Transport Of Desert Dust Research Articles

Comparison of Methodologies for Assessing Desert Dust Contribution to Regional PM10 and PM2.5 Levels: A One-Year Study Over Portugal

Desert dust outbreaks may affect air quality. This study estimates the importance of African dust contribution to the PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations observed in rural regional background sites in Portugal. Desert dust contribution is evaluated by two different approaches: A measurement-approach methodology based on the monthly moving 40th percentile, and a model-approach methodology based on WRF-CHIMERE simulations, whose performance is also assessed within this work. Several desert dust episodes affected atmospheric aerosols in the planetary boundary layer over Portugal during 2016. Their intensity was variable, with at least two events (21–22 February and 27–28 October) contributing to exceedances to the PM10 daily limit value defined in the European Air Quality Directive. African dust contributions obtained for the year 2016 with the measurement-approach methodology are higher than the ones simulated by WRF-CHIMERE. Contributions to PM10 and to PM2.5 concentrations range from 0 to 90 µg m−3 and from 0 to 30 µg m−3, respectively, in most of the regions and days. Caution must be employed when using measurement-approach methodologies to quantify dust contributions to PM levels when forest fires occur simultaneously with the long-range transport of desert dust, as happened in August 2016.

A validated energy model of a solar dish-Stirling system considering the cleanliness of mirrors

Solar systems based on the coupling of parabolic concentrating collectors and thermal engines (i.e. dish-Stirling systems) are among the most efficient generators of solar power currently available. This study focuses on the modelling of functioning data from a 32 kWe dish-Stirling solar plant installed at a facility test site on the University of Palermo campus, in Southern Italy. The proposed model, based on real monitored data, the energy balance of the collector and the partial load efficiency of the Stirling engine, can be used easily to simulate the annual energy production of such systems, making use of the solar radiation database, with the aim of encouraging a greater commercialisation of this technology. Introducing further simplifying assumptions based on our experimental data, the model can be linearised providing a new analytical expression of the parameters that characterise the widely used Stine empirical model. The model was calibrated against data corresponding to the collector with clean mirrors and used to predict the net electric production of the dish-Stirling accurately. A numerical method for assessing the daily level of mirror soiling without the use of direct reflectivity measures was also defined. The proposed methodology was used to evaluate the history of mirror soiling for the observation period, which shows a strong correlation with the recorded sequence of rains and dust depositions. The results of this study emphasise how desert dust transport events, frequent occurrences in parts of the Mediterranean, can have a dramatic impact on the electric power generation of dish-Stirling plants.

Influence of the origin of the air mass on the background levels of atmospheric particulate matter and secondary inorganic compounds in the Madrid air basin.

This study has assessed the influence of the origin of air mass on levels of particulate matter (PM10) and chemical composition (SO42- and NO3-) in the air basin of Madrid. A data set of back-trajectories of air mass arriving to this area of study from 15 June 15 2009 to 8 July 2011 has been analyzed. Firstly, the cluster analysis statistical method has been used to group the back-trajectories into 5 sets according to the angle, direction, and speed of the air mass. Afterwards, the synoptic meteorological scenarios associated with each cluster were obtained and interpreted. Subsequently, an analysis was made on the influence of these clusters on the surface levels of particulate pollutants recorded in a regional background station ("El Atazar"), as well as in two urban background stations ("Casa de Campo" and "CIEMAT"). Finally, potential source areas of PM10, SO42-, and NO3- that contributed to the increase in their background levels in the Madrid air basin were detected by analyzing residence times of trajectories. Transport of mineral desert dust is probably the main cause of the increase of regional and urban background levels of PM10 in the Madrid air basin. In the case of SO42-, relatively high levels were registered, associated with air mass coming from Southern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. In these regions, strong emissions of SO42- are produced due to industrial combustion and maritime traffic. Otherwise, relatively high levels of NO3- were registered during meteorological situations defined by a low baric gradient in the Iberian Peninsula. This meteorological pattern favors the accumulation of emissions from local and regional sources. Besides, the main urban centers of northeastern Europe and industrial areas located in the north African coast were also identified as potential source areas of NO3-. The statistical analysis of the back-trajectories by different methods and the comparison of the results obtained with observational data confirmed that numerous industrial areas in Europe and North Africa, as well as natural ones, such as deserts, had an influence on the regional and urban background levels of mass and chemical composition of particulate matter in the Madrid air basin, under the development of specific synoptic meteorological situations. Graphical abstract.

