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Studying the Effects of Dust on Weather, Climate, and Air...
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Studying the Effects of Dust on Weather, Climate, and Air Pollution

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Aerosols".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2019) | Viewed by 20898

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Shu-Hua Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Interests: severe weather; aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions; dust and weather, mesoscale processes; data assimilation; model development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Angela Benedetti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Earth System Predictability Section, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, RG2 9AX Reading, UK
Interests: aerosol data assimilation; atmospheric composition prediction; extended range weather and dust prediction; aerosol impacts on numerical weather prediction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sara Basart

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Barcelona Supercomputing Center, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: dust modeling; air quality; aerosol-cloud-radiation interation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research on dust aerosols has received more and more attention due to their impact on air pollution, public health, ecosystems, as well as weather and climate. Among them, this Special Issue features current efforts towards understanding the effects of dust on weather, climate, and air pollution with the aim to bring more attention from the operational and research communities to this important subject. Dust aerosols can directly interact with radiation, modifying the thermal and dynamical structure of the atmosphere. In addition, suspended dust particles can serve as both cloud condensation and ice nuclei, thus potentially altering cloud microphysical processes. All of these dust-induced changes are likely to change the energy budget of the atmosphere and surface and affect cloud properties, storm life cycles, and precipitation charateristics. While mineral dust aerosols are often most abundant over and near source regions (e.g., the Sahara Desert and the Gobi Desert), they can be transported far from such areas, giving dust the potential to affect weather and climate over large portions of the earth. The effects of dust–radiation–cloud interactions on weather and climate have been studied, but our understanding of how these dust physical processes modify weather and climate is still limited and requires additional investigation. Due to the large, daunting uncertainty in long-term climate simulations introduced by aerosol–radiation–cloud interactions, this Special Issue focuses on advancing our understanding of the dust physical processes, solidifying the foundation for dust modeling, and understanding the effects of dust on climate and weather.

Moreover, dust impacts air quality both in local source regions and in large areas downwind, due to long-range transport. Dust prediction and observations can help constrain the relative contribution of this important aerosol type to total pollution. Local impacts can also induce airport closures and increased traffic accidents related to poor visibility.

Manuscripts related to the effects of dust on air quality, weather, and climate spanning from observations, to laboratory experiments, to numerical modeling are all welcome for this Special Issue.

Prof. Shu-Hua Chen
Dr. Angela Benedetti
Dr. Sara Basart
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dust
  • aerosol
  • dust-cloud-radiation interaction
  • thermal wind
  • cloud condensation nuclei
  • ice nuclei
  • radiation
  • microphysics
  • weather
  • climate
  • air pollution

