Abstract
Dust is one of the most commonly found pollutants for many areas around the globe. Recent field and satellite observations suggest the importance of convectively generated downdrafts on the mobilization processes of dust particles and on their long range transport. RAMS/ICLAMS simulations of convective storms for the area of NW Africa allowed the description of the cool pool generation and the associated dust production mechanisms. Evaporation of rain droplets as they fall through the warmer and unsaturated air is responsible for the formation of a fast propagating density current. The inner structure of this system is characterized by increased turbulence, small scale vortices and strong updrafts at the edge of the front. Mobilization of dust occurs mainly in two ways: First, due to suspension of loose soil particles as the system passes over bare soil and sandy areas and second by sweeping pre-existing dust and creating a characteristic dust wall that reaches up to 3 km height.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Cotton WR et al (2003) RAMS 2001: current status and future directions. Meteoro Atmos Phys 82:5–29
Knippertz P, Deutscher C, Kandler K, Muller T, Schulz O, Schutz L (2007) Dust mobilization due to density currents in the Atlas region. Observations from the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment 2006 field campaign. J Geophys Res 12:D21109. doi:10.1029/2007JD008774
Solomos S, Kallos G, Kushta J, Astitha M, Tremback C, Nenes A, Levin Z (2011) An integrated modeling study on the effects of mineral dust and sea salt particles on clouds and precipitation. Atmos Chem Phys 11:873–892. doi:10.5194/acp-11-873-2011
Spyrou C, Mitsakou C, Kallos G, Louka P, Vlastou G (2010) An improved limited-area model for describing the dust cycle in the atmosphere. J Geophys Res. doi:10.1029/2009JD013682
Zender CS, Bian H, Newman D (2003) Mineral dust entrainment and deposition (DEAD) model: description and 1990s dust climatology. J Geophys Res 108(D14):4416. doi:10.1029/2002JD002775
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Additional information
Questions and Answers
Questioner Name: Marina Astitha
Q: Would you consider that the dust emission parameterization is inadequate in resolving the density currents features? How important are the Habbobs in terms of generating dust mass compared to the other mechanisms?
A: The existing dust production mechanisms are adequate as a principle. The treatment of meteorology is crucial on generating density currents. Density currents are features with very strong gradients at horizontal scale of hundreds of meters to a few kilometers at the direction of propagation and tens to hundreds of kilometers wide. Turbulence within the density current is considerable and needs appropriate treatment. Habbobs are important mechanisms for dust production because they generate sharp changes in the wind field, the flow is highly turbulent and this helps in dust mobilization. Of course habbobs are very important in near-source locations because of the high amounts of sand mobilization.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this paper
Cite this paper
Solomos, S., Kallos, G. (2014). Dust Production by Density Currents – A Not So Well Known Source of Aerosol Particles in the Atmosphere. In: Steyn, D., Builtjes, P., Timmermans, R. (eds) Air Pollution Modeling and its Application XXII. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5577-2_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5577-2_24
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-5576-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-5577-2
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)