Infrared optical signature reveals the source-dependency and along-transport evolution of dust mineralogy as shown by laboratory study

Advancing knowledge of the mineralogical composition of dust is key for understanding and predicting its climate and environmental impacts. The variability of dust mineralogy from one source to another and its evolution during atmospheric transport is not measured at large scale. In this study we use laboratory measurements to demonstrate that the extinction signature of suspended dust aerosols in the 740 - 1250 cm-1 atmospheric window can be used to derive dust mineralogy in terms of the main infrared - active minerals, namely quartz, clays, feldspars and calcite. Various spectral signatures in dust extinction enable to distinguish between multiple global sources with changing composition, whereas modifications of the dust extinction spectra with time inform on size - dependent particles mineralogy changes during transport. The present study confirms that spectral and hyperspectral infrared remote sensing observations offer great potential for elucidating the size - segregated mineralogy of airborne dust at regional and global scales.

A Climatological Assessment of Intense Desert Dust Episodes over the Broader Mediterranean Basin Based on Satellite Data

A satellite algorithm able to identify Dust Aerosols (DA) is applied for a climatological investigation of Dust Aerosol Episodes (DAEs) over the greater Mediterranean Basin (MB), one of the most climatologically sensitive regions of the globe. The algorithm first distinguishes DA among other aerosol types (such as Sea Salt and Biomass Burning) by applying threshold values on key aerosol optical properties describing their loading, size and absorptivity, namely Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), Aerosol Index (AI) and Ångström Exponent (α). The algorithm operates on a daily and 1° × 1° geographical cell basis over the 15-year period 2005–2019. Daily gridded spectral AOD data are taken from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua Collection 6.1, and are used to calculate the α data, which are then introduced into the algorithm, while AI data are obtained by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) -Aura- Near-UV aerosol product OMAERUV dataset. The algorithm determines the occurrence of Dust Aerosol Episode Days (DAEDs), whenever high loads of DA (higher than their climatological mean value plus two/four standard deviations for strong/extreme DAEDs) exist over extended areas (more than 30 pixels or 300,000 km2). The identified DAEDs are finally grouped into Dust Aerosol Episode Cases (DAECs), consisting of at least one DAED. According to the algorithm results, 166 (116 strong and 50 extreme) DAEDs occurred over the MB during the study period. DAEDs are observed mostly in spring (47%) and summer (38%), with strong DAEDs occurring primarily in spring and summer and extreme ones in spring. Decreasing, but not statistically significant, trends of the frequency, spatial extent and intensity of DAECs are revealed. Moreover, a total number of 98 DAECs was found, primarily in spring (46 DAECs) and secondarily in summer (36 DAECs). The seasonal distribution of the frequency of DAECs varies geographically, being highest in early spring over the eastern Mediterranean, in late spring over the central Mediterranean and in summer over the western MB.

Saharan dust particles in snow samples of Alps and Apennines during an exceptional event of transboundary air pollution

Southern European countries are often affected in summer by transboundary air pollution from Saharan dust. However, very few studies deal with Saharan dust pollution at high altitudes in winter. In Italy, the exceptional event occurred on February 19, 2014, colored in red the entire mountain range (Alps and Apennines) and allowed to characterize the particulate matter deposited on snow from a morphological and chemical point of view. Snow samples were collected after this event in four areas in the Alps and one in the Apennines. The particulate matter of the melted snow samples was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). These analyses confirmed the presence of Saharan dust particle components in all areas with similar percentages, supported also by the positive correlations between Mg-Ca, Al-Ca, Al-Mg, and Al-K in all samples.

