scholarly journals Coarse and giant particles are ubiquitous in Saharan dust export regions and are radiatively significant over the Sahara

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Ryder ◽  
Eleanor Highwood ◽  
Adrian Walser ◽  
Petra Walser ◽  
Anne Philipp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Concentration ◽  
Size Range ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Chem Phys ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Field Campaign ◽  
Dust Transport ◽  
Coarse Mode ◽  
Significant Underestimation

<p>Mineral dust is an important component of the climate system, interacting with radiation, clouds, and biogeochemical systems and impacting atmospheric circulation, air quality, aviation, and solar energy generation. These impacts are sensitive to dust particle size distribution (PSD), yet models struggle or even fail to represent coarse (diameter (<span><em>d</em></span>) <span>>2.5</span> <span>µ</span>m) and giant (<span><em>d</em>>20</span> <span>µ</span>m) dust particles and the evolution of the PSD with transport. Here we examine three state-of-the-art airborne observational datasets, all of which measured the full size range of dust (<span><em>d</em>=0.1</span> to <span>>100</span> <span>µ</span>m) at different stages during transport with consistent instrumentation. We quantify the presence and evolution of coarse and giant particles and their contribution to optical properties using airborne observations over the Sahara (from the Fennec field campaign) and in the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) over the tropical eastern Atlantic (from the AER-D field campaign).</p><p>Observations show significantly more abundant coarse and giant dust particles over the Sahara compared to the SAL: effective diameters of up to 20 <span>µ</span>m were observed over the Sahara compared to 4 <span>µ</span>m in the SAL. Excluding giant particles over the Sahara results in significant underestimation of mass concentration (40 %), as well as underestimates of both shortwave and longwave extinction (18 % and 26 %, respectively, from scattering calculations), while the effects in the SAL are smaller but non-negligible. The larger impact on longwave extinction compared to shortwave implies a bias towards a radiative cooling effect in dust models, which typically exclude giant particles and underestimate coarse-mode concentrations.</p><p>A compilation of the new and published effective diameters against dust age since uplift time suggests that two regimes of dust transport exist. During the initial 1.5 d, both coarse and giant particles are rapidly deposited. During the subsequent 1.5 to 10 d, PSD barely changes with transport, and the coarse mode is retained to a much greater degree than expected from estimates of gravitational sedimentation alone. The reasons for this are unclear and warrant further investigation in order to improve dust transport schemes and the associated radiative effects of coarse and giant particles in models.</p><p>This work has been recently published in ACP (Ryder, C. L., Highwood, E. J., Walser, A., Seibert, P., Philipp, A., and Weinzierl, B.: Coarse and giant particles are ubiquitous in Saharan dust export regions and are radiatively significant over the Sahara, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 15353–15376, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-15353-2019, 2019).</p>

scholarly journals Coarse and giant particles are ubiquitous in Saharan dust export regions and are radiatively significant over the Sahara

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (24) ◽  
pp. 15353-15376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire L. Ryder ◽  
Eleanor J. Highwood ◽  
Adrian Walser ◽  
Petra Seibert ◽  
Anne Philipp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Concentration ◽  
Size Range ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Field Campaign ◽  
Dust Transport ◽  
Saharan Air Layer ◽  
Coarse Mode ◽  
Significant Underestimation

