Articles | Volume 21, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12715-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12715-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
27 Aug 2021
Research article |
| 27 Aug 2021
| 27 Aug 2021
Aerosol optical properties derived from POLDER-3/PARASOL (2005–2013) over the Western Mediterranean Sea – Part 2: Spatial distribution and temporal variability
Isabelle Chiapello
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8518 – LOA – Laboratoire d'Optique
Atmosphérique, 59000 Lille, France
Paola Formenti
Université de Paris and Paris Est Créteil, CNRS, LISA, 75013 Paris, France
Lydie Mbemba Kabuiku
Université de Paris and Paris Est Créteil, CNRS, LISA, 75013 Paris, France
Fabrice Ducos
Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8518 – LOA – Laboratoire d'Optique
Atmosphérique, 59000 Lille, France
Didier Tanré
Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8518 – LOA – Laboratoire d'Optique
Atmosphérique, 59000 Lille, France
François Dulac
LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette,
France
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Perla Alalam, Fabrice Ducos, and Hervé Herbin
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Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 4995–5007, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4995-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4995-2024, 2024
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Mégane Ventura, Fabien Waquet, Isabelle Chiapello, Gérard Brogniez, Frédéric Parol, Frédérique Auriol, Rodrigue Loisil, Cyril Delegove, Luc Blarel, Oleg Dubovik, Marc Mallet, Cyrille Flamant, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-121, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-121, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for AMT
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Biomass burning aerosols (BBA) from Central Africa, are transported above stratocumulus clouds. The absorption of solar energy by aerosols induce warming, altering the clouds dynamics. We developed an approach that combines polarimeter and lidar to quantify it. This methodology is assessed during the AEROCLO-SA campaign. To validate it, we used flux measurements acquired during aircraft loop descents. Major perspective is the generalization of this method to the global level.
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In the solar energy application field, it is key to simulate solar resources anywhere on the globe. We conceived the Solar Resource estimate (SolaRes) tool to provide precise and accurate estimates of solar resources for any solar plant technology. We present the validation of SolaRes by comparing estimates with measurements made on two ground-based platforms in northern France for 2 years at 1 min resolution. Validation is done in clear-sky conditions where aerosols are the main factors.
Chenjie Yu, Edouard Pangui, Kevin Tu, Mathieu Cazaunau, Maxime Feingesicht, Landsheere Xavier, Thierry Bourrianne, Vincent Michoud, Christopher Cantrell, Timothy B. Onasch, Andrew Freedman, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3419–3437, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3419-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3419-2024, 2024
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To meet the requirements for measuring aerosol optical properties on airborne platforms and conducting dual-wavelength measurements, we introduced A2S2, an airborne dual-wavelength cavity-attenuated phase-shift single monitor. This study reports the results in the laboratory and an aircraft campaign over Paris and its surrounding regions. The results demonstrate A2S2's reliability in measuring aerosol optical properties at both wavelengths and its suitability for future aircraft campaigns.
Robin Miri, Olivier Pujol, Qiaoyun Hu, Philippe Goloub, Igor Veselovskii, Thierry Podvin, and Fabrice Ducos
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3367–3375, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3367-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3367-2024, 2024
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This paper focuses on the use of fluorescence to study aerosols with lidar. An innovative method for aerosol hygroscopic growth study using fluorescence is presented. The paper presents case studies to showcase the effectiveness and potential of the proposed approach. These advancements will contribute to better understanding the interactions between aerosols and water vapor, with future work expected to be dedicated to aerosol–cloud interaction.
Alejandra Velazquez-Garcia, Joel F. de Brito, Suzanne Crumeyrolle, Isabelle Chiapello, and Véronique Riffault
Aerosol Research, 2, 107–122, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-107-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-107-2024, 2024
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Multi-annual in situ observations were combined with back trajectory and emissions inventories to study black and brown carbon (BC, BrC) sources in the north of France. Results show BC to be mainly originated from vehicular traffic (31 %), shipping (25 %), and residential heating (21 %). Also, a significant decrease of the BrC component from residential heating is observed after 24 h of atmospheric aging. These results should lead to better climate and air pollution mitigation strategies.
Maria Fernanda Sanchez Barrero, Ioana Elisabeta Popovici, Philippe Goloub, Stephane Victori, Qiaoyun Hu, Benjamin Torres, Thierry Podvin, Luc Blarel, Gaël Dubois, Fabrice Ducos, Eric Bourrianne, Aliaksandr Lapionak, Lelia Proniewski, Brent Holben, David Matthew Giles, and Anthony LaRosa
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3121–3146, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3121-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3121-2024, 2024
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This study showcases the use of a compact elastic lidar to monitor aerosols aboard moving platforms. By coupling dual-wavelength and depolarization measurements with photometer data, we studied aerosols during events of Saharan dust and smoke transport. Our research, conducted in various scenarios, not only validated our methods but also offered insights into the atmospheric dynamics near active fires. This study aids future research to fill observational gaps in aerosol monitoring.
Vincenzo Obiso, María Gonçalves Ageitos, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Jan P. Perlwitz, Gregory L. Schuster, Susanne E. Bauer, Claudia Di Biagio, Paola Formenti, Kostas Tsigaridis, and Ron L. Miller
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5337–5367, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5337-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5337-2024, 2024
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We calculate the dust direct radiative effect (DRE) in an Earth system model accounting for regionally varying soil mineralogy through a new observationally constrained method. Linking dust absorption at solar wavelengths to the varying amount of specific minerals (i.e., iron oxides) improves the modeled range of dust single scattering albedo compared to observations and increases the global cooling by dust. Our results may contribute to improved estimates of the dust DRE and its climate impact.
Cyrille Flamant, Jean-Pierre Chaboureau, Marco Gaetani, Kerstin Schepanski, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4265–4288, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4265-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4265-2024, 2024
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In the austral dry season, the atmospheric composition over southern Africa is dominated by biomass burning aerosols and terrigenous aerosols (so-called mineral dust). This study suggests that the radiative effect of biomass burning aerosols needs to be taken into account to properly forecast dust emissions in Namibia.
Anil Kumar Mandariya, Junteng Wu, Anne Monod, Paola Formenti, Bénédicte Picquet-Varrault, Mathieu Cazaunau, Stephan Mertes, Laurent Poulain, Antonin Berge, Edouard Pangui, Andreas Tilgner, Thomas Schaefer, Liang Wen, Hartmut Herrmann, and Jean-François Doussin
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2023-206, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2023-206, 2024
Publication in AMT not foreseen
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An optimized and controlled protocol for generating quasi-adiabatic expansion clouds under simulated dark and light conditions was presented. The irradiated clouds clearly showed a gradual activation of seed particles into droplets. In contrast, non-irradiated clouds faced a flash activation. This paper will lay the foundation for multiphase photochemical studies implying water-soluble volatile organic compounds and particulate matter formation during cloud formation-evaporation cycles.
Karine Desboeufs, Paola Formenti, Raquel Torres-Sánchez, Kerstin Schepanski, Jean-Pierre Chaboureau, Hendrik Andersen, Jan Cermak, Stefanie Feuerstein, Benoit Laurent, Danitza Klopper, Andreas Namwoonde, Mathieu Cazaunau, Servanne Chevaillier, Anaïs Feron, Cécile Mirande-Bret, Sylvain Triquet, and Stuart J. Piketh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1525–1541, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1525-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1525-2024, 2024
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This study investigates the fractional solubility of iron (Fe) in dust particles along the coast of Namibia, a critical region for the atmospheric Fe supply of the South Atlantic Ocean. Our results suggest a possible two-way interplay whereby marine biogenic emissions from the coastal marine ecosystems into the atmosphere would increase the solubility of Fe-bearing dust by photo-reduction processes. The subsequent deposition of soluble Fe could act to further enhance marine biogenic emissions.
Lu Zhang, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Haochi Che, Caroline Dang, Junying Sun, Ye Kuang, and Paola Formenti
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2319, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2319, 2023
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Our study examined the interaction between atmospheric particles and moisture over the south-eastern Atlantic Ocean during the biomass burning seasons in Africa. We found that organic components of these particles play a more important role in aerosol-moisture interactions than previously expected. This discovery is important as such interactions impact radiation and climate. Current climate models might need better representations of the moisture-absorbing properties of organic aerosols.
Ludovico Di Antonio, Claudia Di Biagio, Gilles Foret, Paola Formenti, Guillaume Siour, Jean-François Doussin, and Matthias Beekmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 12455–12475, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12455-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12455-2023, 2023
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Long-term (2000–2021) 1 km resolution satellite data have been used to investigate the climatological aerosol optical depth (AOD) variability and trends at different scales in Europe. Average enhancements of the local-to-regional AOD ratio at 550 nm of 57 %, 55 %, 39 % and 32 % are found for large metropolitan areas such as Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris and Athens, respectively, suggesting a non-negligible enhancement of the aerosol burden through local emissions.
Clarissa Baldo, Paola Formenti, Claudia Di Biagio, Gongda Lu, Congbo Song, Mathieu Cazaunau, Edouard Pangui, Jean-Francois Doussin, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserova, Olafur Arnalds, David Beddows, A. Robert MacKenzie, and Zongbo Shi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7975–8000, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7975-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7975-2023, 2023
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This paper presents new shortwave spectral complex refractive index and single scattering albedo data for Icelandic dust. Our results show that the imaginary part of the complex refractive index of Icelandic dust is at the upper end of the range of low-latitude dust. Furthermore, we observed that Icelandic dust is more absorbing towards the near-infrared, which we attribute to its high magnetite content. These findings are important for modeling dust aerosol radiative effects in the Arctic.
Michail Mytilinaios, Sara Basart, Sergio Ciamprone, Juan Cuesta, Claudio Dema, Enza Di Tomaso, Paola Formenti, Antonis Gkikas, Oriol Jorba, Ralph Kahn, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Serena Trippetta, and Lucia Mona
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5487–5516, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5487-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5487-2023, 2023
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Multiscale Online Non-hydrostatic AtmospheRe CHemistry model (MONARCH) dust reanalysis provides a high-resolution 3D reconstruction of past dust conditions, allowing better quantification of climate and socioeconomic dust impacts. We assess the performance of the reanalysis needed to reproduce dust optical depth using dust-related products retrieved from satellite and ground-based observations and show that it reproduces the spatial distribution and seasonal variability of atmospheric dust well.
Suzanne Crumeyrolle, Jenni S. S. Kontkanen, Clémence Rose, Alejandra Velazquez Garcia, Eric Bourrianne, Maxime Catalfamo, Véronique Riffault, Emmanuel Tison, Joel Ferreira de Brito, Nicolas Visez, Nicolas Ferlay, Frédérique Auriol, and Isabelle Chiapello
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 183–201, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-183-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-183-2023, 2023
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Ultrafine particles (UFPs) are particles with an aerodynamic diameter of 100 nm or less and negligible mass concentration but are the dominant contributor to the total particle number concentration. The present study aims to better understand the environmental factors favoring or inhibiting atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) over Lille, a large city in the north of France, and to analyze the impact of such an event on urban air quality using a long-term dataset (3 years).
Michael John Weston, Stuart John Piketh, Frédéric Burnet, Stephen Broccardo, Cyrielle Denjean, Thierry Bourrianne, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10221–10245, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10221-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10221-2022, 2022
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An aerosol-aware microphysics scheme is evaluated for fog cases in Namibia. AEROCLO-sA campaign observations are used to access and parameterise the model. The model cloud condensation nuclei activation is lower than the observations. The scheme is designed for clouds with updrafts, while fog typically forms in stable conditions. A pseudo updraft speed assigned to the lowest model levels helps achieve more realistic cloud droplet number concentration and size distribution in the model.
Lei Li, Yevgeny Derimian, Cheng Chen, Xindan Zhang, Huizheng Che, Gregory L. Schuster, David Fuertes, Pavel Litvinov, Tatyana Lapyonok, Anton Lopatin, Christian Matar, Fabrice Ducos, Yana Karol, Benjamin Torres, Ke Gui, Yu Zheng, Yuanxin Liang, Yadong Lei, Jibiao Zhu, Lei Zhang, Junting Zhong, Xiaoye Zhang, and Oleg Dubovik
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3439–3469, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3439-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3439-2022, 2022
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A climatology of aerosol composition concentration derived from POLDER-3 observations using GRASP/Component is presented. The conceptual specifics of the GRASP/Component approach are in the direct retrieval of aerosol speciation without intermediate retrievals of aerosol optical characteristics. The dataset of satellite-derived components represents scarce but imperative information for validation and potential adjustment of chemical transport models.
Caroline Dang, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Haochi Che, Lu Zhang, Paola Formenti, Jonathan Taylor, Amie Dobracki, Sara Purdue, Pui-Shan Wong, Athanasios Nenes, Arthur Sedlacek III, Hugh Coe, Jens Redemann, Paquita Zuidema, Steven Howell, and James Haywood
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9389–9412, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9389-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9389-2022, 2022
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Transmission electron microscopy was used to analyze aged African smoke particles and how the smoke interacts with the marine atmosphere. We found that the volatility of organic aerosol increases with biomass burning plume age, that black carbon is often mixed with potassium salts and that the marine atmosphere can incorporate Na and Cl into smoke particles. Marine salts are more processed when mixed with smoke plumes, and there are interesting Cl-rich yet Na-absent marine particles.
