Tropospheric Dust and Associated Atmospheric Circulations over the Mediterranean Region with Focus on Romania’s Territory

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the distribution of dust over the Mediterranean region, with a special focus on the territory of Romania. Two parameters are analyzed—Dust Load (DL) and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), the data is obtained from the dust forecast model BSC-DREAM8b v2.0, for the period between December 2015 and February 2019. The main geographical features of dust occurrence in the Mediterranean region are presented at the monthly and annual scale. The results show that, for Romania, the dust load is high from February to June, when it reaches its annual maximum. The atmospheric circulation inducing intense dust events over Romania have also been assessed using an objective classification method. A key element for the dust transport from the Sahara toward South-Eastern Europe is represented by the development of a deep cyclone South of Italy, following thereafter a North-East path towards the Balkan peninsula. The results at the regional scale are analyzed in connection with the aerosol optical properties at the local scale (e.g., aerosol optical depth at 440 nm, Absorption Ångström Exponent and Scattering Ångström Exponent at 440 nm and 675 nm, respectively) retrieved from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET-NASA) for Romania, using data from ACTRIS-RO monitoring sites from Iași, Cluj–Napoca, and Bucharest. The differences between the forecast model and the observational data are also explored. Our results also show that the contribution of the natural mineral dust to air pollution in Romania is small, representing not more than 10% of all kinds of aerosols detected over the observation points from the ACTRIS-RO network.

Investigation of June 2020 Giant Saharan Dust Storm Using Remote Sensing Observations and Model Reanalysis

“…The model uses the thermal state of the atmosphere, near-surface winds, soil properties, and vegetation covers etc., to simulate dust. The model has proven accuracy in predicting dust storm events (Ajtai et al, 2020;Amiridis et al, 2009;Basart et al, 2012;Pérez et al, 2006;Tiwari et al, 2019) and is well-validated with datasets from various satellite observations and observational network (Haustein et al, 2009;Pérez et al, 2006;Țîmpu et al, 2020).…”

Drought Extent and Severity on Arable Lands in Romania Derived from Normalized Difference Drought Index (2001–2020)

“…Second, the western and central regions of Romania are particularly impacted by the cyclones formed in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Seas (following a Pannonian track). These cyclones produce significantly more precipitation compared to the cyclones of Mediterranean origin, following a trans-Balkanian track, which produce more significant precipitation in the southern and eastern regions of the country [41,[49][50][51][52][53].…”

“…With the increase in the availability of remote sensing products and indices, their use has also become more frequent in Romania. These have been used to analyze and detect floods [36], land cover changes [37,38], landslide-prone hilly areas in Moldova and various other areas [39] and Saharan dust intrusion [40,41], and it is clear that they can also help to precisely monitor drought.…”

Towards Possible Laminar Channels through Turbulent Atmospheres in a Multifractal Paradigm

“…Usually, models used to describe atmosphere dynamics are based on a combination of basic theories derived especially from physics and computer simulations [1][2][3][4][5]. If the description of atmosphere dynamics implies computational simulations based on specific algorithms [4][5][6][7], then their developments related to standard physics theories rely on various classes of models:…”