Desert Dust Contribution to PM10 Loads in Styria (Southern Austria) and Impact on Exceedance of Limit Values from 2013–2018

From a legislators point of view, the contribution of natural sources to PM10 loads is relevant since their impact can be subtracted from the daily limit value of PM10 as regulated in a working staff paper by the European Commission (EC), supporting the European Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC). This work investigates its applicability for two stations in Austria over a time period of six years (2013 to 2018), as the occurrence of long-range transport of desert dust is observed on a regular base. Different stations and different statistical parameters were evaluated to determine the regional background load and subsequently the net dust load (NDL). Results reveal an adapted approach of the methodology described by the EC, using the +/− 15-day mean average of the PM10 at the regional background station, together with threshold criteria to identify only desert dust affected days. The results of calculated NDLs were in good agreement with crustal loads determined on filter samples during two desert dust events in 2016. Thus, the application of the EC method for a region in Central Europe, which experiences a regular but less pronounced impact of desert dust than stations in the Mediterranean, is discussed.

Vertical distribution of aerosol optical properties in the Po Valley during the 2012 summer campaigns

Abstract. Studying the vertical distribution of aerosol particle physical and chemical properties in the troposphere is essential to understand the relative importance of local emission processes vs. long-range transport for column-integrated aerosol properties (e.g. the aerosol optical depth, AOD, affecting regional climate) as well as for the aerosol burden and its impacts on air quality at the ground. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the transport of desert dust in the middle troposphere and its intrusion into the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over the Po Valley (Italy), a region considered one of the greatest European pollution hotspots for the frequency that particulate matter (PM) limit values are exceeded. Events of mineral aerosol uplift from local (soil) sources and phenomena of hygroscopic growth at the ground are also investigated, possibly affecting the PM concentration in the region as well. During the PEGASOS 2012 field campaign, an integrated observing–modelling system was set up based on near-surface measurements (particle concentration and chemistry), vertical profiling (backscatter coefficient profiles from lidar and radiosoundings) and Lagrangian air mass transport simulations by FLEXPART model. Measurements were taken at the San Pietro Capofiume supersite (44°39′ N, 11°37′ E; 11 m a.s.l.), located in a rural area relatively close to some major urban and industrial emissive areas in the Po Valley. Mt. Cimone (44°12′ N, 10°42′ E; 2165 m a.s.l.) WMO/GAW station observations are also included in the study to characterize regional-scale variability. Results show that, in the Po Valley, aerosol is detected mainly below 2000 m a.s.l. with a prevalent occurrence of non-depolarizing particles ( > 50 % throughout the campaign) and a vertical distribution modulated by the PBL daily evolution. Two intense events of mineral dust transport from northern Africa (19–21 and 29 June to 2 July) are observed, with layers advected mainly above 2000 m, but subsequently sinking and mixing in the PBL. As a consequence, a non-negligible occurrence of mineral dust is observed close to the ground ( ∼ 7 % of occurrence during a 1-month campaign). The observations unambiguously show Saharan dust layers intruding the Po Valley mixing layer and directly affecting the aerosol concentrations near the surface. Finally, lidar observations also indicate strong variability in aerosol on shorter timescales (hourly). Firstly, these highlight events of hygroscopic growth of anthropogenic aerosol, visible as shallow layers of low depolarization near the ground. Such events are identified during early morning hours at high relative humidity (RH) conditions (RH > 80 %). The process is observed concurrently with high PM1 nitrate concentration (up to 15 µg cm−3) and hence mainly explicable by deliquescence of fine anthropogenic particles, and during mineral dust intrusion episodes, when water condensation on dust particles could instead represent the dominant contribution. Secondly, lidar images show frequent events (mean daily occurrence of ∼ 22 % during the whole campaign) of rapid uplift of mineral depolarizing particles in afternoon–evening hours up to 2000 m a.s.l. height. The origin of such particles cannot be directly related to long-range transport events, being instead likely linked to processes of soil particle resuspension from agricultural lands.