Lu Zhang, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Haochi Che, Caroline Dang, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Ernie R. Lewis, Amie Dobracki, Jenny P. S. Wong, Paola Formenti, Steven G. Howell, and Athanasios Nenes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9199–9213, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9199-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9199-2022, 2022
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Widespread biomass burning (BB) events occur annually in Africa and contribute ~ 1 / 3 of global BB emissions, which contain a large family of light-absorbing organics, known as brown carbon (BrC), whose absorption of incident radiation is difficult to estimate, leading to large uncertainties in the global radiative forcing estimation. This study quantifies the BrC absorption of aged BB particles and highlights the potential presence of absorbing iron oxides in this climatically important region.
Enza Di Tomaso, Jerónimo Escribano, Sara Basart, Paul Ginoux, Francesca Macchia, Francesca Barnaba, Francesco Benincasa, Pierre-Antoine Bretonnière, Arnau Buñuel, Miguel Castrillo, Emilio Cuevas, Paola Formenti, María Gonçalves, Oriol Jorba, Martina Klose, Lucia Mona, Gilbert Montané Pinto, Michail Mytilinaios, Vincenzo Obiso, Miriam Olid, Nick Schutgens, Athanasios Votsis, Ernest Werner, and Carlos Pérez García-Pando
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2785–2816, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2785-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2785-2022, 2022
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MONARCH reanalysis of desert dust aerosols extends the existing observation-based information for mineral dust monitoring by providing 3-hourly upper-air, surface and total column key geophysical variables of the dust cycle over Northern Africa, the Middle East and Europe, at a 0.1° horizontal resolution in a rotated grid, from 2007 to 2016. This work provides evidence of the high accuracy of this data set and its suitability for air quality and health and climate service applications.
Cyrille Flamant, Marco Gaetani, Jean-Pierre Chaboureau, Patrick Chazette, Juan Cuesta, Stuart John Piketh, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5701–5724, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5701-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5701-2022, 2022
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Rivers of smoke extend from tropical southern Africa towards the Indian Ocean during the winter fire season, controlled by the interaction of tropical easterly waves, and westerly waves at mid latitudes. During the AEROCLO-sA field campaign in 2017, a river of smoke was directly observed over Namibia. In this paper, the evolution and atmospheric drivers of the river of smoke are described, and the role of a mid-latitude cut-off low in lifting the smoke to the upper troposphere is highlighted.
Karine Desboeufs, Franck Fu, Matthieu Bressac, Antonio Tovar-Sánchez, Sylvain Triquet, Jean-François Doussin, Chiara Giorio, Patrick Chazette, Julie Disnaquet, Anaïs Feron, Paola Formenti, Franck Maisonneuve, Araceli Rodríguez-Romero, Pascal Zapf, François Dulac, and Cécile Guieu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2309–2332, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2309-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2309-2022, 2022
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This article reports the first concurrent sampling of wet deposition samples and surface seawater and was performed during the PEACETIME cruise in the remote Mediterranean (May–June 2017). Through the chemical composition of trace metals (TMs) in these samples, it emphasizes the decrease of atmospheric metal pollution in this area during the last few decades and the critical role of wet deposition as source of TMs for Mediterranean surface seawater, especially for intense dust deposition events.
Matthieu Bressac, Thibaut Wagener, Nathalie Leblond, Antonio Tovar-Sánchez, Céline Ridame, Vincent Taillandier, Samuel Albani, Sophie Guasco, Aurélie Dufour, Stéphanie H. M. Jacquet, François Dulac, Karine Desboeufs, and Cécile Guieu
Biogeosciences, 18, 6435–6453, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6435-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6435-2021, 2021
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Phytoplankton growth is limited by the availability of iron in about 50 % of the ocean. Atmospheric deposition of desert dust represents a key source of iron. Here, we present direct observations of dust deposition in the Mediterranean Sea. A key finding is that the input of iron from dust primarily occurred in the deep ocean, while previous studies mainly focused on the ocean surface. This new insight will enable us to better represent controls on global marine productivity in models.
Paola Formenti, Claudia Di Biagio, Yue Huang, Jasper Kok, Marc Daniel Mallet, Damien Boulanger, and Mathieu Cazaunau
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2021-403, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2021-403, 2021
Publication in AMT not foreseen
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This paper provides with standardized correction factors for the measurements of the most common instruments used in the atmosphere to measure the concentration per size of aerosol particles. These correction factors are provided to users with supplementary information for their use.
Alexandre Siméon, Fabien Waquet, Jean-Christophe Péré, Fabrice Ducos, François Thieuleux, Fanny Peers, Solène Turquety, and Isabelle Chiapello
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17775–17805, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17775-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17775-2021, 2021
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For the first time, we accurately modelled the optical properties of the biomass burning aerosols (BBA) observed over the Southeast Atlantic region during their transport above clouds and over their source regions, combining a meteorology coupled with chemistry model (WRF-Chem) with innovative satellite absorbing aerosol retrievals (POLDER-3). Our results suggest a low but non-negligible brown carbon fraction (3 %) for the chemical composition of the BBA plumes observed over the source regions.
Marco Gaetani, Benjamin Pohl, Maria del Carmen Alvarez Castro, Cyrille Flamant, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16575–16591, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16575-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16575-2021, 2021
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During the dry austral winter, biomass fires in tropical Africa emit large amounts of smoke in the atmosphere, with large impacts on climate and air quality. The study of the relationship between atmospheric circulation and smoke transport shows that midlatitude atmospheric disturbances may deflect the smoke from tropical Africa towards southern Africa. Understanding the distribution of the smoke in the region is crucial for climate modelling and air quality monitoring.
Danitza Klopper, Stuart J. Piketh, Roelof Burger, Simon Dirkse, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-668, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-668, 2021
Revised manuscript not accepted
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The western coast of southern Africa is a key region of the Earth, with persistent clouds and particles also transported from distant forest fires. The atmosphere is stratified as a result of the different temperatures of the cold Atlantic ocean and the warm semi-arid land, and that affects how the particles will be distributed whilst in the atmosphere and how long they will persist. We used long term satellite and in situ observations to describe, for the first time, those main features.
Aurélien Chauvigné, Fabien Waquet, Frédérique Auriol, Luc Blarel, Cyril Delegove, Oleg Dubovik, Cyrille Flamant, Marco Gaetani, Philippe Goloub, Rodrigue Loisil, Marc Mallet, Jean-Marc Nicolas, Frédéric Parol, Fanny Peers, Benjamin Torres, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 8233–8253, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8233-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8233-2021, 2021
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This work presents aerosol above-cloud properties close to the Namibian coast from a combination of airborne passive remote sensing. The complete analysis of aerosol and cloud optical properties and their microphysical and radiative properties allows us to better identify the impacts of biomass burning emissions. This work also gives a complete overview of the key parameters for constraining climate models in case aerosol and cloud coexist in the troposphere.
Jens Redemann, Robert Wood, Paquita Zuidema, Sarah J. Doherty, Bernadette Luna, Samuel E. LeBlanc, Michael S. Diamond, Yohei Shinozuka, Ian Y. Chang, Rei Ueyama, Leonhard Pfister, Ju-Mee Ryoo, Amie N. Dobracki, Arlindo M. da Silva, Karla M. Longo, Meloë S. Kacenelenbogen, Connor J. Flynn, Kristina Pistone, Nichola M. Knox, Stuart J. Piketh, James M. Haywood, Paola Formenti, Marc Mallet, Philip Stier, Andrew S. Ackerman, Susanne E. Bauer, Ann M. Fridlind, Gregory R. Carmichael, Pablo E. Saide, Gonzalo A. Ferrada, Steven G. Howell, Steffen Freitag, Brian Cairns, Brent N. Holben, Kirk D. Knobelspiesse, Simone Tanelli, Tristan S. L'Ecuyer, Andrew M. Dzambo, Ousmane O. Sy, Greg M. McFarquhar, Michael R. Poellot, Siddhant Gupta, Joseph R. O'Brien, Athanasios Nenes, Mary Kacarab, Jenny P. S. Wong, Jennifer D. Small-Griswold, Kenneth L. Thornhill, David Noone, James R. Podolske, K. Sebastian Schmidt, Peter Pilewskie, Hong Chen, Sabrina P. Cochrane, Arthur J. Sedlacek, Timothy J. Lang, Eric Stith, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Richard A. Ferrare, Sharon P. Burton, Chris A. Hostetler, David J. Diner, Felix C. Seidel, Steven E. Platnick, Jeffrey S. Myers, Kerry G. Meyer, Douglas A. Spangenberg, Hal Maring, and Lan Gao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1507–1563, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1507-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1507-2021, 2021
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Southern Africa produces significant biomass burning emissions whose impacts on regional and global climate are poorly understood. ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) is a 5-year NASA investigation designed to study the key processes that determine these climate impacts. The main purpose of this paper is to familiarize the broader scientific community with the ORACLES project, the dataset it produced, and the most important initial findings.
Cécile Debevec, Stéphane Sauvage, Valérie Gros, Thérèse Salameh, Jean Sciare, François Dulac, and Nadine Locoge
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1449–1484, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1449-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1449-2021, 2021
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This study provides a better characterization of the seasonal variations in VOC sources impacting the western Mediterranean region, based on a comprehensive chemical composition measured over 25 months at a representative receptor site (Ersa) and by determining factors controlling their temporal variations. Some insights into dominant drivers for VOC concentration variations in Europe are also provided, built on comparisons of Ersa observations with the concomitant ones of 17 European sites.
Jim M. Haywood, Steven J. Abel, Paul A. Barrett, Nicolas Bellouin, Alan Blyth, Keith N. Bower, Melissa Brooks, Ken Carslaw, Haochi Che, Hugh Coe, Michael I. Cotterell, Ian Crawford, Zhiqiang Cui, Nicholas Davies, Beth Dingley, Paul Field, Paola Formenti, Hamish Gordon, Martin de Graaf, Ross Herbert, Ben Johnson, Anthony C. Jones, Justin M. Langridge, Florent Malavelle, Daniel G. Partridge, Fanny Peers, Jens Redemann, Philip Stier, Kate Szpek, Jonathan W. Taylor, Duncan Watson-Parris, Robert Wood, Huihui Wu, and Paquita Zuidema
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1049–1084, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1049-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1049-2021, 2021
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Every year, the seasonal cycle of biomass burning from agricultural practices in Africa creates a huge plume of smoke that travels many thousands of kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean. This study provides an overview of a measurement campaign called the cloud–aerosol–radiation interaction and forcing for year 2017 (CLARIFY-2017) and documents the rationale, deployment strategy, observations, and key results from the campaign which utilized the heavily equipped FAAM atmospheric research aircraft.
Cheng Chen, Oleg Dubovik, David Fuertes, Pavel Litvinov, Tatyana Lapyonok, Anton Lopatin, Fabrice Ducos, Yevgeny Derimian, Maurice Herman, Didier Tanré, Lorraine A. Remer, Alexei Lyapustin, Andrew M. Sayer, Robert C. Levy, N. Christina Hsu, Jacques Descloitres, Lei Li, Benjamin Torres, Yana Karol, Milagros Herrera, Marcos Herreras, Michael Aspetsberger, Moritz Wanzenboeck, Lukas Bindreiter, Daniel Marth, Andreas Hangler, and Christian Federspiel
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 3573–3620, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3573-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3573-2020, 2020
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Aerosol products obtained from POLDER/PARASOL processed by the GRASP algorithm have been released. The entire archive of PARASOL/GRASP aerosol products is evaluated against AERONET and compared with MODIS (DT, DB and MAIAC), as well as PARASOL/Operational products. PARASOL/GRASP aerosol products provide spectral 443–1020 nm AOD correlating well with AERONET with a maximum bias of 0.02. Finally, GRASP shows capability to derive detailed spectral properties, including aerosol absorption.
Danitza Klopper, Paola Formenti, Andreas Namwoonde, Mathieu Cazaunau, Servanne Chevaillier, Anaïs Feron, Cécile Gaimoz, Patrick Hease, Fadi Lahmidi, Cécile Mirande-Bret, Sylvain Triquet, Zirui Zeng, and Stuart J. Piketh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 15811–15833, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15811-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15811-2020, 2020
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The chemical composition of aerosol particles is very important as it determines to which extent they can affect the Earth's climate by acting with solar light and modifying the properties of clouds. The South Atlantic region is a remote and under-explored region to date where these effects could be important. The measurements presented in this paper consist in the analysis of samples collected at a coastal site in Namibia. The first long-term source apportionment is presented and discussed.
Cécile Guieu, Fabrizio D'Ortenzio, François Dulac, Vincent Taillandier, Andrea Doglioli, Anne Petrenko, Stéphanie Barrillon, Marc Mallet, Pierre Nabat, and Karine Desboeufs
Biogeosciences, 17, 5563–5585, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5563-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5563-2020, 2020
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We describe here the objectives and strategy of the PEACETIME project and cruise, dedicated to dust deposition and its impacts in the Mediterranean Sea. Our strategy to go a step further forward than in previous approaches in understanding these impacts by catching a real deposition event at sea is detailed. We summarize the work performed at sea, the type of data acquired and their valorization in the papers published in the special issue.