Abstract. Mineral dust is an important component of the climate system, interacting with radiation, clouds, and biogeochemical systems and impacting atmospheric circulation, air quality, aviation, and solar energy generation. These impacts are sensitive to dust particle size distribution (PSD), yet models struggle or even fail to represent coarse (diameter (d) >2.5 µm) and giant (d>20 µm) dust particles and the evolution of the PSD with transport. Here we examine three state-of-the-art airborne observational datasets, all of which measured the full size range of dust (d=0.1 to >100 µm) at different stages during transport with consistent instrumentation. We quantify the presence and evolution of coarse and giant particles and their contribution to optical properties using airborne observations over the Sahara (from the Fennec field campaign) and in the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) over the tropical eastern Atlantic (from the AER-D field campaign). Observations show significantly more abundant coarse and giant dust particles over the Sahara compared to the SAL: effective diameters of up to 20 µm were observed over the Sahara compared to 4 µm in the SAL. Excluding giant particles over the Sahara results in significant underestimation of mass concentration (40 %), as well as underestimates of both shortwave and longwave extinction (18 % and 26 %, respectively, from scattering calculations), while the effects in the SAL are smaller but non-negligible. The larger impact on longwave extinction compared to shortwave implies a bias towards a radiative cooling effect in dust models, which typically exclude giant particles and underestimate coarse-mode concentrations. A compilation of the new and published effective diameters against dust age since uplift time suggests that two regimes of dust transport exist. During the initial 1.5 d, both coarse and giant particles are rapidly deposited. During the subsequent 1.5 to 10 d, PSD barely changes with transport, and the coarse mode is retained to a much greater degree than expected from estimates of gravitational sedimentation alone. The reasons for this are unclear and warrant further investigation in order to improve dust transport schemes and the associated radiative effects of coarse and giant particles in models.

scholarly journals Coarse and Giant Particles are Ubiquitous in Saharan Dust Export Regions and are Radiatively Significant over the Sahara

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire L. Ryder ◽  
Eleanor J. Highwood ◽  
Adrian Walser ◽  
Petra Seibert ◽  
Anne Philipp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Concentration ◽  
Size Range ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Radiative Effects ◽  
Dust Transport ◽  
Saharan Air Layer ◽  
Coarse Mode ◽  
Significant Underestimation

Abstract. Mineral dust is an important component of the climate system, interacting with radiation, clouds and biogeochemical systems, and impacting atmospheric circulation, air quality, aviation and solar energy generation. These impacts are sensitive to dust particle size distribution (PSD), yet models struggle or even fail to represent coarse (diameter (d) > 2.5 µm) and giant (d>20 µm) dust particles and the evolution of the PSD with transport. Here we examine three state-of-the-art airborne observational datasets, all of which measured the full size range of dust (d = 0.1 to > 100 µm) at different stages during transport, with consistent instrumentation. We quantify the presence and evolution of coarse and giant particles and their contribution to optical properties. Observations are taken from the Fennec fieldwork over the Sahara and in the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) near the Canary Islands, and from the AER-D fieldwork in the vicinity of the Cape Verde Islands in the SAL. Observations show significantly more abundant coarse and giant dust particles over the Sahara compared to the SAL: effective diameters of up to 20 µm were observed over the Sahara, compared to 4 µm in the SAL. Mass profiles show that over the Sahara 40 % of dust mass was found in the giant mode, contrasting to 2 to 12 % in the SAL. Size-resolved optical property calculations show that in the shortwave (longwave) spectrum excluding the giant mode omits 18 % (26 %) of extinction over the Sahara, compared to 1–4 % (2–6 %) in the SAL. Excluding giant particles results in significant underestimation of both shortwave and longwave extinction over the Sahara, as well as of mass concentration, while the effects in the SAL are smaller but non-negligible. Omitting the giant mode results in a greater omission of dust longwave radiative effects compared to the shortwave, suggesting a bias towards a radiative cooling effect of dust when the giant mode is excluded and/or the coarse mode is underestimated. This will be important in dust models, which typically exclude giant particles and underestimate coarse mode concentrations. A compilation of effective diameters against dust age since uplift time suggests that two regimes of dust transport exist. During the initial 1.5 days, both coarse and giant particles are rapidly deposited. During the subsequent 1.5 to 10 days, PSD barely changes with transport, and the coarse mode is retained to a much greater degree than expected from estimates of gravitational sedimentation alone. The reasons for this are unclear, and warrant further investigation in order to improve dust transport schemes, and the associated radiative effects of coarse and giant particles in models.

scholarly journals Saharan dust and giant quartz particle transport towards Iceland

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
György Varga ◽  
Pavla Dagsson-Walhauserová ◽  
Fruzsina Gresina ◽  
Agusta Helgadottir
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Models ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Atmospheric Environment ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Atmospheric Flow ◽  
Dust Transport ◽  
Strong Winds ◽  
Dust Events ◽  
Local Dust