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 11210 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Methodologies for Assessing Desert Dust Contribution to Regional PM10 and PM2.5 Levels: A One-Year Study Over Portugal
by Carla Gama, Casimiro Pio, Alexandra Monteiro, Michael Russo, Ana Patrícia Fernandes, Carlos Borrego, José María Baldasano and Oxana Tchepel
Atmosphere 2020, 11(2), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11020134 - 24 Jan 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3056
Abstract
Desert dust outbreaks may affect air quality. This study estimates the importance of African dust contribution to the PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations observed in rural regional background sites in Portugal. Desert dust contribution is evaluated by two different approaches: A measurement-approach methodology based [...] Read more.
Desert dust outbreaks may affect air quality. This study estimates the importance of African dust contribution to the PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations observed in rural regional background sites in Portugal. Desert dust contribution is evaluated by two different approaches: A measurement-approach methodology based on the monthly moving 40th percentile, and a model-approach methodology based on WRF-CHIMERE simulations, whose performance is also assessed within this work. Several desert dust episodes affected atmospheric aerosols in the planetary boundary layer over Portugal during 2016. Their intensity was variable, with at least two events (21–22 February and 27–28 October) contributing to exceedances to the PM10 daily limit value defined in the European Air Quality Directive. African dust contributions obtained for the year 2016 with the measurement-approach methodology are higher than the ones simulated by WRF-CHIMERE. Contributions to PM10 and to PM2.5 concentrations range from 0 to 90 µg m−3 and from 0 to 30 µg m−3, respectively, in most of the regions and days. Caution must be employed when using measurement-approach methodologies to quantify dust contributions to PM levels when forest fires occur simultaneously with the long-range transport of desert dust, as happened in August 2016. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studying the Effects of Dust on Weather, Climate, and Air Pollution)
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20 pages, 7388 KiB  
Article
Spatial Particulate Fields during High Winds in the Imperial Valley, California
by Frank R. Freedman, Paul English, Jeff Wagner, Yang Liu, Akula Venkatram, Daniel Q. Tong, Mohammad Z. Al-Hamdan, Meytar Sorek-Hamer, Robert Chatfield, Ana Rivera and Patrick L. Kinney
Atmosphere 2020, 11(1), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11010088 - 10 Jan 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3467
Abstract
We examined windblown dust within the Imperial Valley (CA) during strong springtime west-southwesterly (WSW) wind events. Analysis of routine agency meteorological and ambient particulate matter (PM) measurements identified 165 high WSW wind events between March and June 2013 to 2019. The PM concentrations [...] Read more.
We examined windblown dust within the Imperial Valley (CA) during strong springtime west-southwesterly (WSW) wind events. Analysis of routine agency meteorological and ambient particulate matter (PM) measurements identified 165 high WSW wind events between March and June 2013 to 2019. The PM concentrations over these days are higher at northern valley monitoring sites, with daily PM mass concentration of particles less than 10 micrometers aerodynamic diameter (PM10) at these sites commonly greater than 100 μg/m3 and reaching around 400 μg/m3, and daily PM mass concentration of particles less than 2.5 micrometers aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) commonly greater than 20 μg/m3 and reaching around 60 μg/m3. A detailed analysis utilizing 1 km resolution multi-angle implementation of atmospheric correction (MAIAC) aerosol optical depth (AOD), Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods (IVAN) low-cost PM2.5 measurements and 500 m resolution sediment supply fields alongside routine ground PM observations identified an area of high AOD/PM during WSW events spanning the northwestern valley encompassing the Brawley/Westmorland through the Niland area. This area shows up most clearly once the average PM10 at northern valley routine sites during WSW events exceeds 100 μg/m3. The area is consistent with high soil sediment supply in the northwestern valley and upwind desert, suggesting local sources are primarily responsible. On the basis of this study, MAIAC AOD appears able to identify localized high PM areas during windblown dust events provided the PM levels are high enough. The use of the IVAN data in this study illustrates how a citizen science effort to collect more spatially refined air quality concentration data can help pinpoint episodic pollution patterns and possible sources important for PM exposure and adverse health effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studying the Effects of Dust on Weather, Climate, and Air Pollution)
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16 pages, 6061 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Desert Dust Outbreaks on Air Quality in Urban Areas
by Celia Milford, Emilio Cuevas, Carlos L. Marrero, J.J. Bustos, Víctor Gallo, Sergio Rodríguez, Pedro M. Romero-Campos and Carlos Torres
Atmosphere 2020, 11(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11010023 - 25 Dec 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6926
Abstract
Air pollution has many adverse effects on health and is associated with an increased risk of mortality. Desert dust outbreaks contribute directly to air pollution by increasing particulate matter concentrations. We investigated the influence of desert dust outbreaks on air quality in Santa [...] Read more.
Air pollution has many adverse effects on health and is associated with an increased risk of mortality. Desert dust outbreaks contribute directly to air pollution by increasing particulate matter concentrations. We investigated the influence of desert dust outbreaks on air quality in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a city located in the dust export pathway off the west coast of North Africa, using air-quality observations from a six-year period (2012–2017). During winter intense dust outbreaks PM 10 mean (24-h) concentrations increased from 14 μ g m − 3 to 98 μ g m − 3 , on average, and PM 2 . 5 mean (24-h) concentrations increased from 6 μ g m − 3 to 32 μ g m − 3 . Increases were less during summer outbreaks, with a tripling of PM 10 and PM 2 . 5 daily mean concentrations. We found that desert dust outbreaks reduced the height of the marine boundary layer in our study area by >45%, on average, in summer and by ∼25%, on average, in winter. This thinning of the marine boundary layer was associated with an increase of local anthropogenic pollution during dust outbreaks. NO 2 and NO mean concentrations more than doubled and even larger relative increases in black carbon were observed during the more intense summer dust outbreaks; increases also occurred during the winter outbreaks but were less than in summer. This has public health implications; local anthropogenic emissions need to be reduced even further in areas that are impacted by desert dust outbreaks to reduce adverse health effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studying the Effects of Dust on Weather, Climate, and Air Pollution)
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22 pages, 4632 KiB  
Article
Impact of Desert Dust on Air Quality: What is the Meaningfulness of Daily PM Standards in Regions Close to the Sources? The Example of Southern Tunisia
by Christel Bouet, Mohamed Taieb Labiadh, Jean Louis Rajot, Gilles Bergametti, Béatrice Marticorena, Thierry Henry des Tureaux, Mohsen Ltifi, Saâd Sekrafi and Anaïs Féron
Atmosphere 2019, 10(8), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10080452 - 6 Aug 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4766
Abstract
Desert dust is now recognized as a major health hazard. However, there still exists a lack of measurements of desert dust atmospheric loads in regions located in the vicinity of the major desert areas, where a growing part of the world population is [...] Read more.
Desert dust is now recognized as a major health hazard. However, there still exists a lack of measurements of desert dust atmospheric loads in regions located in the vicinity of the major desert areas, where a growing part of the world population is living. Dust emission is a sporadic and intense phenomenon so that the classical air quality standards should not be appropriate to reflect the real population exposure to desert dust. In order to give some insight to answer this question, PM10 concentrations were continuously measured at a five-minute time step in southern Tunisia from February 2014 to February 2019. The daily and annual PM10 concentrations were first discussed according to the Tunisian air quality standards: In this relatively remote area, close to dust source, these standards were respected at the annual, but no longer at the daily scale. Measurements performed at a high temporal resolution (five minutes) allowed to discriminate the different situations that led to exceed Tunisian daily standards in southern Tunisia. In particular, intense (five-minute PM10 concentrations up to more than 1500 µg m−3) and short-lived (a few hours) dust outbreaks were regularly observed. This result raises the question of the necessity of defining specific air quality standards at the sub-daily scale in countries affected by intense desert dust outbreaks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studying the Effects of Dust on Weather, Climate, and Air Pollution)
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