Natural and anthropogenic aerosols in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East: Possible impacts

Kallos, George; Solomos, Stavros; Kushta, Jonilda; Mitsakou, Christina; Spyrou, Christos; Bartsotas, Nikolaos; Kalogeri, Christina

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.035

Cited by 22 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Previous aerosol modelling studies covering the AS (Lazaridis et al, 2005; have shown the predominance of non sea-salt sulfate in the fine aerosol mode, in agreement with previous groundbased observations (Mihalopoulos et al, 1997;Bardouki et al, 2003;Kanakidou et al, 2011), unlike anywhere else in Europe. Together with the high degree of oxidation of the organic matter (Hildebrandt et al, 2010), these findings are both consistent with the atmospheric conditions stated above.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Aerosol chemistry above an extended archipelago of the eastern Mediterranean basin during strong northern winds

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Detailed aerosol chemical predictions by a comprehensive model system (i.e. PMCAMx, WRF, GEOS-CHEM), along with airborne and ground-based observations, are presented and analysed over a wide domain covering the Aegean Archipelago. The studied period is 10 successive days in 2011, characterized by strong northern winds, which is the most frequently prevailing synoptic pattern during summer. The submicron aerosol load in the lower troposphere above the archipelago is homogenously enriched in sulfate (average modelled and measured submicron sulfate of 5.5 and 5.8 μg m−3, respectively), followed by organics (2.3 and 4.4 μg m−3) and ammonium (1.5 and 1.7 μg m−3). Aerosol concentrations smoothly decline aloft, reaching lower values (< 1 μg m−3) above 4.2 km altitude. The evaluation criteria rate the model results for sulfate, ammonium, chloride, elemental carbon, organic carbon and total PM10 mass concentrations as "good", indicating a satisfactory representation of the aerosol chemistry and precursors. Higher model discrepancies are confined to the highest (e.g. peak sulfate values) and lowest ends (e.g. nitrate) of the airborne aerosol mass size distribution, as well as in airborne organic aerosol concentrations (model underestimation ca. 50 %). The latter is most likely related to the intense fire activity at the eastern Balkan area and the Black Sea coastline, which is not represented in the current model application. The investigation of the effect of local variables on model performance revealed that the best agreement between predictions and observations occurs during high winds from the northeast, as well as for the area confined above the archipelago and up to 2.2 km altitude. The atmospheric ageing of biogenic particles is suggested to be activated in the aerosol chemistry module, when treating organics in a sufficient nitrogen and sulfate-rich environment, such as that over the Aegean basin. More than 70 % of the predicted aerosol mass over the Aegean Archipelago during a representative Etesian episode is related to transport of aerosols and their precursors from outside the modelling domain.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Aerosol chemistry above an extended archipelago of the eastern Mediterranean basin during strong northern winds

et al. 2015

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“…The atmospheric component was an enhanced version of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS), the Integrated Community Limited Area Modeling System RAMS/ICLAMS [14][15][16][17]. Among its most notable characteristics is the online treatment of mineral dust and sea salt from wave breaking [18].…”

Section: Atmospheric Componentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Sea Surface Temperature Forcing in the Life-Cycle of Mediterranean Cyclones

et al. 2020

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Air–sea interface processes are highly associated with the evolution and intensity of marine-developed storms. Specifically, in the Mediterranean Sea, the air–ocean temperature deviations have a profound role during the several stages of Mediterranean cyclonic events. Subsequently, this enhances the need for better knowledge and representation of the sea surface temperature (SST). In this work, an analysis of the impact and uncertainty of the SST from different well-known datasets on the life-cycle of Mediterranean cyclones is attempted. Daily SST from the Real Time Global SST (RTG_SST) and hourly SST fields from the Operational SST and Sea Ice Ocean Analysis (OSTIA) and the NEMO ocean circulation model are implemented in the RAMS/ICLAMS-WAM coupled modeling system. For the needs of the study, the Mediterranean cyclones Trixi, Numa, and Zorbas were selected. Numerical experiments covered all stages of their life-cycles (five to seven days). Model results have been analyzed in terms of storm tracks and intensities, cyclonic structural characteristics, and derived heat fluxes. Remote sensing data from the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals (IMERG) for Global Precipitation Measurements (GPM), Blended Sea Winds, and JASON altimetry missions were employed for a qualitative and quantitative comparison of modeled results in precipitation, maximum surface wind speed, and wave height. Spatiotemporal deviations in the SST forcing rather than significant differences in the maximum/minimum SST values, seem to mainly contribute to the differences between the model results. Considerable deviations emerged in the resulting heat fluxes, while the most important differences were found in precipitation exhibiting spatial and intensity variations reaching 100 mm. The employment of widely used products is shown to result in different outcomes and this point should be taken into consideration in forecasting and early warning systems.

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“…Mineral dust particles that are emitted from the desert areas in the Sahara and the Middle East travel long distances in the atmosphere and affect air quality, weather, climate and local ecosystems at the Mediterranean basin [1][2][3][4]. Dust affects the radiative transfer in the area [5][6][7], and cloud processes due to the activation of dust particles as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN) [8,9]. Moreover, the ocean depositions of dust affect biogeochemical processes and phytoplankton blooming [10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Tropospheric Folding to Khamsin and Foehn Winds: How Atmospheric Dynamics Advanced a Record-Breaking Dust Episode in Crete

et al. 2018

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A record-breaking dust episode took place in Crete on 22 March 2018. The event was characterized by surface concentrations exceeding 1 mg m −3 for a period of 4-7 h, reaching record values higher than 6 mg m −3 at the background station of Finokalia. We present here a detailed analysis of the atmospheric dynamical processes during this period, to identify the main reasons for such extreme dust advection over Crete. At the synoptic scale, the weakening of the polar vortex and the meridional transport of polar air masses at upper tropospheric layers resulted in a strong jet streak over north Africa and Central Mediterranean and corresponding tropospheric folding that brought cold stratospheric air in mid and upper troposphere. Cyclogenesis occurred at the Gulf of Sirte in Libya, resulting in strong winds over the northeast parts of Libya, enhancing particle emissions. The dust plume traveled at low altitude (0.5-3 km) along the warm conveyor belt preceding the depression cold front. This type of dusty southerly wind is commonly known as "Khamsin". As the flow approached Crete, Foehn winds at the lee side of the island favored the downward mixing of dust towards the surface, resulting in local maxima of PM 10 in Heraklion and Finokalia. The analysis is based on the combination of high-resolution WRF-Chem simulations reaching up to 1 × 1 km grid space over Crete, ground-based and satellite remote sensing of the dust plumes (PollyXT LiDAR, MSG-SEVIRI, MODIS) and detailed surface aerosol in situ measurements at urban (Heraklion, Chania, Greece) and background (Finokalia) stations in Crete.

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Natural and anthropogenic aerosols in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East: Possible impacts

Cited by 22 publications

References 18 publications

Aerosol chemistry above an extended archipelago of the eastern Mediterranean basin during strong northern winds

Aerosol chemistry above an extended archipelago of the eastern Mediterranean basin during strong northern winds

The Role of Sea Surface Temperature Forcing in the Life-Cycle of Mediterranean Cyclones

From Tropospheric Folding to Khamsin and Foehn Winds: How Atmospheric Dynamics Advanced a Record-Breaking Dust Episode in Crete

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