Clarissa Baldo, Paola Formenti, Sophie Nowak, Servanne Chevaillier, Mathieu Cazaunau, Edouard Pangui, Claudia Di Biagio, Jean-Francois Doussin, Konstantin Ignatyev, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserova, Olafur Arnalds, A. Robert MacKenzie, and Zongbo Shi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 13521–13539, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13521-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13521-2020, 2020
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We showed that Icelandic dust has a fundamentally different chemical and mineralogical composition from low-latitude dust. In particular, magnetite is as high as 1 %–2 % of the total dust mass. Our results suggest that Icelandic dust may have an important impact on the radiation balance in the subpolar and polar regions.
Marc Mallet, Fabien Solmon, Pierre Nabat, Nellie Elguindi, Fabien Waquet, Dominique Bouniol, Andrew Mark Sayer, Kerry Meyer, Romain Roehrig, Martine Michou, Paquita Zuidema, Cyrille Flamant, Jens Redemann, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 13191–13216, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13191-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13191-2020, 2020
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This paper presents numerical simulations using two regional climate models to study the impact of biomass fire plumes from central Africa on the radiative balance of this region. The results indicate that biomass fires can either warm the regional climate when they are located above low clouds or cool it when they are located above land. They can also alter sea and land surface temperatures by decreasing solar radiation at the surface. Finally, they can also modify the atmospheric dynamics.
David O. De Haan, Lelia N. Hawkins, Kevin Jansen, Hannah G. Welsh, Raunak Pednekar, Alexia de Loera, Natalie G. Jimenez, Margaret A. Tolbert, Mathieu Cazaunau, Aline Gratien, Antonin Bergé, Edouard Pangui, Paola Formenti, and Jean-François Doussin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 9581–9590, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-9581-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-9581-2020, 2020
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When exposed to glyoxal in chamber experiments, dry ammonium or methylammonium sulfate particles turn brown immediately and reversibly without increasing in size. Much less browning was observed on wet aerosol particles, and no browning was observed with sodium sulfate aerosol. While estimated dry aerosol light absorption caused by background glyoxal (70 ppt) is insignificant compared to that of secondary brown carbon overall, in polluted regions this process could be a source of brown carbon.
Nelson Bègue, Lerato Shikwambana, Hassan Bencherif, Juan Pallotta, Venkataraman Sivakumar, Elian Wolfram, Nkanyiso Mbatha, Facundo Orte, David Jean Du Preez, Marion Ranaivombola, Stuart Piketh, and Paola Formenti
Ann. Geophys., 38, 395–420, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-395-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-38-395-2020, 2020
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This study investigates the influence of the 2015 Calbuco eruption (41.2°S, 72.4°W; Chile) on the total columnar aerosol optical properties in the Southern Hemisphere. The well-known technique of sun photometry was applied to the investigation of the transport and the spatio-temporal evolution of the optical properties of the volcanic plume. The CIMEL sun photometer measurements performed over six South American and three African sites were statistically analyzed.
Samuel E. LeBlanc, Jens Redemann, Connor Flynn, Kristina Pistone, Meloë Kacenelenbogen, Michal Segal-Rosenheimer, Yohei Shinozuka, Stephen Dunagan, Robert P. Dahlgren, Kerry Meyer, James Podolske, Steven G. Howell, Steffen Freitag, Jennifer Small-Griswold, Brent Holben, Michael Diamond, Robert Wood, Paola Formenti, Stuart Piketh, Gillian Maggs-Kölling, Monja Gerber, and Andreas Namwoonde
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 1565–1590, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1565-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1565-2020, 2020
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The southeast Atlantic during August–October experiences layers of smoke from biomass burning over marine stratocumulus clouds. Here we present the light attenuation of the smoke and its dependence in the spatial, vertical, and spectral domain through direct measurements from an airborne platform during September 2016. From our observations of this climatically important smoke, we found an average aerosol optical depth of 0.32 at 500 nm, slightly lower than comparative satellite measurements.
Claudia Di Biagio, Paola Formenti, Yves Balkanski, Lorenzo Caponi, Mathieu Cazaunau, Edouard Pangui, Emilie Journet, Sophie Nowak, Meinrat O. Andreae, Konrad Kandler, Thuraya Saeed, Stuart Piketh, David Seibert, Earle Williams, and Jean-François Doussin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 15503–15531, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-15503-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-15503-2019, 2019
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This paper presents a new dataset of laboratory measurements of the shortwave (SW) spectral complex refractive index and single-scattering albedo (SSA) for global mineral dust aerosols of varying origin and composition. Our results show that the dust refractive index and SSA vary strongly from source to source, mostly due to particle iron content changes. We recommend that source-dependent values of the SW spectral refractive index and SSA be used in models and remote sensing applications.
Patrick Chazette, Cyrille Flamant, Julien Totems, Marco Gaetani, Gwendoline Smith, Alexandre Baron, Xavier Landsheere, Karine Desboeufs, Jean-François Doussin, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 14979–15005, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-14979-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-14979-2019, 2019
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Evolution of the vertical distribution and optical properties of aerosols in the free troposphere is analysed for the first time over the Namibian coast, a region where uncertainties on aerosol–cloud coupling in climate simulations are significant. The high variability of atmospheric aerosol composition is highlighted using a combination of ground-based, airborne and space-borne lidar. Aerosols are mainly transported from Angola, but part of the highest aerosol layer may come from South America.
Cheng Chen, Oleg Dubovik, Daven K. Henze, Mian Chin, Tatyana Lapyonok, Gregory L. Schuster, Fabrice Ducos, David Fuertes, Pavel Litvinov, Lei Li, Anton Lopatin, Qiaoyun Hu, and Benjamin Torres
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 14585–14606, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-14585-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-14585-2019, 2019
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Global BC, OC and DD aerosol emissions are inverted from POLDER/PARASOL observations for the year 2010 based on the GEOS-Chem inverse modeling framework. The retrieved emissions are 18.4 Tg yr−1 BC, 109.9 Tg yr−1 OC and 731.6 Tg yr−1 DD, which indicate an increase of 166.7 % for BC and 184.0 % for OC, while a decrease of 42.4 % for DD with respect to GEOS-Chem a priori emission inventories is seen. Global annul mean AOD and AAOD resulting from retrieved emissions are 0.119 and 0.0071 at 550 nm.
Marie Boichu, Olivier Favez, Véronique Riffault, Jean-Eudes Petit, Yunjiang Zhang, Colette Brogniez, Jean Sciare, Isabelle Chiapello, Lieven Clarisse, Shouwen Zhang, Nathalie Pujol-Söhne, Emmanuel Tison, Hervé Delbarre, and Philippe Goloub
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 14253–14287, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-14253-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-14253-2019, 2019
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This study, benefiting especially from recently developed mass spectrometry observations of aerosols, highlights unknown properties of volcanic sulfates in the troposphere. It shows their specific chemical fingerprint, distinct from those of freshly emitted industrial sulfates and background aerosols. We also demonstrate the large-scale persistence of the volcanic sulfate pollution over weeks. Hence, these results cast light on the impact of tropospheric eruptions on air quality and climate.
Lei Li, Oleg Dubovik, Yevgeny Derimian, Gregory L. Schuster, Tatyana Lapyonok, Pavel Litvinov, Fabrice Ducos, David Fuertes, Cheng Chen, Zhengqiang Li, Anton Lopatin, Benjamin Torres, and Huizheng Che
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 13409–13443, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13409-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13409-2019, 2019
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A novel methodology to monitor atmospheric aerosol components using remote sensing is presented. The concept is realized within the GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) project. Application to POLDER/PARASOL and AERONET observations yielded the spatial and temporal variability of absorbing and non-absorbing insoluble and soluble aerosol species in the fine and coarse size fractions. This presents the global-scale aerosol component derived from satellite measurements.
Marc D. Mallet, Barbara D'Anna, Aurélie Même, Maria Chiara Bove, Federico Cassola, Giandomenico Pace, Karine Desboeufs, Claudia Di Biagio, Jean-Francois Doussin, Michel Maille, Dario Massabò, Jean Sciare, Pascal Zapf, Alcide Giorgio di Sarra, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 11123–11142, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-11123-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-11123-2019, 2019
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We present findings from a summertime field campaign at the remote island of Lampedusa in the central Mediterranean Sea. We show that the aerosol loading is similar to coastal sites around the Mediterranean. We observe higher loadings of sulfate and aged organic aerosol from air masses transported over the central and eastern Mediterranean in comparison to those from the western Mediterranean. These results highlight the rarity of pristine air masses, even in remote marine environments.
Marc Mallet, Pierre Nabat, Paquita Zuidema, Jens Redemann, Andrew Mark Sayer, Martin Stengel, Sebastian Schmidt, Sabrina Cochrane, Sharon Burton, Richard Ferrare, Kerry Meyer, Pablo Saide, Hiren Jethva, Omar Torres, Robert Wood, David Saint Martin, Romain Roehrig, Christina Hsu, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4963–4990, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4963-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4963-2019, 2019
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The model is able to represent LWP but not the LCF. AOD is consistent over the continent but also over ocean (ACAOD). Differences are observed in SSA due to the absence of internal mixing in ALADIN-Climate. A significant regional gradient of the forcing at TOA is observed. An intense positive forcing is simulated over Gabon. Results highlight the significant effect of enhanced moisture on BBA extinction. The surface dimming modifies the energy budget.
Camille Richon, Jean-Claude Dutay, Laurent Bopp, Briac Le Vu, James C. Orr, Samuel Somot, and François Dulac
Biogeosciences, 16, 135–165, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-135-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-135-2019, 2019
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We evaluate the effects of climate change and biogeochemical forcing evolution on the nutrient and plankton cycles of the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. We use a high-resolution coupled physical and biogeochemical model and perform 120-year transient simulations. The results indicate that changes in external nutrient fluxes and climate change may have synergistic or antagonistic effects on nutrient concentrations, depending on the region and the scenario.
María José Granados-Muñoz, Michael Sicard, Roberto Román, Jose Antonio Benavent-Oltra, Rubén Barragán, Gerard Brogniez, Cyrielle Denjean, Marc Mallet, Paola Formenti, Benjamín Torres, and Lucas Alados-Arboledas
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 523–542, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-523-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-523-2019, 2019
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The influence of mineral dust in the direct radiative effect is affected by a large uncertainty. This study investigates mineral dust radiative properties during an episode affecting southern Spain in June 2013 by using remote sensors and data collected on board an aircraft to feed a radiative transfer model. The study reveals the complexity of parameterizing these models, as characterizing mineral dust is still quite challenging, and the need for accurate mineral dust measurements.
Mounir Chrit, Karine Sartelet, Jean Sciare, Marwa Majdi, José Nicolas, Jean-Eudes Petit, and François Dulac
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 18079–18100, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-18079-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-18079-2018, 2018
Paola Formenti, Lydie Mbemba Kabuiku, Isabelle Chiapello, Fabrice Ducos, François Dulac, and Didier Tanré
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 6761–6784, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6761-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6761-2018, 2018
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Aerosol particles from natural and anthropogenic sources are climate regulators as they can counteract or amplify the warming effect of greenhouse gases, but are difficult to observe due to their temporal and spatial variability. Satellite sensors can provide the needed global coverage but need validation. In this paper we explore the capability of the POLDER-3 advanced space-borne sensor to observe aerosols over the western Mediterranean region.
Claire L. Ryder, Franco Marenco, Jennifer K. Brooke, Victor Estelles, Richard Cotton, Paola Formenti, James B. McQuaid, Hannah C. Price, Dantong Liu, Patrick Ausset, Phil D. Rosenberg, Jonathan W. Taylor, Tom Choularton, Keith Bower, Hugh Coe, Martin Gallagher, Jonathan Crosier, Gary Lloyd, Eleanor J. Highwood, and Benjamin J. Murray
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 17225–17257, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17225-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17225-2018, 2018
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Every year, millions of tons of Saharan dust particles are carried across the Atlantic by the wind, where they can affect weather patterns and climate. Their sizes span orders of magnitude, but the largest (over 10 microns – around the width of a human hair) are difficult to measure and few observations exist. Here we show new aircraft observations of large dust particles, finding more than we would expect, and we quantify their properties which allow them to interact with atmospheric radiation.
Paola Formenti, Stuart John Piketh, Andreas Namwoonde, Danitza Klopper, Roelof Burger, Mathieu Cazaunau, Anaïs Feron, Cécile Gaimoz, Stephen Broccardo, Nicola Walton, Karine Desboeufs, Guillaume Siour, Mattheus Hanghome, Samuel Mafwila, Edosa Omoregie, Wolfgang Junkermann, and Willy Maenhaut
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 17003–17016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17003-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17003-2018, 2018
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Three-years of continuous measurements at the Henties Bay Aerosol Observatory (HBAO; 22°S, 14°05’E), Namibia, show that during the austral wintertime, long- and medium-range transport of pollution from biomass and fossil fuel burning give rise to peaks of light-absorbing black carbon aerosols into the marine boundary layer ahead of the main biomass burning season. This could affect the cloud properties.
