Influence of Saharan dust on the rain acidity and atmospheric input to the Mediterranean

Loÿe-Pilot, Marie-Dominique; Martin, Jean Marie; Morelli, J.

doi:10.1038/321427a0

Cited by 418 publications

(183 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Even though, due to the buffering capacity of seawater, no pH variation could have been detected in our samples along the duration of the experiment, we strongly suspect that the pH values in the close microenvironment around the particles could have been modified, influencing the dissolution processes. In the experiment conducted with Saharan dust, by dissolution of CaCO 3 the pH may have increased [Loye-Pilot et al, 1986;Guieu and Thomas, 1996] or decreased in the experiments conducted with anthropogenic type particles (due to the sulfuric acid associated with urban particles [Loye-Pilot and Morelli, 1988]: these effects may have respectively limited or enhanced the iron dissolution processes in the micro environment of the particles.…”

Section: Factors Controlling the Solubilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissolution of atmospheric iron in seawater

Bonnet¹

2004

Geophysical Research Letters

127

120

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In vitro dissolution experiments were conducted in seawater in order to quantify the partitioning between dissolved and particulate phases of iron associated to Saharan dust and urban particles. The percentage of iron released was very low (0.05 to 2.2%) depending on the particulate load, the aerosol source and the contact time. This percentage decreased with the amount of particles introduced following a power law, indicating that the process could be modeled. Indeed, these dissolution processes were a function of the lability of iron in relation to the particle source, the particle size and adsorption processes. According to these experiments, the dissolved iron induced in a 10 m mixed layer by Saharan events of various magnitudes ranges from 0.07 to 1 nM. Since these concentrations are in agreement with the natural iron requirements for the phytoplankton, such inputs can profoundly influence the primary production, especially in oligotrophic conditions.

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Section: Factors Controlling the Solubilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissolution of atmospheric iron in seawater

Bonnet¹

2004

Geophysical Research Letters

127

120

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“…Alpert et al, 1998;Chaboureau et al, 2011); radiative budget and climate (e.g. Nabat et al, 2012Nabat et al, , 2015a; precipitation chemistry (Chester et al, 1996;Loÿe-Pilot et al, 1986;Avila and Rodà, 2002); soil formation (Nihlén et al, 1995); and biogeochemistry of forest ecosystems (Avila and Peñuelas, 1999), oligotrophic lakes (Morales-Baquero et al, 2006;Reche et al, 2009), and marine surface waters (Guerzoni et al, 1999;Herut et al, 1999;Guieu et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In situ measurements of desert dust particles above the western Mediterranean Sea with the balloon-borne Light Optical Aerosol Counter/sizer (LOAC) during the ChArMEx campaign of summer 2013

et al. 2018

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“…emep.int/, 2000. In the southern Mediterranean, neutralization of strong acids occurs because of the incorporation of natural alkaline dust from local soils and from long-range transport from African desert areas [Alastuey et al, 1999;Avila and Alarcón, 1999;Losno et al, 1991;Löye-Pilot et al, 1986]. Natural dust uplift from desert areas in Africa and its transport to southern Europe depends mostly on meteorological factors and climate conditions in Africa, in a pulse-like sporadic phenomenon.…”

Section: -0227/03/2002jd002565mentioning

confidence: 99%

Precipitation chemistry at a rural Mediterranean site: Between anthropogenic pollution and natural emissions

Àvila

Alarcón

2003

J. Geophys. Res.

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The chemistry of weekly rainwater collected at a rural site (La Castanya, Montseny Mountains, northeast Spain), exposed both to anthropogenic pollutants and natural African dust, was analyzed for the period 1983–2000. On the basis of back trajectories and synoptic charts we distinguished four source regions: (1) African, (2) European, (3) Oceanic, and (4) Local. The chemical characteristics of each provenance were interpreted in relation to the emission processes at each source region. The temporal trends between 1983 and 2000 in the volume weighted mean (VWM) concentrations showed an upward trend for alkalinity in European, Local, and Oceanic provenances, while they showed a slight (nonsignificant) downward trend for African rains. All provenances exhibited a significant decline in excSO4−2, which was most pronounced for European rains (b = −5.7 μeqL−1 yr−1). Because NO3− remained about constant (except for European rains), NO3− acquired a more important role in the acid anion contribution. A reduction of the acid deposition for European, Local, and Oceanic rains was observed, as well as an increase in the global deposition of alkalinity. The role of African rains appeared as a determinant in the accumulated alkalinity during the period. A quantification of the transport of pollutant species (SO4−2, NO3−, and NH4+) from eight contributing European subregions was obtained on the basis of the residence time of the trajectories in each subregion. It suggested that not only subregions closer to the receptor point, such as the Iberian Peninsula, France, and the United Kingdom, were important contributors to the deposition of SO4−2, NO3−, and NH4+ but also distant sites such as Scandinavia contributed considerably.

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Influence of Saharan dust on the rain acidity and atmospheric input to the Mediterranean

Cited by 418 publications

References 18 publications

Dissolution of atmospheric iron in seawater

Dissolution of atmospheric iron in seawater

In situ measurements of desert dust particles above the western Mediterranean Sea with the balloon-borne Light Optical Aerosol Counter/sizer (LOAC) during the ChArMEx campaign of summer 2013

Precipitation chemistry at a rural Mediterranean site: Between anthropogenic pollution and natural emissions

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