Determination of global and diffuse photosynthetically active radiation from a multifilter shadowband radiometer

A method to estimate the photosynthetically active radiation from multifilter shadowband radiometer (MFRSR) measurements was developed and tested from observations carried out on the island of Lampedusa in the central Mediterranean. Calibrated irradiances in the four MFRSR bands within the PAR spectral range were combined linearly to estimate PAR. The coefficients of the linear combination were derived with the least squared method for different sky conditions. The analysis shows that global PAR irradiance may be estimated with an overall uncertainty of 4%-6%. The applicability of the method was tested by using radiative transfer simulations of the diffuse irradiance spectrum for different aerosol and cloud conditions. The diffuse PAR irradiance can be estimated with an overall accuracy of less than 9%. The application of this method allows us to obtain continuous and long-term calibrated measurements of global and diffuse PAR; in addition, information on the spectral dependency of PAR can be derived from the signals in the four bands.

Column-integrated aerosol optical properties and direct radiative forcing over the urban-industrial megacity Nanjing in the Yangtze River Delta, China

Aerosol optical properties were measured and analyzed through the ground-based remote sensing Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) over an urban-industrial site, Nanjing (32.21° N, 118.72° E, and 62 m above sea level), in the Yangtze River Delta, China, during September 2007-August 2008. The annual averaged values of aerosol optical depth (AOD500) and the Ångström exponent (AE440-870) were measured to be 0.94 ± 0.52 and 1.10 ± 0.21, respectively. The seasonal averaged values of AOD500 (AE440-870) were noticed to be high in summer (autumn) and low in autumn (spring). The characterization of aerosol types showed the dominance of mixed type followed by the biomass burning and urban-industrial type of aerosol at Nanjing. Subsequently, the curvature (a 2) obtained from the second-order polynomial fit and the second derivative of AE (α') were also analyzed to understand the dominant aerosol type. The single scattering albedo at 440 nm (SSA440) varied from 0.88 to 0.93 with relatively lower (higher) values during the summer (spring), suggesting an increase in black carbon and mineral dust (desert dust) aerosols of absorbing (scattering) nature. The averaged monthly and seasonal evolutions of shortwave (0.3-4.0 μm) direct aerosol radiative forcing (DARF) values were computed from the Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model both at the top of atmosphere (TOA) and bottom of atmosphere (SUR) during the study period. Further, the aerosol forcing efficiency (AFE) and the corresponding atmospheric heating rates (AHR) were also estimated from the forcing within the atmosphere (ATM). The derived DARF values, therefore, produced a warming effect within the atmosphere due to strong absorption of solar radiation.

Empirical correction of multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer (MFRSR) aerosol optical depths for the aerosol forward scattering and development of a long-term integrated MFRSR-Cimel dataset at Lampedusa

Aerosol optical properties have been measured on the island of Lampedusa (35.5°N, 12.6°E) with seven-band multifilter rotating shadowband radiometers (MFRSRs) and a CE 318 Cimel sunphotometer (part of the AERONET network) since 1999. Four different MFRSRs have operated since 1999. The Cimel sunphotometer has been operational for a short period in 2000 and in 2003-2006 and 2010-present. Simultaneous determinations of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the two instruments were compared over a period of almost 4 years at several wavelengths between 415 and 870 nm. This is the first long-term comparison at a site strongly influenced by desert dust and marine aerosols and characterized by frequent cases of elevated AOD. The datasets show a good agreement, with MFRSR underestimating the Cimel AOD in cases with low Ångström exponent; the underestimate decreases for increasing wavelength and increases with AOD. This underestimate is attributed to the effect of aerosol forward scattering on the relatively wide field of view of the MFRSR. An empirical correction of the MFRSR data was implemented. After correction, the mean bias (MB) between MFRSR and Cimel simultaneous AOD determinations is always smaller than 0.004, and the root mean square difference is ≤0.031 at all wavelengths. The MB between MFRSR and Cimel monthly averages (for months with at least 20 days with AOD determinations) is 0.0052. Thus, by combining the MFRSR and Cimel observations, an integrated long-term series is obtained, covering the period 1999-present, with almost continuous measurements since early 2002. The long-term data show a small (nonstatistically significant) decreasing trend over the period 2002-2013, in agreement with independent observations in the Mediterranean. The integrated Lampedusa dataset will be used for aerosol climatological studies and for verification of satellite observations and model analyses.