Dario Massabò, Silvia Giulia Danelli, Paolo Brotto, Antonio Comite, Camilla Costa, Andrea Di Cesare, Jean François Doussin, Federico Ferraro, Paola Formenti, Elena Gatta, Laura Negretti, Maddalena Oliva, Franco Parodi, Luigi Vezzulli, and Paolo Prati
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 5885–5900, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-5885-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-5885-2018, 2018
Karine Desboeufs, Elisabeth Bon Nguyen, Servanne Chevaillier, Sylvain Triquet, and François Dulac
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 14477–14492, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14477-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14477-2018, 2018
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Atmospheric deposition is known to be a major source of nutrients for the marine biosphere in the Mediterranean Sea. The study of the origin of nutrients and trace metals in Corsica presented here shows that the dust events were the major sources of Si and Fe. Conversely, combustion sources predominated the inputs of N, P, and trace metals. This work showed the importance of considering background anthropogenic deposition for estimating the impact of atmospheric forcing on marine biota.
Mounir Chrit, Karine Sartelet, Jean Sciare, Jorge Pey, José B. Nicolas, Nicolas Marchand, Evelyn Freney, Karine Sellegri, Matthias Beekmann, and François Dulac
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 9631–9659, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9631-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9631-2018, 2018
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Fine particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere is of concern due to its effects on health, climate, ecosystems and biological cycles, and visibility.
These effects are especially important in the Mediterranean region. In this study, the air quality model Polyphemus is used to understand the
sources of inorganic and organic particles in the western Mediterranean and evaluate the uncertainties linked to the model parameters and hypotheses related to condensation/evaporation in the model.
Nizar Jaidan, Laaziz El Amraoui, Jean-Luc Attié, Philippe Ricaud, and François Dulac
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 9351–9373, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9351-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9351-2018, 2018
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The Mediterranean Basin, surrounded by three continents with diverse pollution sources, is particularly sensitive to climate change due to its location and diversity of ecosystems. In this work, we investigate the future change of surface ozone from 2000 to 2100 over this region using a set of atmospheric model outputs and ground-based observations. We also highlight how the future climate change and the increase of methane concentrations can offset the benefit of the pollution reduction policy.
Arineh Cholakian, Matthias Beekmann, Augustin Colette, Isabelle Coll, Guillaume Siour, Jean Sciare, Nicolas Marchand, Florian Couvidat, Jorge Pey, Valerie Gros, Stéphane Sauvage, Vincent Michoud, Karine Sellegri, Aurélie Colomb, Karine Sartelet, Helen Langley DeWitt, Miriam Elser, André S. H. Prévot, Sonke Szidat, and François Dulac
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 7287–7312, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7287-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7287-2018, 2018
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In this work, four schemes for the simulation of organic aerosols in the western Mediterranean basin are added to the CHIMERE chemistry–transport model; the resulting simulations are then compared to measurements obtained from ChArMEx. It is concluded that the scheme taking into account the fragmentation and the formation of nonvolatile organic aerosols corresponds better to measurements; the major source of this aerosol in the western Mediterranean is found to be of biogenic origin.
Evelyn Freney, Karine Sellegri, Mounir Chrit, Kouji Adachi, Joel Brito, Antoine Waked, Agnès Borbon, Aurélie Colomb, Régis Dupuy, Jean-Marc Pichon, Laetitia Bouvier, Claire Delon, Corinne Jambert, Pierre Durand, Thierry Bourianne, Cécile Gaimoz, Sylvain Triquet, Anaïs Féron, Matthias Beekmann, François Dulac, and Karine Sartelet
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 7041–7056, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7041-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7041-2018, 2018
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The focus of these experiments, within the ChArMEx project, were to better understand the chemical properties of ambient aerosols over the Mediterranean region. A series of airborne measurements were performed aboard the French research aircraft, the ATR42, during the summer period. Aerosol and gas-phase chemical mass spectrometry allowed us to understand the sources and formation of organic aerosols. Numerical models were incorporated into this study to help interpret our observations.
Vanessa Brocchi, Gisèle Krysztofiak, Valéry Catoire, Jonathan Guth, Virginie Marécal, Régina Zbinden, Laaziz El Amraoui, François Dulac, and Philippe Ricaud
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 6887–6906, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6887-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6887-2018, 2018
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The Mediterranean Basin still suffers from a limited amount of in situ measurements for a good characterization of its environmental state. This study shows that intercontinental transport of very high CO concentrations can affect the upper Mediterranean Basin troposphere. By using modeling, 5- to 12-day eastward transport of biomass burning starting from North America and Siberia impacts the mid-troposphere of the Mediterranean Basin.
Camille Richon, Jean-Claude Dutay, François Dulac, Rong Wang, and Yves Balkanski
Biogeosciences, 15, 2499–2524, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2499-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2499-2018, 2018
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This work is part of the Mermex and ChArMEx projects of the MISTRALS program. It aims at studying the impacts of phosphorus deposition from contrasted sources on the biogeochemical cycles of the Mediterranean Sea.
The results show that combustion-related phosphorus deposition effects dominate P deposition over the northern Mediterranean, whereas dust-derived phosphorus deposition effects dominate in the southern part.
Daniela Meloni, Alcide di Sarra, Gérard Brogniez, Cyrielle Denjean, Lorenzo De Silvestri, Tatiana Di Iorio, Paola Formenti, José L. Gómez-Amo, Julian Gröbner, Natalia Kouremeti, Giuliano Liuzzi, Marc Mallet, Giandomenico Pace, and Damiano M. Sferlazzo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 4377–4401, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-4377-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-4377-2018, 2018
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This study examines how different aerosol optical properties determine the dust longwave radiative effects at the surface, in the atmosphere and at the top of the atmosphere, based on the combination of remote sensing and in situ observations from the ground, from airborne sensors, and from space, by means of radiative transfer modelling. The closure experiment is based on longwave irradiances and spectral brightness temperatures measured during the 2013 ChArMEx–ADRIMED campaign at Lampedusa.
Jean-Baptiste Renard, François Dulac, Pierre Durand, Quentin Bourgeois, Cyrielle Denjean, Damien Vignelles, Benoit Couté, Matthieu Jeannot, Nicolas Verdier, and Marc Mallet
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 3677–3699, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3677-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3677-2018, 2018
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A campaign was performed in the summer of 2013 above the Mediterranean basin, including in situ counting balloon-borne aerosol measurements (LOAC), for the detection of mineral dust. Three modes in the dust particle volume size distributions were detected, at roughly 0.2, 4, and 30 mm. Particles larger than 40 mm were often observed. They were lifted several days before and their persistence after transport over long distances is in conflict with dust sedimentation calculations.
Yinghe Fu, Karine Desboeufs, Julie Vincent, Elisabeth Bon Nguyen, Benoit Laurent, Remi Losno, and François Dulac
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 4389–4401, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4389-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4389-2017, 2017
Uri Dayan, Philippe Ricaud, Régina Zbinden, and François Dulac
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 13233–13263, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-13233-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-13233-2017, 2017
Claudia Di Biagio, Paola Formenti, Mathieu Cazaunau, Edouard Pangui, Nicolas Marchand, and Jean-François Doussin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 2923–2939, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2923-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2923-2017, 2017
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Mineral dust is one of the most abundant aerosol species at the global scale and an accurate estimation of its absorption at solar wavelengths is crucial to assess its impact on climate. In this work we provide an estimate of the Aethalometer multiple scattering correction for mineral dust aerosols at 450 and 660 nm. Our results suggest that the use of an optimized correction factor can lead to up to 11 % higher absorption coefficient and to 3 % higher single scattering albedo for mineral dust.
Lorenzo Caponi, Paola Formenti, Dario Massabó, Claudia Di Biagio, Mathieu Cazaunau, Edouard Pangui, Servanne Chevaillier, Gautier Landrot, Meinrat O. Andreae, Konrad Kandler, Stuart Piketh, Thuraya Saeed, Dave Seibert, Earle Williams, Yves Balkanski, Paolo Prati, and Jean-François Doussin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 7175–7191, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-7175-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-7175-2017, 2017
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This paper presents new laboratory measurements of the shortwave mass absorption efficiency (MAE) used by climate models for mineral dust of different origin and at different sizes. We found that small particles are more efficient, by given mass, in absorbing radiation, particularly at shorter wavelength. Because dust has high concentrations in the atmosphere, light absorption by mineral dust can be competitive to other absorbing atmospheric aerosols such as black and brown carbon.
Jovanna Arndt, Jean Sciare, Marc Mallet, Greg C. Roberts, Nicolas Marchand, Karine Sartelet, Karine Sellegri, François Dulac, Robert M. Healy, and John C. Wenger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 6975–7001, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6975-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6975-2017, 2017
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The chemical composition of individual PM2.5 particles was measured at a background site on Corsica in the Mediterranean to determine the contribution of different sources to background aerosol in the region. Most of the particles were from fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning, transported to the site from France, Italy and eastern Europe, and also accumulated other species en route. This work shows that largest impact on air quality in the Mediterranean is from anthropogenic emissions.
Igor B. Konovalov, Matthias Beekmann, Evgeny V. Berezin, Paola Formenti, and Meinrat O. Andreae
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 4513–4537, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-4513-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-4513-2017, 2017
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A shortage of consistent observational evidence on biomass burning (BB) aerosol aging processes hinders the development of their adequate representations in atmospheric models. Here we show that useful insights into the BB aerosol dynamics can be obtained from analysis of satellite measurements of aerosol optical depth and carbon dioxide. Our results indicate that aging processes strongly affect the evolution of BB aerosol in smoke plumes from wildfires in Siberia.
Giuliano Liuzzi, Guido Masiello, Carmine Serio, Daniela Meloni, Claudia Di Biagio, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 599–615, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-599-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-599-2017, 2017
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In this work we have given a contribution to better understand some of the properties of the desert dust plumes in the western Mediterranean, using both direct measurements and satellite observations. This study has mainly evidenced that satellite observations can provide information about the geographical provenance of dust. This is important because such variability is reflected in the way in which dust interacts with atmosphere and impacts over the observed infrared radiation from satellites.
Claudia Di Biagio, Paola Formenti, Yves Balkanski, Lorenzo Caponi, Mathieu Cazaunau, Edouard Pangui, Emilie Journet, Sophie Nowak, Sandrine Caquineau, Meinrat O. Andreae, Konrad Kandler, Thuraya Saeed, Stuart Piketh, David Seibert, Earle Williams, and Jean-François Doussin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 1901–1929, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1901-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1901-2017, 2017
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Modeling the interaction of dust with long-wave (LW) radiation is still a challenge due to the scarcity of information on their refractive index. In this paper, we present a unique dataset of dust refractive indices obtained from in situ measurements in a large smog chamber. Our results show that the dust LW refractive index varies strongly from source to source due to particle composition changes. We recommend taking this variability into account in climate and remote sensing applications.
François Gheusi, Pierre Durand, Nicolas Verdier, François Dulac, Jean-Luc Attié, Philippe Commun, Brice Barret, Claude Basdevant, Antoine Clenet, Solène Derrien, Alexis Doerenbecher, Laaziz El Amraoui, Alain Fontaine, Emeric Hache, Corinne Jambert, Elodie Jaumouillé, Yves Meyerfeld, Laurent Roblou, and Flore Tocquer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 5811–5832, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5811-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5811-2016, 2016
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Boundary-layer pressurised balloons allow for horizontal multi-day flights in the lower atmosphere, carrying light scientific payloads. Ozonesondes, usually used for balloon soundings have too short a lifetime for such flights. An adaptation is proposed, whereby conventional sondes are operated with short measurement phases alternating with longer periods of dormancy. The sondes were operated over the western Mediterranean, offering an original perspective on tropospheric ozone.
Michaël Sicard, Rubén Barragan, François Dulac, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, and Marc Mallet
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 12177–12203, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12177-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12177-2016, 2016
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The seasonal variability of the aerosol optical, microphysical and radiative properties at three insular sites in the western Mediterranean Basin is presented. The main drivers of the observed annual cycles and NE–SW gradients are mineral dust outbreaks in summer and European continental aerosols in spring. The lack of NE–W gradients of some aerosol properties is attributed to a homogeneous spatial distribution of the fine particle load and absorption low values in the southwesternmost site.
Claudia Di Biagio, Paola Formenti, Lionel Doppler, Cécile Gaimoz, Noel Grand, Gerard Ancellet, Jean-Luc Attié, Silvia Bucci, Philippe Dubuisson, Federico Fierli, Marc Mallet, and François Ravetta
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 10591–10607, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-10591-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-10591-2016, 2016
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Pollution aerosols strongly influence the composition of the Western Mediterranean, but at present little is known on their optical properties. Here, we report observations of pollution aerosols measured during the TRAQA airborne campaign in summer 2012. Data from this study indicate a large variability of the absorption for pollution particles. This variability strongly influences their direct radiative effect, with possible consequences on the hydrological cycle in this part of the basin.