AbstractMineral dust emissions from Saharan sources have an impact on the atmospheric environment and sedimentary units in distant regions. Here, we present the first systematic observations of long-range Saharan dust transport towards Iceland. Fifteen Saharan dust episodes were identified to have occurred between 2008 and 2020 based on aerosol optical depth data, backward trajectories and numerical models. Icelandic samples from the local dust sources were compared with deposited dust from two severe Saharan dust events in terms of their granulometric and mineralogical characteristics. The episodes were associated with enhanced meridional atmospheric flow patterns driven by unusual meandering jets. Strong winds were able to carry large Saharan quartz particles (> 100 µm) towards Iceland. Our results confirm the atmospheric pathways of Saharan dust towards the Arctic, and identify new northward meridional long-ranged transport of giant dust particles from the Sahara, including the first evidence of their deposition in Iceland as previously predicted by models.

scholarly journals Observations of Saharan dust microphysical and optical properties from the Eastern Atlantic during NAMMA airborne field campaign

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 723-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Chen ◽  
L. D. Ziemba ◽  
D. A. Chu ◽  
K. L. Thornhill ◽  
G. L. Schuster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Optical Properties ◽  
Dust Particle ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Particle Size Distributions ◽  
Field Campaign ◽  
Sahara Dust

Abstract. As part of the international project entitled "African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA)", NAMMA (NASA AMMA) aimed to gain a better understanding of the relationship between the African Easterly Waves (AEWs), the Sahara Air Layer (SAL), and tropical cyclogenesis. The NAMMA airborne field campaign was based out of the Cape Verde Islands during the peak of the hurricane season, i.e., August and September 2006. Multiple Sahara dust layers were sampled during 62 encounters in the eastern portion of the hurricane main development region, covering both the eastern North Atlantic Ocean and the western Saharan desert (i.e., 5–22° N and 10–35° W). The centers of these layers were located at altitudes between 1.5 and 3.3 km and the layer thickness ranged from 0.5 to 3 km. Detailed dust microphysical and optical properties were characterized using a suite of in-situ instruments aboard the NASA DC-8 that included a particle counter, an Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer, an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer, a nephelometer, and a Particle Soot Absorption Photometer. The NAAMA sampling inlet has a size cut (i.e., 50% transmission efficiency size) of approximately 4 μm in diameter for dust particles, which limits the representativeness of the NAMMA observational findings. The NAMMA dust observations showed relatively low particle number densities, ranging from 268 to 461 cm−3, but highly elevated volume density with an average at 45 μm3 cm−3. NAMMA dust particle size distributions can be well represented by tri-modal lognormal regressions. The estimated volume median diameter (VMD) is averaged at 2.1 μm with a small range of variation regardless of the vertical and geographical sampling locations. The Ångström Exponent assessments exhibited strong wavelength dependence for absorption but a weak one for scattering. The single scattering albedo was estimated at 0.97 ± 0.02. The imaginary part of the refractive index for Sahara dust was estimated at 0.0022, with a range from 0.0015 to 0.0044. Closure analysis showed that observed scattering coefficients are highly correlated with those calculated from spherical Mie-Theory and observed dust particle size distributions. These values are generally consistent with literature values reported from studies with similar particle sampling size range.

scholarly journals Identification of the Aerosol Types over Athens, Greece: The Influence of Air-Mass Transport

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Kaskaoutis ◽  
P. G. Kosmopoulos ◽  
H. D. Kambezidis ◽  
P. T. Nastos
Keyword(s):  
Winter Season ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Hysplit Model ◽  
Air Mass ◽  
Back Trajectories ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Local Pollution ◽  
Coarse Mode ◽  
Aerosol Types