Synoptic conditions of fine-particle transport to the last interglacial Red Sea-Dead Sea from Nd-Sr compositions of sediment cores

The sediments deposited at the depocenter of the Dead Sea comprise high-resolution archive of hydrological changes in the lake's watershed and record the desert dust transport to the region. This paper reconstructs the dust transport to the region during the termination of glacial Marine Isotope Stage 6 (MIS 6; ∼135–129 ka) and the last interglacial peak period (MIS5e, ∼129–116 ka). We use chemical and Nd and Sr isotope compositions of fine detritus material recovered from sediment core drilled at the deepest floor of the Dead Sea. The data is integrated with data achieved from cores drilled at the floor of the Red Sea, thus, forming a Red Sea-Dead Sea transect extending from the desert belt to the Mediterranean climate zone. The Dead Sea accumulated flood sediments derived from three regional surface cover types: settled desert dust, mountain loess-soils and loess-soils filling valleys in the Dead Sea watershed termed here “Valley Loess”. The Valley Loess shows a distinct 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.7081 ± 1, inherited from dissolved detrital calcites that originate from dried waterbodies in the Sahara and are transported with the dust to the entire transect.Our hydro-climate and synoptic conditions reconstruction illustrates the following history: During glacial period MIS6, Mediterranean cyclones governed the transport of Saharan dust and rains to the Dead Sea watershed, driving the development of both mountain soils and Valley Loess. Then, at Heinrich event 11, dry western winds blew Saharan dust over the entire Red Sea - Dead Sea transect marking latitudinal expansion of the desert belt. Later, when global sea-level rose, the Dead Sea watershed went through extreme aridity, the lake retreated, depositing salt and accumulating fine detritus of the Valley Loess. During peak interglacial MIS 5e, enhanced flooding activity flushed the mountain soils and fine detritus from all around the Dead Sea and Red Sea, marking a significant “contraction” of the desert belt. At the end of MIS 5e the effect of the regional precipitation diminished and the Dead Sea and Red Sea areas re-entered sever arid conditions with extensive salt deposition at the Dead Sea.

The effect of mineral dust transport on PM10 concentrations and physical properties in Istanbul during 2007–2014

Mineral dust is the most significant source of natural particulate matter. In urban regions, where >50% of the world population is currently living, local emissions of particulate matter are further aggravated by mineral dust loadings from deserts. The megacity of Istanbul is located in an area sensitive to local pollution due to transportation (i.e., private cars, public transportation, aircrafts, ships, heavy diesel trucks, etc.), industrial emissions, residential heating, and long-range transport from Europe, Asia, and deserts. In this work, the effect of desert dust transport on PM10 concentrations and physical properties was investigated for the period of 2007–2014 in the touristic area of Aksaray, Istanbul. The Dust Regional Atmospheric Model (DREAM8b) was used to predict dust loading in Istanbul during dust transport events. Variations on surface PM10 concentrations were investigated according to seasons and during dust transport events. Cluster analysis of air mass backward trajectories was useful to understand frequency analysis and air mass trajectory dependence of PM10 concentrations on dust loadings. The effect of desert dust transport on aerosol optical depths was also investigated. It was observed that PM10 concentrations exceeded the air quality standard of 50μgm−3 50% of the time during the study period. The largest number of exceedances in air quality standard occurred during the spring and winter seasons. Approximately 40–60% of the dust loading occurs during the spring. Desert dust and non-desert dust sources contribute to 22–72% and 48–81% of the ground-level PM10 concentrations in Aksaray, Istanbul during the study period. Averaged AOD observed during dust transport events in spring and summer ranged 0.35–0.55. Cluster analysis resolved over 82% the variability of individual air mass backward trajectories into 5 clusters. Overall, air masses arriving to Istanbul at 500m are equally distributed into northern (52%) and southern (48%). Frequency analysis of PM10 concentrations with mean air mass backward trajectories showed that PM10 from local anthropogenic sources may be enhanced by long-range transport from the African Desert, Asian Desert, Arabian Peninsula, Russia, and Ukraine. The work presented here provides the first integrated assessment for evaluation of occurrence and quantification of the effect of dust transport to ground-level PM10 concentrations in Istanbul, which is helpful for human health prevention and implementation of air quality control measures.