Jean-Baptiste Renard, François Dulac, Gwenaël Berthet, Thibaut Lurton, Damien Vignelles, Fabrice Jégou, Thierry Tonnelier, Matthieu Jeannot, Benoit Couté, Rony Akiki, Nicolas Verdier, Marc Mallet, François Gensdarmes, Patrick Charpentier, Samuel Mesmin, Vincent Duverger, Jean-Charles Dupont, Thierry Elias, Vincent Crenn, Jean Sciare, Paul Zieger, Matthew Salter, Tjarda Roberts, Jérôme Giacomoni, Matthieu Gobbi, Eric Hamonou, Haraldur Olafsson, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserova, Claude Camy-Peyret, Christophe Mazel, Thierry Décamps, Martin Piringer, Jérémy Surcin, and Daniel Daugeron
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 3673–3686, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-3673-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-3673-2016, 2016
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We illustrate the first Light Optical Aerosol Counter (LOAC) airborne results obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a variety of scientific balloons: tethered balloons deployed in urban environments, pressurized balloons drifting in the lower troposphere over the western Mediterranean during the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx), and meteorological sounding balloons launched in the western Mediterranean region and in the south-west of France.
Julie Vincent, Benoit Laurent, Rémi Losno, Elisabeth Bon Nguyen, Pierre Roullet, Stéphane Sauvage, Servanne Chevaillier, Patrice Coddeville, Noura Ouboulmane, Alcide Giorgio di Sarra, Antonio Tovar-Sánchez, Damiano Sferlazzo, Ana Massanet, Sylvain Triquet, Rafael Morales Baquero, Michel Fornier, Cyril Coursier, Karine Desboeufs, François Dulac, and Gilles Bergametti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8749–8766, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8749-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8749-2016, 2016
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To investigate dust deposition dynamics at the regional scale, five automatic deposition collectors named CARAGA have been deployed in the western Mediterranean basin (Lampedusa, Majorca, Corsica, Frioul and Le Casset) during 1 to 3 years depending on the station. Complementary observations provided by both satellite and air mass trajectories are used to identify the dust provenance areas and the transport pathways from the Sahara to the stations for the studied period.
María José Granados-Muñoz, Francisco Navas-Guzmán, Juan Luis Guerrero-Rascado, Juan Antonio Bravo-Aranda, Ioannis Binietoglou, Sergio Nepomuceno Pereira, Sara Basart, José María Baldasano, Livio Belegante, Anatoli Chaikovsky, Adolfo Comerón, Giuseppe D'Amico, Oleg Dubovik, Luka Ilic, Panos Kokkalis, Constantino Muñoz-Porcar, Slobodan Nickovic, Doina Nicolae, Francisco José Olmo, Alexander Papayannis, Gelsomina Pappalardo, Alejandro Rodríguez, Kerstin Schepanski, Michaël Sicard, Ana Vukovic, Ulla Wandinger, François Dulac, and Lucas Alados-Arboledas
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 7043–7066, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7043-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7043-2016, 2016
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This study provides a detailed overview of the Mediterranean region regarding aerosol microphysical properties during the ChArMEx/EMEP campaign in July 2012. An in-depth analysis of the horizontal, vertical, and temporal dimensions is performed using LIRIC, proving the algorithm's ability in automated retrieval of microphysical property profiles within a network. A validation of four dust models is included, obtaining fair good agreement, especially for the vertical distribution of the aerosol.
Jean-Baptiste Renard, François Dulac, Gwenaël Berthet, Thibaut Lurton, Damien Vignelles, Fabrice Jégou, Thierry Tonnelier, Matthieu Jeannot, Benoit Couté, Rony Akiki, Nicolas Verdier, Marc Mallet, François Gensdarmes, Patrick Charpentier, Samuel Mesmin, Vincent Duverger, Jean-Charles Dupont, Thierry Elias, Vincent Crenn, Jean Sciare, Paul Zieger, Matthew Salter, Tjarda Roberts, Jérôme Giacomoni, Matthieu Gobbi, Eric Hamonou, Haraldur Olafsson, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserova, Claude Camy-Peyret, Christophe Mazel, Thierry Décamps, Martin Piringer, Jérémy Surcin, and Daniel Daugeron
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 1721–1742, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-1721-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-1721-2016, 2016
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LOAC is a light aerosols counter for performing measurements at the surface and under all kinds of atmospheric balloons. LOAC performs observations at two scattering angles. The first one at 12° is insensitive to the refractive index of the particles; the second one at 60° is strongly sensitive to the refractive index. By combining the measurements, it is possible to retrieve the size distribution between 0.2 and 100 micrometeres and to estimate the nature of the dominant particles.
Gerard Ancellet, Jacques Pelon, Julien Totems, Patrick Chazette, Ariane Bazureau, Michaël Sicard, Tatiana Di Iorio, Francois Dulac, and Marc Mallet
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4725–4742, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4725-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4725-2016, 2016
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A multi-lidar analysis conducted in the Mediterranean basin compares the impact of the long-range transport of North American biomass burning aerosols with the role of frequently observed Saharan dust outbreaks. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the potential North American aerosol sources, their transport to Europe and the mixing of different aerosol sources, using simulations of a particle dispersion model and lidar measurements of the aerosol optical properties.
S. Mailler, L. Menut, A. G. di Sarra, S. Becagli, T. Di Iorio, B. Bessagnet, R. Briant, P. Formenti, J.-F. Doussin, J. L. Gómez-Amo, M. Mallet, G. Rea, G. Siour, D. M. Sferlazzo, R. Traversi, R. Udisti, and S. Turquety
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 1219–1244, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1219-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1219-2016, 2016
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We studied the impact of aerosols on tropospheric photolysis rates at Lampedusa during the CharMEx/ADRIMED campaign in June 2013. It is shown by using the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model (CTM) as well as in situ and remote-sensing measurements that taking into account the radiative effect of the tropospheric aerosols improves the ability of the model to reproduce the observed photolysis rates. It is hence important for CTMs to include the radiative effect of aerosols on photochemistry.
C. Denjean, F. Cassola, A. Mazzino, S. Triquet, S. Chevaillier, N. Grand, T. Bourrianne, G. Momboisse, K. Sellegri, A. Schwarzenbock, E. Freney, M. Mallet, and P. Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 1081–1104, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1081-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1081-2016, 2016
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This study investigates the size distribution, chemical composition, and optical properties of Saharan mineral dust transported over the western Mediterranean using in situ measurements collected from aircraft. Their variability due to altitude, time of transport, and mixing rate with pollution particles are discussed. We found moderate light absorption of the dust plumes even in the presence of pollution particles and the persistence of large dust particles after transport in the Mediterranean.
M. Mallet, F. Dulac, P. Formenti, P. Nabat, J. Sciare, G. Roberts, J. Pelon, G. Ancellet, D. Tanré, F. Parol, C. Denjean, G. Brogniez, A. di Sarra, L. Alados-Arboledas, J. Arndt, F. Auriol, L. Blarel, T. Bourrianne, P. Chazette, S. Chevaillier, M. Claeys, B. D'Anna, Y. Derimian, K. Desboeufs, T. Di Iorio, J.-F. Doussin, P. Durand, A. Féron, E. Freney, C. Gaimoz, P. Goloub, J. L. Gómez-Amo, M. J. Granados-Muñoz, N. Grand, E. Hamonou, I. Jankowiak, M. Jeannot, J.-F. Léon, M. Maillé, S. Mailler, D. Meloni, L. Menut, G. Momboisse, J. Nicolas, T. Podvin, V. Pont, G. Rea, J.-B. Renard, L. Roblou, K. Schepanski, A. Schwarzenboeck, K. Sellegri, M. Sicard, F. Solmon, S. Somot, B Torres, J. Totems, S. Triquet, N. Verdier, C. Verwaerde, F. Waquet, J. Wenger, and P. Zapf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 455–504, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-455-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-455-2016, 2016
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The aim of this article is to present an experimental campaign over the Mediterranean focused on aerosol-radiation measurements and modeling. Results indicate an important atmospheric loading associated with a moderate absorbing ability of mineral dust. Observations suggest a complex vertical structure and size distributions characterized by large aerosols within dust plumes. The radiative effect is highly variable, with negative forcing over the Mediterranean and positive over northern Africa.
C. Di Biagio, L. Doppler, C. Gaimoz, N. Grand, G. Ancellet, J.-C. Raut, M. Beekmann, A. Borbon, K. Sartelet, J.-L. Attié, F. Ravetta, and P. Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 9611–9630, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-9611-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-9611-2015, 2015
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Observations from this study indicate that continental pollution largely affects the atmospheric composition and structure of the western Mediterranean basin. Pollution plumes reach 3000-4000 m in altitude and present a very complex and highly stratified structure, characterized by fresh and aged layers both in the boundary layer and in the free troposphere. Also we report the observations of high levels of ultrafine particles over the basin, possibly linked to new particle formation events.
C. L. Ryder, J. B. McQuaid, C. Flamant, P. D. Rosenberg, R. Washington, H. E. Brindley, E. J. Highwood, J. H. Marsham, D. J. Parker, M. C. Todd, J. R. Banks, J. K. Brooke, S. Engelstaedter, V. Estelles, P. Formenti, L. Garcia-Carreras, C. Kocha, F. Marenco, H. Sodemann, C. J. T. Allen, A. Bourdon, M. Bart, C. Cavazos-Guerra, S. Chevaillier, J. Crosier, E. Darbyshire, A. R. Dean, J. R. Dorsey, J. Kent, D. O'Sullivan, K. Schepanski, K. Szpek, J. Trembath, and A. Woolley
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 8479–8520, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-8479-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-8479-2015, 2015
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Measurements of the Saharan atmosphere and of atmospheric mineral dust are lacking but are vital to our understanding of the climate of this region and their impacts further afield. Novel observations were made by the Fennec climate programme during June 2011 and 2012 using ground-based, remote sensing and airborne platforms. Here we describe the airborne observations and the contributions they have made to furthering our understanding of the Saharan climate system.
L. Menut, S. Mailler, G. Siour, B. Bessagnet, S. Turquety, G. Rea, R. Briant, M. Mallet, J. Sciare, P. Formenti, and F. Meleux
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 6159–6182, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6159-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6159-2015, 2015
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The ozone and aerosol concentration variability is studied over the Euro-Mediterranean area during the months of June and July 2013 and in the framework of the ADRIMED project. A first analysis is performed using meteorological variables, ozone and aerosol concentrations using routine network station, satellite and specific ADRIMED project airborne measurements. This analysis is complemented by modeling using the WRF and CHIMERE regional models.
J.-F. Léon, P. Augustin, M. Mallet, T. Bourrianne, V. Pont, F. Dulac, M. Fourmentin, D. Lambert, and B. Sauvage
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-15-9507-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-15-9507-2015, 2015
Preprint withdrawn
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This paper presents the aerosol vertical distribution observed by lidar soundings in Corsica (western Mediterranean) between February 2012 and August 2013. A seasonal cycle is observed in the extinction coefficient profiles and aerosol optical thickness with minima in winter and maxima in spring-summer. Less than 10% of the daily observations show high AOD corresponding to the large-scale advection of desert dust from Northern Africa or pollution aerosols from Europe.
C. Denjean, P. Formenti, B. Picquet-Varrault, E. Pangui, P. Zapf, Y. Katrib, C. Giorio, A. Tapparo, A. Monod, B. Temime-Roussel, P. Decorse, C. Mangeney, and J. F. Doussin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 3339–3358, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3339-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3339-2015, 2015
P. Nabat, S. Somot, M. Mallet, M. Michou, F. Sevault, F. Driouech, D. Meloni, A. di Sarra, C. Di Biagio, P. Formenti, M. Sicard, J.-F. Léon, and M.-N. Bouin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 3303–3326, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3303-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3303-2015, 2015
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This paper uses an original approach based on a coupled regional aerosol--atmosphere--ocean model to study the dust radiative effects over the Mediterranean in summer 2012. After an evaluation of the prognostic aerosol scheme, the dust aerosol daily variability is shown to improve the simulated surface radiation and temperature at the daily scale. It has also a significant impact on the summer average, thus highlighting the importance of a relevant representation of aerosols in climate models.
J.-B. Renard, F. Dulac, G. Berthet, T. Lurton, D. Vignelles, F. Jégou, T. Tonnelier, C. Thaury, M. Jeannot, B. Couté, R. Akiki, J.-L. Mineau, N. Verdier, M. Mallet, F. Gensdarmes, P. Charpentier, S. Mesmin, V. Duverger, J.-C. Dupont, T. Elias, V. Crenn, J. Sciare, J. Giacomoni, M. Gobbi, E. Hamonou, H. Olafsson, P. Dagsson-Waldhauserova, C. Camy-Peyret, C. Mazel, T. Décamps, M. Piringer, J. Surcin, and D. Daugeron
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amtd-8-1203-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amtd-8-1203-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript not accepted
J.-B. Renard, F. Dulac, G. Berthet, T. Lurton, D. Vignelle, F. Jégou, T. Tonnelier, C. Thaury, M. Jeannot, B. Couté, R. Akiki, J.-L. Mineau, N. Verdier, M. Mallet, F. Gensdarmes, P. Charpentier, S. Mesmin, V. Duverger, J.-C. Dupont, T. Elias, V. Crenn, J. Sciare, J. Giacomoni, M. Gobbi, E. Hamonou, H. Olafsson, P. Dagsson-Waldhauserova, C. Camy-Peyret, C. Mazel, T. Décamps, M. Piringer, J. Surcin, and D. Daugeron
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amtd-8-1261-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amtd-8-1261-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript not accepted
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We present exemples of measurements obtained by the new light optical aerosol counter LOAC. The measurement were conducted from different kinds of balloons in the troposphre and stratosphere.
