Intense Desert Dust Event in the Northern Adriatic (March 2020); Insights From the Numerical Model Application and Chemical Characterization Results
Abstract The uncharacteristically extreme outbreak of particulate matter took place over the Balkan region from 27 to 30 March 2020. Observations at air quality stations in Croatia recorded hourly PM10 concentrations up to 412 μgm−3. The meteorological analysis shows that the increase in PM10 concen...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Earth and Space Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EA002879 |
| _version_ | 1797385553172234240 |
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| author | Boris Mifka Maja Telišman Prtenjak Ivna Kavre Piltaver Darko Mekterović Josipa Kuzmić Marijan Marciuš Irena Ciglenečki |
| author_facet | Boris Mifka Maja Telišman Prtenjak Ivna Kavre Piltaver Darko Mekterović Josipa Kuzmić Marijan Marciuš Irena Ciglenečki |
| author_sort | Boris Mifka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The uncharacteristically extreme outbreak of particulate matter took place over the Balkan region from 27 to 30 March 2020. Observations at air quality stations in Croatia recorded hourly PM10 concentrations up to 412 μgm−3. The meteorological analysis shows that the increase in PM10 concentrations was primarily due to the advection of dust from the deserts east of the Caspian Sea. The anticyclone north of Croatia and the cyclone over Anatolia formed a strong pressure gradient driving transport from the east. Both back trajectories and satellite products pointed to the dry Aral Sea as the main source of dust. A dust plume influenced the PM10 increase observed in Croatia, starting at the easternmost air quality stations. The modeling study shows that the vertical extent of the dust plume was up to ∼2 km. However, the chemical and morphological (scanning electron microscope analysis) composition of PM10 at the sites in the northeastern Adriatic Sea showed mainly the presence of Saharan dust. Prior to the advection of the Asian dust, the transport of Saharan dust, driven by Sharav cyclone, was observed in the PM10 values at several stations in the Adriatic Sea and on the Croatian mainland on 26 March 2020. Modeling results showed that the Saharan dust transport occurred at altitudes below ∼8 km. The mixing of the Asian and Saharan dust plumes over the Balkans was favored by the subsidence due to anticyclonic high‐pressure conditions and is the most likely explanation for the observed PM chemical and morphological results. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:55:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2c70f2868fac4d059fba485106affb73 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2333-5084 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:55:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth and Space Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-2c70f2868fac4d059fba485106affb732023-12-19T22:01:29ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Earth and Space Science2333-50842023-07-01107n/an/a10.1029/2023EA002879Intense Desert Dust Event in the Northern Adriatic (March 2020); Insights From the Numerical Model Application and Chemical Characterization ResultsBoris Mifka0Maja Telišman Prtenjak1Ivna Kavre Piltaver2Darko Mekterović3Josipa Kuzmić4Marijan Marciuš5Irena Ciglenečki6Faculty of Physics University of Rijeka Rijeka CroatiaDepartment of Geophysics Faculty of Science University of Zagreb Zagreb CroatiaFaculty of Physics University of Rijeka Rijeka CroatiaFaculty of Physics University of Rijeka Rijeka CroatiaCroatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service Zagreb CroatiaDivision of Materials Chemistry Ruđer Bošković Institute Zagreb CroatiaLaboratory for Physical Oceanography and Chemistry of Aquatic Systems Division for Marine and Environmental Research Ruđer Bošković Institute Zagreb CroatiaAbstract The uncharacteristically extreme outbreak of particulate matter took place over the Balkan region from 27 to 30 March 2020. Observations at air quality stations in Croatia recorded hourly PM10 concentrations up to 412 μgm−3. The meteorological analysis shows that the increase in PM10 concentrations was primarily due to the advection of dust from the deserts east of the Caspian Sea. The anticyclone north of Croatia and the cyclone over Anatolia formed a strong pressure gradient driving transport from the east. Both back trajectories and satellite products pointed to the dry Aral Sea as the main source of dust. A dust plume influenced the PM10 increase observed in Croatia, starting at the easternmost air quality stations. The modeling study shows that the vertical extent of the dust plume was up to ∼2 km. However, the chemical and morphological (scanning electron microscope analysis) composition of PM10 at the sites in the northeastern Adriatic Sea showed mainly the presence of Saharan dust. Prior to the advection of the Asian dust, the transport of Saharan dust, driven by Sharav cyclone, was observed in the PM10 values at several stations in the Adriatic Sea and on the Croatian mainland on 26 March 2020. Modeling results showed that the Saharan dust transport occurred at altitudes below ∼8 km. The mixing of the Asian and Saharan dust plumes over the Balkans was favored by the subsidence due to anticyclonic high‐pressure conditions and is the most likely explanation for the observed PM chemical and morphological results.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EA002879desert dustAral SeaSharav cycloneSaharaWRF‐ChemSEM |
| spellingShingle | Boris Mifka Maja Telišman Prtenjak Ivna Kavre Piltaver Darko Mekterović Josipa Kuzmić Marijan Marciuš Irena Ciglenečki Intense Desert Dust Event in the Northern Adriatic (March 2020); Insights From the Numerical Model Application and Chemical Characterization Results Earth and Space Science desert dust Aral Sea Sharav cyclone Sahara WRF‐Chem SEM |
| title | Intense Desert Dust Event in the Northern Adriatic (March 2020); Insights From the Numerical Model Application and Chemical Characterization Results |
| title_full | Intense Desert Dust Event in the Northern Adriatic (March 2020); Insights From the Numerical Model Application and Chemical Characterization Results |
| title_fullStr | Intense Desert Dust Event in the Northern Adriatic (March 2020); Insights From the Numerical Model Application and Chemical Characterization Results |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intense Desert Dust Event in the Northern Adriatic (March 2020); Insights From the Numerical Model Application and Chemical Characterization Results |
| title_short | Intense Desert Dust Event in the Northern Adriatic (March 2020); Insights From the Numerical Model Application and Chemical Characterization Results |
| title_sort | intense desert dust event in the northern adriatic march 2020 insights from the numerical model application and chemical characterization results |
| topic | desert dust Aral Sea Sharav cyclone Sahara WRF‐Chem SEM |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EA002879 |
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