Desert dust hazards: A global review

Dust storms originate in many of the world’s drylands and frequently present hazards to human society, both within the drylands themselves but also outside drylands due to long-range transport of aeolian sediments. Major sources of desert dust include the Sahara, the Middle East, central and eastern Asia, and parts of Australia, but dust-raising occurs all across the global drylands and, on occasion, beyond. Dust storms occur throughout the year and they vary in frequency and intensity over a number of timescales. Long-range transport of desert dust typically takes place along seasonal transport paths. Desert dust hazards are here reviewed according to the three phases of the wind erosion system: where dust is entrained, during the transport phase, and on deposition. This paper presents a synthesis of these hazards. It draws on empirical examples in physical geography, medical geology and geomorphology to discuss case studies from all over the world and in various fields. These include accelerated soil erosion in agricultural zones – where dust storms represent a severe form of accelerated soil erosion – the health effects of air pollution caused by desert aerosols via their physical, chemical and biological properties, transport accidents caused by poor visibility during desert dust events, and impacts on electricity generation and distribution. Given the importance of desert dust as a hazard to human societies, it is surprising to note that there have been relatively few attempts to assess their impact in economic terms. Existing studies in this regard are also reviewed, but the wide range of impacts discussed in this paper indicates that desert dust storms deserve more attention in this respect.

Impact of long-range desert dust transport on hydrometeor formation over coastal East Asia

Model simulations and hydrological reanalysis data for 2007 are applied to investigate the impact of long-range desert dust transport on hydrometeor formation over coastal East Asia. Results are analyzed from Hong Kong and Shanghai, which are two representative coastal cities of East Asia. Long-range desert dust transport impacts mainly spring and summer clouds and precipitation over coastal East Asia. In spring, clouds and precipitation come mainly from large-scale condensation and are impacted mainly by dust from the Gobi, Sahara, and Thar deserts. These desert dusts can participate in the precipitation within and below the clouds. At lower latitudes, the dust particles act mainly as water nuclei. At higher latitudes, they act as both water nuclei and ice nuclei. The effect of Gobi, Sahara, and Thar dust on large-scale clouds and precipitation becomes stronger at higher latitudes. In summer, clouds and precipitation over coastal East Asia come mainly from convection and are impacted mainly by dust from the Taklamakan, Arabian, and Karakum-Kavir deserts. Most Taklamakan dust particles can participate in precipitation within convective clouds as ice nuclei, while Arabian and Karakum-Kavir dust particles participate only as water nuclei in precipitation below the clouds. The effect of Taklamakan dust on convective clouds and precipitation becomes stronger at lower latitudes. Of all the desert dusts, that from the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts has the relatively largest impact. Gobi dust impacts climate change in coastal East Asia by affecting spring water clouds at higher latitudes.