C. Denjean, P. Formenti, B. Picquet-Varrault, M. Camredon, E. Pangui, P. Zapf, Y. Katrib, C. Giorio, A. Tapparo, B. Temime-Roussel, A. Monod, B. Aumont, and J. F. Doussin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 883–897, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-883-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-883-2015, 2015
Y. Wang, K. N. Sartelet, M. Bocquet, P. Chazette, M. Sicard, G. D'Amico, J. F. Léon, L. Alados-Arboledas, A. Amodeo, P. Augustin, J. Bach, L. Belegante, I. Binietoglou, X. Bush, A. Comerón, H. Delbarre, D. García-Vízcaino, J. L. Guerrero-Rascado, M. Hervo, M. Iarlori, P. Kokkalis, D. Lange, F. Molero, N. Montoux, A. Muñoz, C. Muñoz, D. Nicolae, A. Papayannis, G. Pappalardo, J. Preissler, V. Rizi, F. Rocadenbosch, K. Sellegri, F. Wagner, and F. Dulac
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 12031–12053, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12031-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12031-2014, 2014
C. Di Biagio, H. Boucher, S. Caquineau, S. Chevaillier, J. Cuesta, and P. Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 11093–11116, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-11093-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-11093-2014, 2014
C. Guieu, C. Ridame, E. Pulido-Villena, M. Bressac, K. Desboeufs, and F. Dulac
Biogeosciences, 11, 5621–5635, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5621-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5621-2014, 2014
P. Formenti, S. Caquineau, K. Desboeufs, A. Klaver, S. Chevaillier, E. Journet, and J. L. Rajot
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 10663–10686, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-10663-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-10663-2014, 2014
L. Menut, S. Mailler, G. Siour, B. Bessagnet, S. Turquety, G. Rea, R. Briant, M. Mallet, J. Sciare, and P. Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-14-23075-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-14-23075-2014, 2014
Revised manuscript not accepted
C. Aghnatios, R. Losno, and F. Dulac
Biogeosciences, 11, 4627–4633, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4627-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4627-2014, 2014
C. Guieu, F. Dulac, C. Ridame, and P. Pondaven
Biogeosciences, 11, 425–442, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-425-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-425-2014, 2014
C. Denjean, P. Formenti, B. Picquet-Varrault, Y. Katrib, E. Pangui, P. Zapf, and J. F. Doussin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 183–197, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-183-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-183-2014, 2014
M. Mallet, O. Dubovik, P. Nabat, F. Dulac, R. Kahn, J. Sciare, D. Paronis, and J. F. Léon
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 9195–9210, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9195-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9195-2013, 2013
A. Waked, C. Seigneur, F. Couvidat, Y. Kim, K. Sartelet, C. Afif, A. Borbon, P. Formenti, and S. Sauvage
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 5873–5886, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-5873-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-5873-2013, 2013
P. Nabat, S. Somot, M. Mallet, I. Chiapello, J. J. Morcrette, F. Solmon, S. Szopa, F. Dulac, W. Collins, S. Ghan, L. W. Horowitz, J. F. Lamarque, Y. H. Lee, V. Naik, T. Nagashima, D. Shindell, and R. Skeie
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 1287–1314, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-1287-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-1287-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Remote Sensing | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Atmospheric processing and aerosol aging responsible for observed increase in absorptivity of long-range-transported smoke over the southeast Atlantic
Discussion of the spectral slope of the lidar ratio between 355 and 1064 nm from multiwavelength Raman lidar observations
Observational constraints suggest a smaller effective radiative forcing from aerosol–cloud interactions
Analysis of a saline dust storm from the Aralkum Desert – Part 1: Consistency between multisensor satellite aerosol products
Retrieval of microphysical properties of dust aerosols from extinction, backscattering and depolarization lidar measurements using various particle scattering models
Fluorescence spectra of atmospheric aerosols
All-Sky Direct Aerosol Radiative Effects Estimated from Integrated A-Train Satellite Measurements
Invisible aerosol layers: improved lidar detection capabilities by means of laser-induced aerosol fluorescence
Wildfires heat the middle troposphere over the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau during the peak of fire season
Characterization of aerosol optical depth (AOD) anomalies in September and October 2022 over Skukuza in South Africa
Technical note: Evolution of convective boundary layer height estimated by Ka-band continuous millimeter wave radar at Wuhan in central China
Evolution of aerosol optical depth over China in 2010–2024: increasing importance of meteorological influences
Trends in the erythemal radiant exposure from re-evaluated measurements (1976–2023) with biometers at Belsk, Poland, and their sources from corresponding ozone, aerosol, and cloud observations
Fluorescence properties of long-range-transported smoke: insights from five-channel lidar observations over Moscow during the 2023 wildfire season
Lidar estimates of birch pollen number, mass, and CCN-related concentrations
An observational estimate of Arctic UV-absorbing aerosol direct radiative forcing on instantaneous and climatic scales
Distinct effects of fine and coarse aerosols on microphysical processes of shallow-precipitation systems in summer over southern China
Increased number concentrations of small particles explain perceived stagnation in air quality over Korea
Remote-sensing detectability of airborne Arctic dust
Regional transport of aerosols from Northern India and its impact on boundary layer dynamics and air quality over Chennai, a coastal megacity in Southern India
Investigating the link between mineral dust hematite content and intensive optical properties by means of lidar measurements and aerosol modelling
The role of refractive indices in measuring mineral dust with high-spectral-resolution infrared satellite sounders: application to the Gobi Desert
Influence of covariance of aerosol and meteorology on co-located precipitating and non-precipitating clouds over the Indo-Gangetic Plain
Light-absorbing black carbon and brown carbon components of smoke aerosol from DSCOVR EPIC measurements over North America and central Africa
The emission, transport, and impacts of the extreme Saharan dust storm of 2015
California wildfire smoke contributes to a positive atmospheric temperature anomaly over the western United States
Dust storms from the Taklamakan Desert significantly darken snow surface on surrounding mountains
Opposite effects of aerosols and meteorological parameters on warm clouds in two contrasting regions over eastern China
Effect of wind speed on marine aerosol optical properties over remote oceans with use of spaceborne lidar observations
Assessment of smoke plume height products derived from multisource satellite observations using lidar-derived height metrics for wildfires in the western US
A remote sensing algorithm for vertically resolved cloud condensation nuclei number concentrations from airborne and spaceborne lidar observations
Opinion: Aerosol remote sensing over the next 20 years
Monitoring biomass burning aerosol transport using CALIOP observations and reanalysis models: a Canadian wildfire event in 2019
Thermal infrared observations of a western United States biomass burning aerosol plume
A new look into the impacts of dust radiative effects on the energetics of tropical easterly waves
Wind-driven emissions of coarse-mode particles in an urban environment
Measurement report: Dust and anthropogenic aerosols' vertical distributions over northern China dense aerosols gathered at the top of the mixing layer
Climatological assessment of the vertically resolved optical and microphysical aerosol properties by lidar measurements, sun photometer, and in situ observations over 17 years at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) Barcelona
Aerosol optical depth climatology from the high-resolution MAIAC product over Europe: differences between major European cities and their surrounding environments
Impact of assimilating NOAA VIIRS aerosol optical depth (AOD) observations on global AOD analysis from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS)
Spectral dependence of birch and pine pollen optical properties using a synergy of lidar instruments
Validation activities of Aeolus wind products on the southeastern Iberian Peninsula
Thermal infrared dust optical depth and coarse-mode effective diameter over oceans retrieved from collocated MODIS and CALIOP observations
A comprehensive reappraisal of long-term aerosol characteristics, trends, and variability in Asia
Satellite (GOSAT-2 CAI-2) retrieval and surface (ARFINET) observations of aerosol black carbon over India
Spatiotemporal variation characteristics of global fires and their emissions
The (mis)identification of high-latitude dust events using remote sensing methods in the Yukon, Canada: a sub-daily variability analysis
Comparison of dust optical depth from multi-sensor products and MONARCH (Multiscale Online Non-hydrostatic AtmospheRe CHemistry) dust reanalysis over North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe
Understanding day–night differences in dust aerosols over the dust belt of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia
Satellite observations of smoke–cloud–radiation interactions over the Amazon rainforest
Abdulamid A. Fakoya, Jens Redemann, Pablo E. Saide, Lan Gao, Logan T. Mitchell, Calvin Howes, Amie Dobracki, Ian Chang, Gonzalo A. Ferrada, Kristina Pistone, Samuel E. Leblanc, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Thomas Eck, Brent Holben, Pawan Gupta, Elena Lind, Paquita Zuidema, Gregory Carmichael, and Connor J. Flynn
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7879–7902, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7879-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7879-2025, 2025
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Tiny atmospheric particles from wildfire smoke impact the climate by interacting with sunlight and clouds, the extent of which is uncertain due to gaps in understanding how smoke changes over time. We developed a new method using remote sensing instruments to track how these particles evolve during atmospheric transport. Our results show that the ability of these particles to absorb sunlight increases as they travel. This discovery could help improve predictions of future climate scenarios.
Moritz Haarig, Ronny Engelmann, Holger Baars, Benedikt Gast, Dietrich Althausen, and Albert Ansmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7741–7763, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7741-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7741-2025, 2025
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The lidar ratio is an important quantity in aerosol typing. Its spectral slope contains information about the source region or transport paths of the observed aerosol. The extension to 1064 nm is a recent development led by our institute. We gathered previous observations and added new ones to provide the spectral slope for the most important aerosol types such as marine and continental aerosol, dust, smoke, and sulfate. We compared it to assumptions used for spaceborne backscatter lidars.
Chanyoung Park, Brian J. Soden, Ryan J. Kramer, Tristan S. L'Ecuyer, and Haozhe He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7299–7313, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7299-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7299-2025, 2025
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This study addresses the long-standing challenge of quantifying the impact of aerosol–cloud interactions. Using satellite observations, reanalysis data, and a "perfect-model" cross-validation, we show that explicitly accounting for aerosol–cloud droplet activation rates is key to accurately estimating ERFaci (effective radiative forcing due to aerosol–cloud interactions). Our results indicate a smaller and less uncertain ERFaci than previously assessed, implying the reduced role of aerosol–cloud interactions in shaping climate sensitivity.
Xin Xi, Jun Wang, Zhendong Lu, Andrew M. Sayer, Jaehwa Lee, Robert C. Levy, Yujie Wang, Alexei Lyapustin, Hongqing Liu, Istvan Laszlo, Changwoo Ahn, Omar Torres, Sabur Abdullaev, James Limbacher, and Ralph A. Kahn
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7403–7429, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7403-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7403-2025, 2025
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The Aralkum Desert is challenging for aerosol retrieval due to its bright, heterogeneous, and dynamic surfaces and the lack of in situ constraints on aerosol properties. The performance and consistency of satellite algorithms in observing Aralkum-generated saline dust remain unknown. This study compares multisensor UVAI (ultraviolet aerosol index), AOD (aerosol optical depth), and ALH (aerosol layer height) products and reveals inconsistencies and potential biases over the Aral Sea basin.
Yuyang Chang, Qiaoyun Hu, Philippe Goloub, Thierry Podvin, Igor Veselovskii, Fabrice Ducos, Gaël Dubois, Masanori Saito, Anton Lopatin, Oleg Dubovik, and Cheng Chen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 6787–6821, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6787-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6787-2025, 2025
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Our study retrieved dust aerosol microphysical properties from lidar measurements using different scattering models. Numeric simulations and real data applications revealed the importance of considering depolarization measurements and the superiority of the irregular–hexahedral model in the retrieval of dust aerosols from lidar measurements.
Jens Reichardt, Felix Lauermann, and Oliver Behrendt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5857–5892, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5857-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5857-2025, 2025
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Optical remote sensing systems, so-called lidars, are used to learn more about aerosols, which play an important role in atmospheric processes. The present study demonstrates that lidars, which measure the backscattering behavior of aerosols over the entire visible wavelength range, can increase our knowledge of the spatial and temporal occurrence of aerosol layers, the type of aerosol, and their interaction with clouds. The focus of the publication is on wildfire aerosol and Saharan dust.
Meloë S. F. Kacenelenbogen, Ralph Kuehn, Nandana Amarasinghe, Kerry Meyer, Edward Nowottnick, Mark Vaughan, Hong Chen, Sebastian Schmidt, Richard Ferrare, John Hair, Robert Levy, Hongbin Yu, Paquita Zuidema, Robert Holz, and Willem Marais
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1403, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1403, 2025
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Aerosols perturb the radiation balance of the Earth-atmosphere system. To reduce the uncertainty in quantifying present-day climate change, we combine two satellite sensors and a model to assess the aerosol effects on radiation in all-sky conditions. Satellite-based and coincident aircraft measurements of aerosol radiative effects agree well over the Southeast Atlantic. This constitutes a crucial first evaluation before we apply our method to more years and regions of the world.
