Transport of North African dust from the Bodélé depression to the Amazon Basin: a case study

Ben-Ami, Y.; Koren, Ilan; Rudich, Yinon; Artaxo, Paulo; Martin, Scot T.; Andreae, Meinrat O.

doi:10.5194/acp-10-7533-2010

Cited by 136 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(82 reference statements)

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“…3 some significant episodic enhancements in the coarse particle mass. These episodes were associated with dust transport from the Sahara desert, documented in several studies (Formenti et al, 2001;Swap et al, 1992Swap et al, , 1996Koren et al, 2006;Ansmann et al, 2009;Baars et al, 2011;Ben-Ami et al, 2010). Time series of fine and coarse mode BC E concentration are shown in Fig.…”

Section: Aerosol Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerosol and precipitation chemistry measurements in a remote site in Central Amazonia: the role of biogenic contribution

et al. 2012

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Abstract. In this analysis a 3.5 years data set of aerosol and precipitation chemistry, obtained in a remote site in Central Amazonia (Balbina, (1 • 55 S, 59 • 29 W, 174 m a.s.l.), about 200 km north of Manaus) is discussed. Aerosols were sampled using stacked filter units (SFU), which separate fine (d < 2.5 µm) and coarse mode (2.5 µm < d < 10.0 µm) aerosol particles. Filters were analyzed for particulate mass (PM), Equivalent Black Carbon (BC E ) and elemental composition by Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE). Rainwater samples were collected using a wet-only sampler and samples were analyzed for pH and ionic composition, which was determined using ionic chromatography (IC). Natural sources dominated the aerosol mass during the wet season, when it was predominantly of natural biogenic origin mostly in the coarse mode, which comprised up to 81 % of PM 10 . Biogenic aerosol from both primary emissions and secondary organic aerosol dominates the fine mode in the wet season, with very low concentrations (average 2.2 µg m −3 ). Soil dust was responsible for a minor fraction of the aerosol mass (less than 17 %). Sudden increases in the concentration of elements as Al, Ti and Fe were also observed, both in fine and coarse mode (mostly during the April-may months), which we attribute to episodes of Saharan dust transport. During the dry periods, a significant contribution to the fine aerosols loading was observed, due to the large-scale transport of smoke from biomass burning in other portions of the Amazon basin. This contribution is associated with the enhancement of the concentration of S, K, Zn and BC E . Chlorine, which is commonly associated to sea salt and also to biomass burning emissions, presented higher concentration not only during the dry season but also for the April-June months, due to the establishment of more favorable meteorological conditions to the transport of Atlantic air masses to Central Amazonia. The chemical composition of rainwater was similar to those ones observed in other remote sites in tropical forests. The volume-weighted mean (VWM) pH was 4.90. The most important contribution to acidity was from weak organic acids. The organic acidity was predominantly associated with the presence of acetic acid instead of formic acid, which is more often observed in pristine tropical areas. Wet deposition rates for major species did not differ significantly between dry and wet season, except for NH + 4 , citrate and acetate, which had smaller deposition rates during dry season. While biomass burning emissions were clearly identified in the aerosol component, it did not present a clear signature in rainwater. The biogenic component and the long-range transport of sea salt were observed both in aerosols and rainwater composition. The results shown here indicate that in Central Amazonia it is still possible to observe quite pristine atmospheric conditions, relatively free of anthropogenic influences.

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Section: Aerosol Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerosol and precipitation chemistry measurements in a remote site in Central Amazonia: the role of biogenic contribution

et al. 2012

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“…During the dry season in central Africa, a belt with strong fire activity extending over several thousands of kilometers from western to eastern Africa produces large amounts of fire smoke which is carried towards the Americas by dust-laden air (Ansmann et al, 2009;Ben-Ami et al, 2010;Baars et al, 2011). The case, shown in Fig.…”

Section: Saharan Dust Mixed With Biomass-burning Smokementioning

confidence: 99%

Profiling of fine and coarse particle mass: case studies of Saharan dust and Eyjafjallajökull/Grimsvötn volcanic plumes

et al. 2012

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Abstract. The polarization lidar photometer networking (POLIPHON) method introduced to separate coarse-mode and fine-mode particle properties of Eyjafjallajökull volcanic aerosols in 2010 is extended to cover Saharan dust events as well. Furthermore, new volcanic dust observations performed after the Grimsvötn volcanic eruptions in 2011 are presented. The retrieval of particle mass concentrations requires mass-specific extinction coefficients. Therefore, a review of recently published mass-specific extinction coefficients for Saharan dust and volcanic dust is given. Case studies of four different scenarios corroborate the applicability of the profiling technique: (a) Saharan dust outbreak to central Europe, (b) Saharan dust plume mixed with biomass-burning smoke over Cape Verde, and volcanic aerosol layers originating from (c) the Eyjafjallajökull eruptions in 2010 and (d) the Grimsvötn eruptions in 2011. Strong differences in the vertical aerosol layering, aerosol mixing, and optical properties are observed for the different volcanic events.

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“…The extensive spatial coverage of satellite observations also helps establish linkages between in situ measurements in different locations that might be thousands of kilometers apart (Ansmann et al, 2009;Ben-Ami et al, 2010).…”

Section: Aerosol Ict Episodesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Satellite perspective of aerosol intercontinental transport: From qualitative tracking to quantitative characterization

Remer

Kahn

et al. 2013

Atmospheric Research

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Evidence of aerosol intercontinental transport (ICT) is both widespread and compelling. Model simulations suggest that ICT could significantly affect regional air quality and climate, but the broad inter-model spread of results underscores a need of constraining model simulations with measurements. Satellites have inherent advantages over in situ measurements to characterize aerosol ICT, because of their spatial and temporal coverage. Significant progress in satellite remote sensing of aerosol properties during the Earth Observing System (EOS) era offers the opportunity to increase quantitative characterization and estimates of aerosol ICT beyond the capability of pre-EOS era satellites that could only qualitatively track aerosol plumes. EOS satellites also observe emission strengths and injection heights of some aerosols, aerosol precursors, and aerosol-related gases, which can help characterize aerosol ICT. We review how the current generation of satellite measurements have been used to (1) characterize the evolution of aerosol plumes (e.g., both horizontal and vertical transport, and properties) on an episodic basis, (2) understand the seasonal and inter-annual variations of aerosol ICT and their control factors, (3) estimate the export and import fluxes of aerosols, and (4) evaluate and constrain model simulations. Substantial effort is needed to further explore an integrated approach using measurements from on-orbit satellites (e.g., A-Train synergy) for observational characterization and model constraint of aerosol intercontinental transport and to develop advanced sensors for future missions.

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Transport of North African dust from the Bodélé depression to the Amazon Basin: a case study

Cited by 136 publications

References 70 publications

Aerosol and precipitation chemistry measurements in a remote site in Central Amazonia: the role of biogenic contribution

Aerosol and precipitation chemistry measurements in a remote site in Central Amazonia: the role of biogenic contribution

Profiling of fine and coarse particle mass: case studies of Saharan dust and Eyjafjallajökull/Grimsvötn volcanic plumes

Satellite perspective of aerosol intercontinental transport: From qualitative tracking to quantitative characterization

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