Impact of long-range desert dust transport on coastal East Asia: analysis of urban dust concentration and wet deposition with model simulation

Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model simulations for dust in 2007 are applied in this study to investigate the impact of long-range desert dust transport on the dust concentration and wet deposition in coastal cities of East Asia: Shanghai and Hong Kong. The temporal variation of dust concentrations in both Shanghai and Hong Kong exhibits a maximum in spring (May), with a majority of Gobi dust, which accounts for 88 % in Shanghai and 58 % in Hong Kong in the lower troposphere. Correspondingly, the peaks of convective and large-scale wet deposition in May in Shanghai are controlled by Gobi dust, with a contribution of 74–83 %. The wet deposition of dust in summer is affected mainly by strong convective precipitation and dominated by Taklamakan dust, with a contribution of 31–47 % in Shanghai and 19–37 % in Hong Kong, followed by Arabian and Karakum–Kavir dusts. The wet deposition in spring (April) is caused mainly by large-scale precipitation, with a majority of Gobi dust, which accounts for 57 % in Shanghai and 71 % in Hong Kong, followed by Sahara and Taklamakan dusts. The temporal variation of wet deposition of dust in Shanghai is affected mainly by the dust concentration, while the variation in Hong Kong is controlled by both dust concentration and convective precipitation.

Atmospheric aerosol deposition influences marine microbial communities in oligotrophic surface waters of the western Pacific Ocean

Atmospheric aerosols contain particulates that are deposited to oceanic surface waters. These can represent a major source of nutrients, trace metals, and organic compounds for the marine environment. The Japan Sea and the western Pacific Ocean are particularly affected by aerosols due to the transport of desert dust and industrially derived particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5µm (PM2.5) from continental Asia. We hypothesized that supplementing seawater with aerosol particulates would lead to measurable changes in surface water nutrient composition as well as shifts in the marine microbial community. Shipboard experiments in the Pacific Ocean involved the recovery of oligotrophic oceanic surface water and subsequent supplementation with aerosol particulates obtained from the nearby coastal mountains, to simulate marine particulate input in this region. Initial increases in nitrates due to the addition of aerosol particulates were followed by a decrease correlated with the increase in phytoplankton biomass, which was composed largely of Bacillariophyta (diatoms), including Pseudo-nitzschia and Chaetoceros species. This shift was accompanied by changes in the bacterial community, with apparent increases in the relative abundance of heterotrophic Rhodobacteraceae and Colwelliaceae in aerosol particulate treated seawater. Our findings provide empirical evidence revealing the impact of aerosol particulates on oceanic surface water microbiology by alleviating nitrogen limitation in the organisms.

Distinct synoptic patterns and air masses responsible for long-range desert dust transport and sea spray in Palermo, Italy

Undoubtedly, anthropogenic emissions carry a large share of the risk posed on public health by particles exposure in urban areas. However, natural emissions, in the form of desert dust and sea spray, are well known to contribute significantly to the PM load recorded in many Mediterranean environments, posing an extra risk burden on public health. In the present paper, we examine the synoptic climatology in a background station in Palermo, Italy, through K-means clustering of the mean sea-level pressure (MSLP) maps, in an attempt to associate distinct synoptic patterns with increased PM10 levels. Four-day backward trajectory analysis is then applied, in order to study the origins and pathways of air masses susceptible of PM10 episodes. It is concluded that a number of atmospheric patterns result in several kind of flows, namely south, west, and slow-moving/stagnant flows, associated with long-range dust transport and sea spray.