Aerosol optical depth at 550 nm () and fine-mode (FM) fraction data from Terra-MODIS were obtained over the Greater Athens Area covering the period February 2000–December 2005. Based on both and FM values three main aerosol types have been discriminated corresponding to urban/industrial aerosols, clean maritime conditions, and coarse-mode, probably desert dust, particles. Five main sectors were identified for the classification of the air-mass trajectories, which were further used in the analysis of the ( and FM data for the three aerosol types). The HYSPLIT model was used to compute back trajectories at three altitudes to investigate the relation between -FM and wind sector depending on the altitude. The accumulation of local pollution is favored in spring and corresponds to air masses at lower altitudes originating from Eastern Europe and the Balkan. Clean maritime conditions are rare over Athens, limited in the winter season and associated with air masses from the Western or Northwestern sector. The coarse-mode particles origin seems to be more complicated proportionally to the season. Thus, in summer the Northern sector dominates, while in the other seasons, and especially in spring, the air masses belong to the Southern sector enriched with Saharan dust aerosols.

scholarly journals Saharan dust levels in Greece and received inhalation doses

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 11967-11996 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Mitsakou ◽  
G. Kallos ◽  
N. Papantoniou ◽  
C. Spyrou ◽  
S. Solomos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Particle Deposition ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Pm10 Concentration ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Human Respiratory Tract ◽  
Dust Transport

Abstract. The desert of Sahara is one of the major sources of mineral dust on Earth, producing around 2×108 tons/yr. Under certain weather conditions, dust particles from Saharan desert get transported over the Mediterranean Sea and most of Europe. The limiting values set by the directive EC/30/1999 of European Union can easily be exceeded by the transport of desert dust particles in all south European areas and especially urban. In this study, the effects of dust transport on air quality in several Greek urban areas are quantified. PM10 concentration values from stationary monitoring stations are compared to dust concentrations for the 4-year period 2003–2006. The dust concentration values in the Greek areas were estimated by the SKIRON modelling system coupled with embedded algorithms describing the dust cycle. The mean annual dust contribution to daily-averaged PM10 concentration values was found to be around or even greater than 10% in the urban areas throughout the years examined. Natural dust transport may contribute by much more than 20% to the annual number of exceedances – PM10 values greater than EU limits – depending on the specific monitoring location. In a second stage of the study, the inhaled lung dose received by the residents in various Greek locations is calculated. The particle deposition efficiency of mineral dust at the different parts of the human respiratory tract is determined by applying a lung dosimetry numerical model, which incorporates inhalation dynamics and aerosol physical processes. The inhalation dose from mineral dust particles was greater in the upper respiratory system (extrathoracic region) and less significant in the lungs, especially in the sensitive alveolar region. However, in cases of dust episodes, the amounts of mineral dust deposited along the human lung are comparable to those received during exposure in heavily polluted urban or smoking areas.

scholarly journals Lidar Measuremnt on Dust Transport from the Saharan Desert to the Iran Plateau

2020 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
pp. 02020
Author(s):  
Hossein Panahifar ◽  
Ruhollah Moradhaseli ◽  
Hadi Bourzoie ◽  
Mahdi Gholami ◽  
Hamid Reza Khalesifard
Keyword(s):  
Trajectory Analysis ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Raman Lidar ◽  
Dust Layer ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Dust Transport ◽  
Lidar Ratio ◽  
532 Nm ◽  
Iran Plateau

Optical properties of long-range Saharan dust particles transported to the Iran Plateau have been investigated. The results were derived from the measurements of a dual-wavelength Depolarized backscatter/Raman lidar and a Cimel CE318-2 sunphotometer. Observations were performed in Zanjan, Northwest Iran. The backward trajectory analysis show that the lofted dust plumes come from the Saharan desert and travel along Mediterranean Sea and Turkey toward Iran. The lidar ratio within the lofted dust layer has been found with mean values of 50 sr at 532 nm. For the depolarization ratio, mean values of 25% have been found.

scholarly journals Profiling of Saharan dust from the Caribbean to western Africa – Part 2: Shipborne lidar measurements versus forecasts

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 14987-15006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Ansmann ◽  
Franziska Rittmeister ◽  
Ronny Engelmann ◽  
Sara Basart ◽  
Oriol Jorba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Concentration ◽  
Dust Emission ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Light Extinction ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
Fine Dust ◽  
Anthropogenic Aerosol ◽  
Dust Transport ◽  
Western Africa ◽  
Dust Sources

