sun, respectively), but the implied dust mass can also increase by as much as almost a factor of six (0.25M_sun -> 1.14M_sun and 0.12M_sun -> 0.71M_sun) depending on assumptions regarding the sizes/temperatures of the coldest grains. The latter values are clearly unrealistic due to the expected metal budget, though. Furthermore, we show by a simple numerical experiment that if a cold-dust component does have a grain-temperature distribution, it is almost unavoidable that a two-temperature fit will yield an incorrect dust mass estimate. But we conclude that grain temperatures is not a greater uncertainty than the often poorly constrained emissivities (i.e., material properties) of cosmic dust, although there is clearly a need for improved dust emission models. The greatest complication associated with deriving dust masses still arises in the uncertainty in the dust composition.

Can we use surface wind fields from meteorological reanalyses for Sahelian dust emission simulations?

AbstractThe Sahel is prone to intense soil erosion, and the dust emission flux is very sensitive to the surface wind speed. In this study, we use high‐frequency observations acquired across the Sahel to assess the ability of three global reanalyses (ERA‐interim, NCEP‐CFSR and MERRA) to capture the observed surface wind events that are critical to wind erosion. ERA‐Interim is shown to perform best. However, all three reanalyses present a too flat annual cycle, with important season‐dependent biases: they overestimate the surface wind during dry season nights and underestimate it during spring and monsoon season days. More importantly, the strongest wind speeds, observed in the morning and during deep convective events, are systematically underestimated. As analyzed wind fields are one of the main inputs of many dust emission models, their too low fraction of high wind speeds will lead to major errors in dust emission simulations.

Dust emission modeling for the western border region of Mexico and the USA

The border area between northwestern Mexico and the southwestern USA is composed of arid and semi-arid regions that are highly vulnerable to wind erosion. As a result, dust resuspension events take place that result in episodes of high concentrations of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere. In winter, air quality standards on both sides of the border are often exceeded. However, accurate estimates of the emission of windblown dust are rare, particularly for Mexico. In this study, emissions of particulate matter from mineral origin (dust) with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 and 10 μm (PM2.5 and PM10, respectively) were estimated for the border area for a short winter episode (January 4–12, 2006). For this purpose, a mesoscale meteorological model and a wind erosion model were used. The wind erosion model had a horizontal spatial resolution of 4 km × 4 km and a temporal resolution of 1 h. A georeferenced database of surface conditions obtained from satellite data was used in conjunction with soil parameter digital maps to generate the inputs required by the wind erosion model. The PM10 emissions for the entire domain and episode were estimated at ~643 g km−2 h−1 and the PM2.5 emissions were estimated at ~47 g km−2 h−1. The wind erosion model was subject to three sensitivity tests based on perturbation of the input surface parameters. The model output was more sensitive to changes in soil parameters (soil density and plastic pressure) than to changes in land surface data (leaf area index and fraction of vegetation cover).

Biogeochemistry of dust sources in Southern Africa

In Southern Africa, the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana and the Etosha Pan in Namibia are two of the major dust sources in the Southern Hemisphere. Dust from Southern Africa could play an important role in sustaining the productivity of the surrounding terrestrial and marine ecosystems. However, very little is known about the biogeochemical properties of dust from this region. In this study, we analyze sediments from the Makgadikgadi and Etosha salt pans and the Kalahari dunes and compare the total nitrogen, total phosphorous, soluble iron and common anions between the soil fine fraction (<45 μm) and parent soil. Our results show that in the pans, the fine fractions are richer in total nitrogen and total phosphorous than the parent material whereas the parent material is richer in soluble iron than the fine fraction. In the Kalahari sands, the fine fraction is richer in total nitrogen whereas the parent material has higher total phosphorous and soluble iron than the fine fraction. This study quantifies the amount of biogeochemically important nutrients that can be emitted by Southern African sources which could be incorporated into models of dust emission and transport to assess the impact of dust in regional and marine ecosystems.

The identification of dust heating mechanisms in nearby galaxies using Herschel 160/250 and 250/350 μm surface brightness ratios

We examined variations in the 160/250 and 250/350 micron surface brightness ratios within 24 nearby (<30 Mpc) face-on spiral galaxies observed with the Herschel Space Observatory to identify the heating mechanisms for dust emitting at these wavelengths. The analysis consisted of both qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the 160/250 and 250/350 micron ratios to H alpha and 24 micron surface brightnesses, which trace the light from star forming regions, and 3.6 micron emission, which traces the light from the older stellar populations of the galaxies. We find broad variations in the heating mechanisms for the dust. In one subset of galaxies, we found evidence that emission at <=160 microns (and in rare cases potentially at <=350 microns) originates from dust heated by star forming regions. In another subset, we found that the emission at >=250 microns (and sometimes at >=160 microns) originates from dust heated by the older stellar population. In the rest of the sample, either the results are indeterminate or both of these stellar populations may contribute equally to the global dust heating. The observed variations in dust heating mechanisms does not necessarily match what has been predicted by dust emission and radiative transfer models, which could lead to overestimated dust temperatures, underestimated dust masses, false detections of variability in dust emissivity, and inaccurate star formation rate measurements.