Holocene palaeoclimatic variations as recorded offshore south-western South Africa

In this paper we synthesise existing palaeoenvironmental data from the arid and semi-arid interior of the Australian continent for the period 40–0 ka. Moisture is the predominant variable controlling environmental change in the arid zone. Landscapes in this region respond more noticeably to changes in precipitation than to temperature. Depending on their location, arid zone records broadly respond to tropical monsoon-influenced climate regimes, the temperate latitude westerly systems, or a combination of both.The timing and extent of relatively arid and humid phases vary across the continent, in particular between the westerly wind-controlled temperate latitudes, and the interior and north which are influenced by tropically sourced precipitation. Relatively humid phases in the Murray-Darling Basin on the semi-arid margins, which were characterised by large rivers most likely fed by snow melt, prevailed from 40 ka to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and from the deglacial to the mid Holocene. By contrast, the Lake Eyre basin in central Australia remained relatively dry throughout the last 40 ka, with lake high stands at Lake Frome around 35–30 ka, and parts of the deglacial period and the mid-Holocene. The LGM was characterised by widespread relative aridity and colder conditions, as evidenced by extensive desert dune activity and dust transport, lake level fall, and reduced but episodic fluvial activity. The climate of the deglacial period was spatially divergent. The southern part of the continent experienced a brief humid phase around ∼17–15 ka, followed by increased dune activity around ∼14–10 ka. This contrasts with the post-LGM persistence of arid conditions in the north, associated with a lapsed monsoon and reflected in lake level lows and reduced fluvial activity, followed by intensification of the monsoon and increasingly effective precipitation from ∼14 ka. Palaeoenvironmental change during the Holocene was also spatially variable. The early to mid-Holocene was, however, generally characterised by moderately humid conditions, demonstrated by lake level rise, source-bordering dune activity, and speleothem growth, persisting at different times across the continent. Increasingly arid conditions developed into the late Holocene, particularly in the central arid zone.

Synergy of multispectral and multisensors satellite observations to evaluate desert aerosol transport and impact of dust deposition on inland waters: study case of Lake Garda

The capabilities of different Earth Observation multispectral satellites are employed for detecting and tracking of desert dust coming from North Africa toward the Northern Italy area and for evaluating the impact of Saharan dust deposition in inland waters, such as those of Lake Garda. Absorbing and scattering spectral optical properties of desert aerosol in the atmospheric windows in the ultraviolet, visible-near-infrared, and infrared spectral ranges are exploited in the dust retrieval performed by OMI/Aura, MODIS/Terra-Aqua, and SEVIRI/MSG satellite sensors. Therefore, the direct link between dust deposition and increase in phytoplankton abundance has been assessed retrieving MERIS-based chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration for the desert dust events. Estimates of the increased chl-a in the lake have been derived with values in concentration from 30% to 170%. AERONET sun-photometer measurements, gravimetric particulate matter samplings, <italic<in situ</italic< chl-a concentration and surface temperature are employed to select events and assess the presence of desert dust and recognize a corresponding increase of the phytoplankton abundance in the analyzed inland waters. The improved observational features that will be provided by the next European Sentinels missions, namely Sentinel-2, 3, 4, 5P, together with MTG-I (Imager) and MTG-S (Sounder) will allow better monitoring atmospheric constituents and studying the environmental impacts of desert dust transport.

Analysis of atmospheric vertical profiles in the presence of desert dust aerosols

The present work aims at studying a very recent episode of desert dust transport that affected Iberia in mid May 2015. The dust aerosols were detected over Évora, where a varied set of instrumentation for aerosol measurements is installed, including: a CIMEL sunphotometer integrated in AERONET, a Raman Lidar and a TEOM monitor, as well as ceilometer and a microwave radiometer (profiler). The aerosol occurrence, detected using the columnar, vertically-resolved and in situ measurements, was characterized by a fairly high aerosol optical thickness that reached a value of 1.0 at 440 nm and showed mass concentration peaks at the surface of the order of 100 μg/m3. Subsequently, the tropospheric vertical profiles of humidity and temperature obtained with the passive microwave (MW) radiometer are analysed in order to distinguish possible modifications that can be connected with the transport of desert dust. Modelling results are also examined and the total, SW and LW radiative forcings are investigated, taking into account the different vertical profiles obtained during the desert dust occurrence. It is found that the differences in the atmospheric profiles mostly affect the LW radiative forcing, with an underestimation of about 30% when the actual vertical profile is not considered.

