Saharan Dust Storm Aerosol Characterization of the Event (9 to 13 May 2020) over European AERONET Sites
This research was aimed at investigating the Saharan dust cloud recorded on 11 and 12 May 2020, by AERONET AOD stations in Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and Romania and determining whether it affected the area of the Republic of Moldova. During this period, the Chisinau AERONET monitori...
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| Materyal Türü: | Makale |
| Dil: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Seri Bilgileri: | Atmosphere |
| Konular: | |
| Online Erişim: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/3/493 |
| _version_ | 1827649978979319808 |
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| author | Silvia Garofalide Cristina Postolachi Alexandru Cocean Georgiana Cocean Iuliana Motrescu Iuliana Cocean Bogdanel Silvestru Munteanu Marius Prelipceanu Silviu Gurlui Liviu Leontie |
| author_facet | Silvia Garofalide Cristina Postolachi Alexandru Cocean Georgiana Cocean Iuliana Motrescu Iuliana Cocean Bogdanel Silvestru Munteanu Marius Prelipceanu Silviu Gurlui Liviu Leontie |
| author_sort | Silvia Garofalide |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This research was aimed at investigating the Saharan dust cloud recorded on 11 and 12 May 2020, by AERONET AOD stations in Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and Romania and determining whether it affected the area of the Republic of Moldova. During this period, the Chisinau AERONET monitoring site was not operational. The incentive for the investigation was the discovery of a high sediment load in rainwater collected on 12 May 2020 in Pelinia, a village in the Dochia district of the Republic of Moldova, in the southeastern part of Europe (47.8780 latitude, 27.8344 longitude), which could have originated from the Saharan dust storm. Backward trajectory analysis with NOAA’s HYSPLIT model confirmed that the Saharan dust storm impacted the village of Pelinia. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of Pelinia rainwater sediments confirmed the chemical composition and morphological structure of Saharan dust particles. The particle size of the sediments matched the measurements at the AOD stations at Timisoara and Magurele, supporting the suggestion that Saharan dust probably entered the Republic of Moldova from Romania. FTIR analysis identified chemical compounds such as carbon dioxide, carbonates, sulfates, ferrocyanides, and organics (amines, amides, polypeptides, imines, oximes, pyrroles, aldehydes, sulfoxides, sulfones, nitro-derivatives) that were adsorbed and/or absorbed from the atmosphere, consistent with Saharan dust aerosols. Bio-allergens such as pollen were detected in the SEM images, showing the role of Saharan dust in transporting and spreading this kind of biological material. This study highlights the risk of Saharan dust clouds to humans, animals, and plants, but also its potential benefits for agriculture when suitable conditions are met in this regard. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:08:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b359b2f5633a460b9e31984341e5dbcd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:08:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-b359b2f5633a460b9e31984341e5dbcd2023-11-24T00:27:48ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-03-0113349310.3390/atmos13030493Saharan Dust Storm Aerosol Characterization of the Event (9 to 13 May 2020) over European AERONET SitesSilvia Garofalide0Cristina Postolachi1Alexandru Cocean2Georgiana Cocean3Iuliana Motrescu4Iuliana Cocean5Bogdanel Silvestru Munteanu6Marius Prelipceanu7Silviu Gurlui8Liviu Leontie9Faculty of Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol 1 Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, RomaniaFaculty of Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol 1 Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, RomaniaFaculty of Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol 1 Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, RomaniaFaculty of Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol 1 Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, RomaniaSciences Department & Research Institute for Agriculture and Environment, Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, RomaniaSciences Department & Research Institute for Agriculture and Environment, Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, RomaniaFaculty of Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol 1 Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, RomaniaIntegrated Center for Research, Development and Innovation in Advanced Materials, Nanotechnologies, and Distributed Systems for Fabrication and Control, Department of Computers, Electronics and Automation, Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 720225 Suceava, RomaniaFaculty of Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol 1 Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, RomaniaFaculty of Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 11 Carol 1 Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, RomaniaThis research was aimed at investigating the Saharan dust cloud recorded on 11 and 12 May 2020, by AERONET AOD stations in Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and Romania and determining whether it affected the area of the Republic of Moldova. During this period, the Chisinau AERONET monitoring site was not operational. The incentive for the investigation was the discovery of a high sediment load in rainwater collected on 12 May 2020 in Pelinia, a village in the Dochia district of the Republic of Moldova, in the southeastern part of Europe (47.8780 latitude, 27.8344 longitude), which could have originated from the Saharan dust storm. Backward trajectory analysis with NOAA’s HYSPLIT model confirmed that the Saharan dust storm impacted the village of Pelinia. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of Pelinia rainwater sediments confirmed the chemical composition and morphological structure of Saharan dust particles. The particle size of the sediments matched the measurements at the AOD stations at Timisoara and Magurele, supporting the suggestion that Saharan dust probably entered the Republic of Moldova from Romania. FTIR analysis identified chemical compounds such as carbon dioxide, carbonates, sulfates, ferrocyanides, and organics (amines, amides, polypeptides, imines, oximes, pyrroles, aldehydes, sulfoxides, sulfones, nitro-derivatives) that were adsorbed and/or absorbed from the atmosphere, consistent with Saharan dust aerosols. Bio-allergens such as pollen were detected in the SEM images, showing the role of Saharan dust in transporting and spreading this kind of biological material. This study highlights the risk of Saharan dust clouds to humans, animals, and plants, but also its potential benefits for agriculture when suitable conditions are met in this regard.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/3/493Saharan aerosolsbiological materialmarine phytoplanktonagriculture and health |
| spellingShingle | Silvia Garofalide Cristina Postolachi Alexandru Cocean Georgiana Cocean Iuliana Motrescu Iuliana Cocean Bogdanel Silvestru Munteanu Marius Prelipceanu Silviu Gurlui Liviu Leontie Saharan Dust Storm Aerosol Characterization of the Event (9 to 13 May 2020) over European AERONET Sites Atmosphere Saharan aerosols biological material marine phytoplankton agriculture and health |
| title | Saharan Dust Storm Aerosol Characterization of the Event (9 to 13 May 2020) over European AERONET Sites |
| title_full | Saharan Dust Storm Aerosol Characterization of the Event (9 to 13 May 2020) over European AERONET Sites |
| title_fullStr | Saharan Dust Storm Aerosol Characterization of the Event (9 to 13 May 2020) over European AERONET Sites |
| title_full_unstemmed | Saharan Dust Storm Aerosol Characterization of the Event (9 to 13 May 2020) over European AERONET Sites |
| title_short | Saharan Dust Storm Aerosol Characterization of the Event (9 to 13 May 2020) over European AERONET Sites |
| title_sort | saharan dust storm aerosol characterization of the event 9 to 13 may 2020 over european aeronet sites |
| topic | Saharan aerosols biological material marine phytoplankton agriculture and health |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/3/493 |
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