Abstract. A unique 4-week ship cruise from Guadeloupe to Cabo Verde in April–May 2013 see part 1, Rittmeister et al. (2017) is used for an in-depth comparison of dust profiles observed with a polarization/Raman lidar aboard the German research vessel Meteor over the remote tropical Atlantic and respective dust forecasts of a regional (SKIRON) and two global atmospheric (dust) transport models (NMMB/BSC-Dust, MACC/CAMS). New options of model–observation comparisons are presented. We analyze how well the modeled fine dust (submicrometer particles) and coarse dust contributions to light extinction and mass concentration match respective lidar observations, and to what extent models, adjusted to aerosol optical thickness observations, are able to reproduce the observed layering and mixing of dust and non-dust (mostly marine) aerosol components over the remote tropical Atlantic. Based on the coherent set of dust profiles at well-defined distances from Africa (without any disturbance by anthropogenic aerosol sources over the ocean), we investigate how accurately the models handle dust removal at distances of 1500 km to more than 5000 km west of the Saharan dust source regions. It was found that (a) dust predictions are of acceptable quality for the first several days after dust emission up to 2000 km west of the African continent, (b) the removal of dust from the atmosphere is too strong for large transport paths in the global models, and (c) the simulated fine-to-coarse dust ratio (in terms of mass concentration and light extinction) is too high in the models compared to the observations. This deviation occurs initially close to the dust sources and then increases with distance from Africa and thus points to an overestimation of fine dust emission in the models.

scholarly journals Large Contribution of Coarse Mode to Aerosol Microphysical and Optical Properties: Evidence from Ground-Based Observations of a Transpacific Dust Outbreak at a High-Elevation North American Site

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 1431-1443 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Kassianov ◽  
M. Pekour ◽  
C. Flynn ◽  
L. K. Berg ◽  
J. Beranek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Large Contribution ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Dust Transport ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Coarse Mode ◽  
Median Diameter ◽  
Transpacific Transport

Abstract This work is motivated by previous studies of transatlantic transport of Saharan dust and the observed quasi-static nature of coarse mode aerosol with a volume median diameter (VMD) of approximately 3.5 μm. The authors examine coarse mode contributions from transpacific transport of dust to North American aerosol properties using a dataset collected at the high-elevation Storm Peak Laboratory (SPL) and the nearby Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility. Collected ground-based data are complemented by quasi-global model simulations and satellite and ground-based observations. The authors identify a major dust event associated mostly with a transpacific plume (about 65% of near-surface aerosol mass) in which the coarse mode with moderate (~3 μm) VMD is distinct and contributes substantially to total aerosol volume (up to 70%) and scattering (up to 40%). The results demonstrate that the identified plume at the SPL site has a considerable fraction of supermicron particles (VMD ~3 μm) and, thus, suggest that these particles have a fairly invariant behavior despite transpacific transport. If confirmed in additional studies, this invariant behavior may simplify considerably parameterizations for size-dependent processes associated with dust transport and removal.

scholarly journals Vertical profiles of aerosol mass concentration derived by unmanned airborne in situ and remote sensing instruments during dust events

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2897-2910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitra Mamali ◽  
Eleni Marinou ◽  
Jean Sciare ◽  
Michael Pikridas ◽  
Panagiotis Kokkalis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Mass Concentration ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Vertical Profiles ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Aerosol Mass Concentration

Abstract. In situ measurements using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remote sensing observations can independently provide dense vertically resolved measurements of atmospheric aerosols, information which is strongly required in climate models. In both cases, inverting the recorded signals to useful information requires assumptions and constraints, and this can make the comparison of the results difficult. Here we compare, for the first time, vertical profiles of the aerosol mass concentration derived from light detection and ranging (lidar) observations and in situ measurements using an optical particle counter on board a UAV during moderate and weak Saharan dust episodes. Agreement between the two measurement methods was within experimental uncertainty for the coarse mode (i.e. particles having radii >0.5 µm), where the properties of dust particles can be assumed with good accuracy. This result proves that the two techniques can be used interchangeably for determining the vertical profiles of aerosol concentrations, bringing them a step closer towards their systematic exploitation in climate models.

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