Stable isotopes of lead and strontium as tracers of sources of airborne particulate matter in Kyrgyzstan

Central Asia is dominated by an arid climate and desert-like conditions, leading to the potential for long-range transport of desert dust within and out of the region. Of particular interest is the Aral Sea, which has receded in size largely due to water diversion. As a result, newly exposed sediments are resuspended by wind and thus, may be a potential new source of particulate matter within the region. Here, strontium and lead stable isotope ratios are employed along with detailed elemental composition, to explore the contribution of long-range transport of Aral Sea sediments, as well as other potential sources of dust, within Central Asia. Ambient PM10 samples were collected during dust and non-dust events from mid-2008 to mid-2009 at two sites in Kyrgyzstan located ∼1200 and 1500 km ESE of the Aral Sea. Aral Sea sediments and local Kyrgyzstan soils were resuspended and sized to PM10. The Aral Sea sediments have an average 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.70992. In contrast, the Sr isotope ratio in local soils exhibits an average ratio of 0.71579. Ambient PM10 collected in Kyrgyzstan has an average 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.71177, falling between the values of these two potential sources and indicating a complex mixture of contributing sources. At both sites, airborne Sr isotope ratios measured during dust events were similar, suggesting that Aral Sea sediments only minimally affect air quality in Kyrgyzstan. Elemental analysis and Pb isotope ratios supported this finding. While the Pb isotopes and elemental data both indicate an anthropogenic source, long-range dust transport from other deserts inside and outside the region cannot be ruled out as sources of PM10 in Central Asia.

Desert dust transported over Europe: Lidar observations and model evaluation of the radiative impact

AbstractThree years of measurements of aerosol vertical profiles (2007–2009) made at the lidar station of L'Aquila, a site in central Italy that is part of the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network, are studied by means of well‐tested radiative transfer models to analyze the radiative impact of mineral dust aerosols transported from the Sahara desert. Sixteen major episodes of desert dust transport are considered; the radiative analysis is conducted in terms of diurnal averages of the top‐of‐atmosphere radiative flux changes (TOARFC) with respect to a reference “clean” aerosol profile not perturbed by long‐range transported desert particles. The aerosol size distribution, needed as an input parameter for the Mie scattering program to obtain single‐scattering albedo, asymmetry parameter, and extinction scaling over the whole wavelength spectrum, is obtained from simultaneous surface measurements with a multichannel aerosol spectrometer. The calculated average net TOARFC is +2.3 and +3.0 W/m2 in clear‐ and total‐sky conditions, respectively. Solar, planetary components account for −0.42 and +2.7 W/m2 in clear‐sky conditions and +0.93 and +2.1 W/m2 in total‐sky conditions, respectively. The large effective radius of these coarse mode soil dust particles (reff = 1.5 µm) makes the longwave planetary component of the TOARFC dominant over the solar component, at least for typical continental surface albedo values (0.18 on average, at L'Aquila). The solar component, however, shows a pronounced sensitivity to the surface albedo and becomes dominant over the longwave component for both an ocean albedo (0.07) and a typical surface‐snow albedo (0.4), with TOARFC values of −6.3 and +10.6 W/m2, respectively.

Aerosol properties over the western Mediterranean basin: temporal and spatial variability

Abstract. This study focuses on the analysis of Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) aerosol data obtained over Alborán Island (35.90° N, 3.03° W, 15 m a.s.l.) in the western Mediterranean from July 2011 to January 2012. Additional aerosol data from the three nearest AERONET stations (Málaga, Oujda and Palma de Mallorca) and the Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) were also analyzed in order to investigate the temporal and spatial variations of aerosol over this scarcely explored region. High aerosol loads over Alborán were mainly associated with desert dust transport from North Africa and occasional advection of anthropogenic fine particles from central European urban-industrial areas. The fine particle load observed over Alborán was surprisingly similar to that obtained over the other three nearest AERONET stations, suggesting homogeneous spatial distribution of fine particle loads over the four studied sites in spite of the large differences in local sources. The results from MAN acquired over the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Atlantic Ocean from July to November 2011 revealed a pronounced predominance of fine particles during the cruise period.