Benedikt Gast, Cristofer Jimenez, Albert Ansmann, Moritz Haarig, Ronny Engelmann, Felix Fritzsch, Athena A. Floutsi, Hannes Griesche, Kevin Ohneiser, Julian Hofer, Martin Radenz, Holger Baars, Patric Seifert, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3995–4011, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3995-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3995-2025, 2025
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In this study, we discuss the enhanced detection capabilities of a fluorescence lidar in the case of optically thin aerosol layers in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region. Our results suggest that such thin aerosol layers are not so rare in the UTLS and can potentially trigger and impact cirrus cloud formation through heterogeneous ice nucleation. By altering the microphysical cloud properties, this could affect clouds' evolution and lifetime and thus their climate effect.
Qiaomin Pei, Chuanfeng Zhao, Yikun Yang, Annan Chen, Zhiyuan Cong, Xin Wan, Haotian Zhang, and Guangming Wu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1172, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1172, 2025
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This study investigates smoke's impact on atmospheric warming over the Himalayan and Tibetan Plateau (HTP) using MODIS fire data, ground-based and satellite aerosol observations, and model simulations. It finds that smoke aerosols – predominantly concentrated between 6 and 8 km in the mid-troposphere over southern HTP – likely alter regional atmospheric stability by modifying the vertical temperature profile, as indicated by a reduced lapse rate.
Marion Ranaivombola, Nelson Bègue, Lucas Vaz Peres, Farahnaz Fazel-Rastgar, Venkataraman Sivakumar, Gisèle Krysztofiak, Gwenaël Berthet, Fabrice Jegou, Stuart Piketh, and Hassan Bencherif
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3519–3540, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3519-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3519-2025, 2025
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From September to October 2022, the Biomass Burning Aerosol Campaign (BiBAC) in Kruger National Park revealed a significant aerosol loading linked to biomass burning activity, with southeastward transport over southern Africa and the southwestern Indian Ocean (SWIO) basin. The study revealed a predominance of biomass burning aerosols and two distinct transport mechanisms of aerosol plumes and CO, underscoring the importance of east-coast observations in understanding atmospheric dynamics.
Zirui Zhang, Kaiming Huang, Fan Yi, Wei Cheng, Fuchao Liu, Jian Zhang, and Yue Jia
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3347–3361, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3347-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3347-2025, 2025
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The height of the convective boundary layer (CBLH) is related to our health due to its crucial role in pollutant dispersion. The variance of vertical velocity from millimeter wave cloud radar (MMCR) can accurately capture the diurnal evolution of the CBLH, due to a small blind range and less impact by the residual layer. The CBLH is affected by radiation, humidity, cloud, and precipitation; thus, the MMCR is suitable for monitoring the CBLH, owing to its observation capability in various weather conditions.
Cheng Fan, Gerrit de Leeuw, Xiaoxi Yan, Jiantao Dong, Hanqing Kang, Chengwei Fang, Zhengqiang Li, and Ying Zhang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-880, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-880, 2025
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This study describes the analysis of time series of the MODIS-derived Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) over China between 2010 and 2024. Emission reduction policy has been effective in reducing the AOD until 2018. Thereafter the overall reduction until the end of the study was very small due to unfavorable meteorological factors cancelling favorable anthropogenic effects which resulted in AOD increase during extended periods. The variations over different areas in China are discussed.
Agnieszka Czerwińska, Janusz Krzyścin, Janusz Jarosławski, Piotr S. Sobolewski, and Aleksander Pietruczuk
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1129, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1129, 2025
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Excessive levels of ultraviolet solar radiation at the Earth's surface have been linked to several types of skin cancer. The world's longest record of solar radiation intensities causing harmful skin redness comes from observations at Belsk, Poland, between 1976 and 2023. In this century, the intensity of such radiation is stable, but 15 % higher than in the 1970s. This trend is due to the combined effects of a decrease in stratospheric ozone and an increase in cloud transparency before 2000.
Igor Veselovskii, Mikhail Korenskiy, Nikita Kasianik, Boris Barchunov, Qiaoyun Hu, Philippe Goloub, and Thierry Podvin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1603–1615, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1603-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1603-2025, 2025
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A fluorescence lidar was used to study transported Canadian smoke in May–September 2023. The fluorescence measurements were taken at five wavelengths. The results revealed that fluorescence capacity increases with altitude, suggesting a higher concentration of organic compounds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere than in the lower troposphere. The fluorescence spectra peaked in the 513 and 560 nm channels in smoke layers but decreased with wavelength in urban aerosols.
Maria Filioglou, Petri Tiitta, Xiaoxia Shang, Ari Leskinen, Pasi Ahola, Sanna Pätsi, Annika Saarto, Ville Vakkari, Uula Isopahkala, and Mika Komppula
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1639–1657, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1639-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1639-2025, 2025
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Every year a vast number of people experience allergic reactions due to exposure to airborne pollen. These symptoms are concentration dependent; thus accurate information about the pollen load in the atmosphere is essential. Moreover, pollen grains and fragments of it are likely to contribute to cloud processes and suppress precipitation. Here, we estimate the concentration and cloud-relevant parameters of birch pollen in the atmosphere using observations from a PollyXT and a CL61 ceilometer.
Blake T. Sorenson, Jianglong Zhang, Jeffrey S. Reid, and Peng Xian
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-80, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-80, 2025
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Plumes of wildfire smoke in the Arctic affect the Arctic radiative budget. Using a neural network and observations from satellite-based sensors, we analyzed the direct radiative forcing of smoke particles on the Arctic climate and estimated long-term forcing trends. Strong negative trends in aerosol direct radiative forcing were found in northern Russia and Canada, with positive trends found over parts of the Arctic Ocean. Overall, smoke plumes may act to counter future Arctic warming.
Fengjiao Chen, Yuanjian Yang, Lu Yu, Yang Li, Weiguang Liu, Yan Liu, and Simone Lolli
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1587–1601, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1587-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1587-2025, 2025
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The microphysical mechanisms of precipitation responsible for the varied impacts of aerosol particles on shallow precipitation remain unclear. This study reveals that coarse aerosol particles invigorate shallow rainfall through enhanced coalescence processes, whereas fine aerosol particles suppress shallow rainfall through intensified microphysical breaks. These impacts are independent of thermodynamic environments but are more significant in low-humidity conditions.
Sohee Joo, Juseon Shin, Matthias Tesche, Naghmeh Dehkhoda, Taegyeong Kim, and Youngmin Noh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1023–1036, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1023-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1023-2025, 2025
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In our study, we investigated why, in northeast Asia, visibility has not improved even though air pollution levels have decreased. By examining trends in Seoul and Ulsan, we found that the particles in the air are getting smaller, which scatters light more effectively and reduces how far we can see. Our findings suggest that changes in particle properties adversely affected public perception of air quality improvement even though the PM2.5 mass concentration is continuously decreasing.
Norman T. O'Neill, Keyvan Ranjbar, Liviu Ivănescu, Yann Blanchard, Seyed Ali Sayedain, and Yasmin AboEl-Fetouh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 27–44, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-27-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-27-2025, 2025
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Dust from mid-latitude deserts or from local drainage basins is a weak component of atmospheric aerosols in the Arctic. Satellite-based dust estimates are often overestimated because dust and cloud measurements can be confused. Illustrations are given with an emphasis on the flawed claim that a classic indicator of dust (negative brightness temperature differences) is proof of the presence of airborne Arctic dust. Low-altitude warm-water plumes are the likely source of such negative values.
Saleem Ali, Chandan Sarangi, and Sanjay Kumar Mehta
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3093, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3093, 2024
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The pollutants over Northern India are transported towards South India under the influence of the prevalent wind system, especially during winter. This long-range transport induces a widespread haziness over southern India, lasting for days. We evaluated the occurrence of such transport episodes over south India using observational methods and found that it suppresses the boundary layer height by ~38 % compared to the clear days while exacerbating the surface pollution by ~30–35 %.
Sofía Gómez Maqueo Anaya, Dietrich Althausen, Julian Hofer, Moritz Haarig, Ulla Wandinger, Bernd Heinold, Ina Tegen, Matthias Faust, Holger Baars, Albert Ansmann, Ronny Engelmann, Annett Skupin, Birgit Heese, and Kerstin Schepanski
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3159, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3159, 2024
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This study investigates how hematite (an iron oxide mineral) in the Saharan Desert dust affects how dust particles interact with radiation. Using lidar data from Cabo Verde (2021–2022) and hematite content from atmospheric model simulations, the results show that higher hematite fraction leads to stronger particle backscattering at specific wavelengths. These findings can improve the representaiton of mineral dust in climate models, particularly regarding their radiative effect.
Perla Alalam, Fabrice Ducos, and Hervé Herbin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12277–12294, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12277-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12277-2024, 2024
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This study dives into the impact of mineral dust laboratory complex refractive indices (CRIs) on quantifying the dust microphysical properties using satellite infrared remote sensing. Results show that using CRIs obtained by advanced realistic techniques can improve the accuracy of these measurements, emphasizing the importance of choosing the suitable CRI in atmospheric models. This improvement is crucial for better predicting the dust radiative effect and impact on the climate.
Nabia Gulistan, Khan Alam, and Yangang Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11333–11349, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11333-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11333-2024, 2024
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This study looks at the influence of aerosol and meteorology on precipitating and non-precipitating clouds over the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). A major finding of this study was that the high loading of aerosols led to a high occurrence of precipitating clouds under unstable conditions in summer. The study has the potential to open a new avenue for the scientific community to further explore and understand the complications of aerosol–cloud–precipitation over the complex topography of the IGP.
Myungje Choi, Alexei Lyapustin, Gregory L. Schuster, Sujung Go, Yujie Wang, Sergey Korkin, Ralph Kahn, Jeffrey S. Reid, Edward J. Hyer, Thomas F. Eck, Mian Chin, David J. Diner, Olga Kalashnikova, Oleg Dubovik, Jhoon Kim, and Hans Moosmüller
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10543–10565, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10543-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10543-2024, 2024
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This paper introduces a retrieval algorithm to estimate two key absorbing components in smoke (black carbon and brown carbon) using DSCOVR EPIC measurements. Our analysis reveals distinct smoke properties, including spectral absorption, layer height, and black carbon and brown carbon, over North America and central Africa. The retrieved smoke properties offer valuable observational constraints for modeling radiative forcing and informing health-related studies.
Brian Harr, Bing Pu, and Qinjian Jin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8625–8651, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8625-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8625-2024, 2024
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We found that the formation of the extreme trans-Atlantic African dust event in June 2015 was associated with a brief surge in dust emissions over western North Africa and extreme circulation patterns, including intensified easterly jets, which facilitated the westward transport of dust. The dust plume modified radiative flux along its transport pathway but had minor impacts on air quality in the US due to the record-high Caribbean low-level jet advecting part of the plume to the Pacific.
James L. Gomez, Robert J. Allen, and King-Fai Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6937–6963, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6937-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6937-2024, 2024
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Wildfires in California (CA) have grown very large during the past 20 years. These fires emit sunlight-absorbing aerosols. Analyzing observational data, our study finds that aerosols emitted from large fires in northern CA spread throughout CA and Nevada and heat the atmosphere. This heating is consistent with larger-than-normal temperatures and dry conditions. Further study is needed to determine how much the aerosols heat the atmosphere and whether they are drying the atmosphere as well.
Yuxuan Xing, Yang Chen, Shirui Yan, Xiaoyi Cao, Yong Zhou, Xueying Zhang, Tenglong Shi, Xiaoying Niu, Dongyou Wu, Jiecan Cui, Yue Zhou, Xin Wang, and Wei Pu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5199–5219, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5199-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5199-2024, 2024
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This study investigated the impact of dust storms from the Taklamakan Desert on surrounding high mountains and regional radiation balance. Using satellite data and simulations, researchers found that dust storms significantly darken the snow surface in the Tien Shan, Kunlun, and Qilian mountains, reaching mountains up to 1000 km away. This darkening occurs not only in spring but also during summer and autumn, leading to increased absorption of solar radiation.
Yuqin Liu, Tao Lin, Jiahua Zhang, Fu Wang, Yiyi Huang, Xian Wu, Hong Ye, Guoqin Zhang, Xin Cao, and Gerrit de Leeuw
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4651–4673, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4651-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4651-2024, 2024
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A new method, the geographical detector method (GDM), has been applied to satellite data, in addition to commonly used statistical methods, to study the sensitivity of cloud properties to aerosol over China. Different constraints for aerosol and cloud liquid water path apply over polluted and clean areas. The GDM shows that cloud parameters are more sensitive to combinations of parameters than to individual parameters, but confounding effects due to co-variation of parameters cannot be excluded.
Kangwen Sun, Guangyao Dai, Songhua Wu, Oliver Reitebuch, Holger Baars, Jiqiao Liu, and Suping Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4389–4409, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4389-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4389-2024, 2024
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This paper investigates the correlation between marine aerosol optical properties and wind speeds over remote oceans using the spaceborne lidars ALADIN and CALIOP. Three remote ocean areas are selected. Pure marine aerosol optical properties at 355 nm are derived from ALADIN. The relationships between marine aerosol optical properties and wind speeds are analyzed within and above the marine atmospheric boundary layer, revealing the effect of wind speed on marine aerosols over remote oceans.