Estimating Aerosol Optical Depth Over the Broader Greek Area from MODIS Satellite

A first-to-date comprehensive climatological aspect of the regime of aerosol loading over the entire broader Greek region (19°E–30°E and 34°N–43°N) is obtained using pixel-level (50 km × 50 km) monthly aerosol optical depth (AOD) products derived from raw Level-2 (10 km × 10 km) MODIS-Terra AOD data at 550 nm. The AOD climatology (for the 8-year period from March 2000 to February 2008) indicates that the study region is significantly loaded by aerosols (mean regional AOD equal to 0.196 ± 0.030 on an annual basis, with values ranging from 0.126 up to 0.382 at pixel level). It is also found that our high-resolution AOD data can reveal spatial patterns that are not evident in studies based on lower resolution data. There is a distinct longitudinal gradient of AODs, with higher values in the eastern than western part of the Greek peninsula. There is also a strong latitudinal gradient with decreasing values from south to north attributed to the presence of the Sahara Desert in northern Africa. The annual AOD cycle presents double maximum values, in spring and summer, and minimum ones in winter. There is also a remarkable year-by-year variability of AOD levels, especially as to their maxima, influenced by varying transport of desert dust, from the south, or biomass burning aerosols, from the north, to the region under prevailing favorable synoptic conditions. In this work, the processing, consisting in averaging over space and time, is done applying/testing five different criteria varying in their flexibility/severity in both spatial and temporal data availability. The criteria selection affects the magnitude of computed regional mean AOD value modifying it by up to 19 %, although the patterns of geographical distribution of AOD and its intra-annual variability do not change drastically.

Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental change in the Australian drylands

In this paper we synthesise existing palaeoenvironmental data from the arid and semi-arid interior of the Australian continent for the period 40–0 ka. Moisture is the predominant variable controlling environmental change in the arid zone. Landscapes in this region respond more noticeably to changes in precipitation than to temperature. Depending on their location, arid zone records broadly respond to tropical monsoon-influenced climate regimes, the temperate latitude westerly systems, or a combination of both.The timing and extent of relatively arid and humid phases vary across the continent, in particular between the westerly wind-controlled temperate latitudes, and the interior and north which are influenced by tropically sourced precipitation. Relatively humid phases in the Murray-Darling Basin on the semi-arid margins, which were characterised by large rivers most likely fed by snow melt, prevailed from 40 ka to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and from the deglacial to the mid Holocene. By contrast, the Lake Eyre basin in central Australia remained relatively dry throughout the last 40 ka, with lake high stands at Lake Frome around 35–30 ka, and parts of the deglacial period and the mid-Holocene. The LGM was characterised by widespread relative aridity and colder conditions, as evidenced by extensive desert dune activity and dust transport, lake level fall, and reduced but episodic fluvial activity. The climate of the deglacial period was spatially divergent. The southern part of the continent experienced a brief humid phase around ∼17–15 ka, followed by increased dune activity around ∼14–10 ka. This contrasts with the post-LGM persistence of arid conditions in the north, associated with a lapsed monsoon and reflected in lake level lows and reduced fluvial activity, followed by intensification of the monsoon and increasingly effective precipitation from ∼14 ka. Palaeoenvironmental change during the Holocene was also spatially variable. The early to mid-Holocene was, however, generally characterised by moderately humid conditions, demonstrated by lake level rise, source-bordering dune activity, and speleothem growth, persisting at different times across the continent. Increasingly arid conditions developed into the late Holocene, particularly in the central arid zone.