Jingting Huang, S. Marcela Loría-Salazar, Min Deng, Jaehwa Lee, and Heather A. Holmes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3673–3698, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3673-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3673-2024, 2024
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Increased wildfire intensity has resulted in taller wildfire smoke plumes. We investigate the vertical structure of wildfire smoke plumes using aircraft lidar data and establish two effective smoke plume height metrics. Four novel satellite-based plume height products are evaluated for wildfires in the western US. Our results provide guidance on the strengths and limitations of these satellite products and set the stage for improved plume rise estimates by leveraging satellite products.
Piyushkumar N. Patel, Jonathan H. Jiang, Ritesh Gautam, Harish Gadhavi, Olga Kalashnikova, Michael J. Garay, Lan Gao, Feng Xu, and Ali Omar
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2861–2883, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2861-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2861-2024, 2024
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Global measurements of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are essential for understanding aerosol–cloud interactions and predicting climate change. To address this gap, we introduced a remote sensing algorithm that retrieves vertically resolved CCN number concentrations from airborne and spaceborne lidar systems. This innovation offers a global distribution of CCN concentrations from space, facilitating model evaluation and precise quantification of aerosol climate forcing.
Lorraine A. Remer, Robert C. Levy, and J. Vanderlei Martins
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2113–2127, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2113-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2113-2024, 2024
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Aerosols are small liquid or solid particles suspended in the atmosphere, including smoke, particulate pollution, dust, and sea salt. Today, we rely on satellites viewing Earth's atmosphere to learn about these particles. Here, we speculate on the future to imagine how satellite viewing of aerosols will change. We expect more public and private satellites with greater capabilities, better ways to infer information from satellites, and merging of data with models.
Xiaoxia Shang, Antti Lipponen, Maria Filioglou, Anu-Maija Sundström, Mark Parrington, Virginie Buchard, Anton S. Darmenov, Ellsworth J. Welton, Eleni Marinou, Vassilis Amiridis, Michael Sicard, Alejandro Rodríguez-Gómez, Mika Komppula, and Tero Mielonen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1329–1344, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1329-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1329-2024, 2024
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In June 2019, smoke particles from a Canadian wildfire event were transported to Europe. The long-range-transported smoke plumes were monitored with a spaceborne lidar and reanalysis models. Based on the aerosol mass concentrations estimated from the observations, the reanalysis models had difficulties in reproducing the amount and location of the smoke aerosols during the transport event. Consequently, more spaceborne lidar missions are needed for reliable monitoring of aerosol plumes.
Blake T. Sorenson, Jeffrey S. Reid, Jianglong Zhang, Robert E. Holz, William L. Smith Sr., and Amanda Gumber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1231–1248, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1231-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1231-2024, 2024
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Smoke particles are typically submicron in size and assumed to have negligible impacts at the thermal infrared spectrum. However, we show that infrared signatures can be observed over dense smoke plumes from satellites. We found that giant particles are unlikely to be the dominant cause. Rather, co-transported water vapor injected to the middle to upper troposphere and surface cooling beneath the plume due to shadowing are significant, with the surface cooling effect being the most dominant.
Farnaz Hosseinpour and Eric M. Wilcox
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 707–724, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-707-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-707-2024, 2024
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This study shows mechanistic relationships between the radiative effect of dust aerosols in the Saharan air layer and the kinetic energy of the African easterly waves across the tropical Atlantic Ocean using 22 years of daily satellite observations and reanalysis data based on satellite assimilation. Our findings suggest that dust aerosols not merely are transported by these waves but also contribute to the growth of waves through the enhancement of diabatic heating induced by dust.
Markus D. Petters, Tyas Pujiastuti, Ajmal Rasheeda Satheesh, Sabin Kasparoglu, Bethany Sutherland, and Nicholas Meskhidze
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 745–762, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-745-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-745-2024, 2024
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This work introduces a new method that uses remote sensing techniques to obtain surface number emissions of particles with a diameter greater than 500 nm. The technique was applied to study particle emissions at an urban site near Houston, TX, USA. The emissions followed a diurnal pattern and peaked near noon local time. The daily averaged emissions correlated with wind speed. The source is likely due to wind-driven erosion of material situated on asphalted and other hard surfaces.
Zhuang Wang, Chune Shi, Hao Zhang, Yujia Chen, Xiyuan Chi, Congzi Xia, Suyao Wang, Yizhi Zhu, Kaidi Zhang, Xintong Chen, Chengzhi Xing, and Cheng Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14271–14292, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14271-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14271-2023, 2023
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The annual cycle of dust and anthropogenic aerosols' vertical distributions was revealed by polarization Raman lidar in Beijing. Anthropogenic aerosols typically accumulate at the top of the mixing layer (ML) due to the hygroscopic growth of atmospheric particles, and this is most significant in summer. There is no significant relationship between bottom dust mass concentration and ML height, while the dust in the upper air tends to be distributed near the mixing layer.
Simone Lolli, Michaël Sicard, Francesco Amato, Adolfo Comeron, Cristina Gíl-Diaz, Tony C. Landi, Constantino Munoz-Porcar, Daniel Oliveira, Federico Dios Otin, Francesc Rocadenbosch, Alejandro Rodriguez-Gomez, Andrés Alastuey, Xavier Querol, and Cristina Reche
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 12887–12906, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12887-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12887-2023, 2023
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We evaluated the long-term trends and seasonal variability of the vertically resolved aerosol properties over the past 17 years in Barcelona. Results shows that air quality is improved, with a consistent drop in PM concentrations at the surface, as well as the column aerosol optical depth. The results also show that natural dust outbreaks are more likely in summer, with aerosols reaching an altitude of 5 km, while in winter, aerosols decay as an exponential with a scale height of 600 m.
Ludovico Di Antonio, Claudia Di Biagio, Gilles Foret, Paola Formenti, Guillaume Siour, Jean-François Doussin, and Matthias Beekmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 12455–12475, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12455-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12455-2023, 2023
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Long-term (2000–2021) 1 km resolution satellite data have been used to investigate the climatological aerosol optical depth (AOD) variability and trends at different scales in Europe. Average enhancements of the local-to-regional AOD ratio at 550 nm of 57 %, 55 %, 39 % and 32 % are found for large metropolitan areas such as Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris and Athens, respectively, suggesting a non-negligible enhancement of the aerosol burden through local emissions.
Sebastien Garrigues, Melanie Ades, Samuel Remy, Johannes Flemming, Zak Kipling, Istvan Laszlo, Mark Parrington, Antje Inness, Roberto Ribas, Luke Jones, Richard Engelen, and Vincent-Henri Peuch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10473–10487, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10473-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10473-2023, 2023
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The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) provides global monitoring of aerosols using the ECMWF forecast model constrained by the assimilation of satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD). This work aims at evaluating the assimilation of the NOAA VIIRS AOD product in the ECMWF model. It shows that the introduction of VIIRS in the CAMS data assimilation system enhances the accuracy of the aerosol analysis, particularly over Europe and desert and maritime sites.
Maria Filioglou, Ari Leskinen, Ville Vakkari, Ewan O'Connor, Minttu Tuononen, Pekko Tuominen, Samuli Laukkanen, Linnea Toiviainen, Annika Saarto, Xiaoxia Shang, Petri Tiitta, and Mika Komppula
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9009–9021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9009-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9009-2023, 2023
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Pollen impacts climate and public health, and it can be detected in the atmosphere by lidars which measure the linear particle depolarization ratio (PDR), a shape-relevant optical parameter. As aerosols also cause depolarization, surface aerosol and pollen observations were combined with measurements from ground-based lidars operating at different wavelengths to determine the optical properties of birch and pine pollen and quantify their relative contribution to the PDR.
Jesús Abril-Gago, Pablo Ortiz-Amezcua, Diego Bermejo-Pantaleón, Juana Andújar-Maqueda, Juan Antonio Bravo-Aranda, María José Granados-Muñoz, Francisco Navas-Guzmán, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, Inmaculada Foyo-Moreno, and Juan Luis Guerrero-Rascado
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8453–8471, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8453-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8453-2023, 2023
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Validation activities of Aeolus wind products were performed in Granada with different upward-probing instrumentation (Doppler lidar system and radiosondes) and spatiotemporal collocation criteria. Specific advantages and disadvantages of each instrument were identified, and an optimal comparison criterion is proposed. Aeolus was proven to provide reliable wind products, and the upward-probing instruments were proven to be useful for Aeolus wind product validation activities.
Jianyu Zheng, Zhibo Zhang, Hongbin Yu, Anne Garnier, Qianqian Song, Chenxi Wang, Claudia Di Biagio, Jasper F. Kok, Yevgeny Derimian, and Claire Ryder
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8271–8304, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8271-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8271-2023, 2023
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We developed a multi-year satellite-based retrieval of dust optical depth at 10 µm and the coarse-mode dust effective diameter over global oceans. It reveals climatological coarse-mode dust transport patterns and regional differences over the North Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the North Pacific.
Shikuan Jin, Yingying Ma, Zhongwei Huang, Jianping Huang, Wei Gong, Boming Liu, Weiyan Wang, Ruonan Fan, and Hui Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8187–8210, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8187-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8187-2023, 2023
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To better understand the Asian aerosol environment, we studied distributions and trends of aerosol with different sizes and types. Over the past 2 decades, dust, sulfate, and sea salt aerosol decreased by 5.51 %, 3.07 %, and 9.80 %, whereas organic carbon and black carbon aerosol increased by 17.09 % and 6.23 %, respectively. The increase in carbonaceous aerosols was a feature of Asia. An exception is found in East Asia, where the carbonaceous aerosols reduced, owing largely to China's efforts.
Mukunda M. Gogoi, S. Suresh Babu, Ryoichi Imasu, and Makiko Hashimoto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8059–8079, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8059-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8059-2023, 2023
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Considering the climate warming potential of atmospheric black carbon (BC), satellite-based retrieval is a novel idea. This study highlights the regional distribution of BC based on observations by the Cloud and Aerosol Imager-2 on board the GOSAT-2 satellite and near-surface measurements of BC in ARFINET. The satellite retrieval fairly depicts the regional and seasonal features of BC over the Indian region, which are similar to those recorded by surface observations.
Hao Fan, Xingchuan Yang, Chuanfeng Zhao, Yikun Yang, and Zhenyao Shen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7781–7798, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7781-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7781-2023, 2023
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Using 20-year multi-source data, this study shows pronounced regional and seasonal variations in fire activities and emissions. Seasonal variability of fires is larger with increasing latitude. The increase in temperature in the Northern Hemisphere's middle- and high-latitude forest regions was primarily responsible for the increase in fires and emissions, while the changes in fire occurrence in tropical regions were more influenced by the decrease in precipitation and relative humidity.
Rosemary Huck, Robert G. Bryant, and James King
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6299–6318, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6299-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6299-2023, 2023
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This study shows that mineral aerosol (dust) emission events in high-latitude areas are under-represented in both ground- and space-based detecting methods. This is done through a suite of ground-based data to prove that dust emissions from the proglacial area, Lhù’ààn Mân, occur almost daily but are not always recorded at different timescales. Dust has multiple effects on atmospheric processes; therefore, accurate quantification is important in the calibration and validation of climate models.
Michail Mytilinaios, Sara Basart, Sergio Ciamprone, Juan Cuesta, Claudio Dema, Enza Di Tomaso, Paola Formenti, Antonis Gkikas, Oriol Jorba, Ralph Kahn, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Serena Trippetta, and Lucia Mona
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5487–5516, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5487-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5487-2023, 2023
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Multiscale Online Non-hydrostatic AtmospheRe CHemistry model (MONARCH) dust reanalysis provides a high-resolution 3D reconstruction of past dust conditions, allowing better quantification of climate and socioeconomic dust impacts. We assess the performance of the reanalysis needed to reproduce dust optical depth using dust-related products retrieved from satellite and ground-based observations and show that it reproduces the spatial distribution and seasonal variability of atmospheric dust well.
Jacob Z. Tindan, Qinjian Jin, and Bing Pu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5435–5466, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5435-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5435-2023, 2023
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We use the Infrared Atmospheric Sounder Interferometer (IASI) retrievals of dust variables (dust optical depth and dust layer height) and surface observations to understand the day- and nighttime variations in dust aerosols over the dust belt. Our results show that daytime dust aerosols are significantly different from nighttime, and such day–night variations are influenced by meteorological factors such as wind speed, precipitation, and turbulent motions within the atmospheric boundary layer.
Ross Herbert and Philip Stier
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 4595–4616, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4595-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4595-2023, 2023
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We provide robust evidence from multiple sources showing that smoke from fires in the Amazon rainforest significantly modifies the diurnal cycle of convection and cools the climate. Low to moderate amounts of smoke increase deep convective clouds and rain, whilst beyond a threshold amount, the smoke starts to suppress the convection and rain. We are currently at this threshold, suggesting increases in fires from agricultural practices or droughts will reduce cloudiness and rain over the region.
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Short summary
The Mediterranean atmosphere is impacted by a variety of particle pollution, which exerts a complex pressure on climate and air quality. We analyze the 2005–2013 POLDER-3 satellite advanced aerosol data set over the Western Mediterranean Sea. Aerosols' spatial distribution and temporal evolution suggests a large-scale improvement of air quality related to the fine aerosol component, most probably resulting from reduction of anthropogenic particle emissions in the surrounding European countries.
The Mediterranean atmosphere is impacted by a variety of particle pollution, which exerts a...
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