Optical characteristics of desert dust over the east Mediterranean during summer: A case study

Balis, D; Amiridis, V; Kazadzis, S; Papayannis, A; Tsaknakis, G; Tzortzakis, S; Kalivitis, N; Vrekoussis, M; Kanakidou, M; Mihalopoulos, N; Chourdakis, G; Nickovic, S; Perez, C; Baldasano, J; Drakakis, M

dc.contributor.author	Balis, D	en
dc.contributor.author	Amiridis, V	en
dc.contributor.author	Kazadzis, S	en
dc.contributor.author	Papayannis, A	en
dc.contributor.author	Tsaknakis, G	en
dc.contributor.author	Tzortzakis, S	en
dc.contributor.author	Kalivitis, N	en
dc.contributor.author	Vrekoussis, M	en
dc.contributor.author	Kanakidou, M	en
dc.contributor.author	Mihalopoulos, N	en
dc.contributor.author	Chourdakis, G	en
dc.contributor.author	Nickovic, S	en
dc.contributor.author	Perez, C	en
dc.contributor.author	Baldasano, J	en
dc.contributor.author	Drakakis, M	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-03-01T01:24:49Z
dc.date.available	2014-03-01T01:24:49Z
dc.date.issued	2006	en
dc.identifier.issn	0992-7689	en
dc.identifier.uri	https://dspace.lib.ntua.gr/xmlui/handle/123456789/17447
dc.subject	atmospheric composition and structure	en
dc.subject	aerosols and particles	en
dc.subject	pollution -urban and regional	en
dc.subject	instruments and techniques	en
dc.subject.classification	Astronomy & Astrophysics	en
dc.subject.classification	Geosciences, Multidisciplinary	en
dc.subject.classification	Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences	en
dc.subject.other	aerosol property	en
dc.subject.other	desert	en
dc.subject.other	dust storm	en
dc.subject.other	optical depth	en
dc.subject.other	Africa	en
dc.subject.other	Athens [Attica]	en
dc.subject.other	Attica	en
dc.subject.other	Central Macedonia	en
dc.subject.other	Crete	en
dc.subject.other	Eurasia	en
dc.subject.other	Europe	en
dc.subject.other	Finokalia	en
dc.subject.other	Greece	en
dc.subject.other	Lasithi	en
dc.subject.other	Sahara	en
dc.subject.other	Southern Europe	en
dc.subject.other	Thessaloniki [Central Macedonia]	en
dc.subject.other	Thessaloniki [Thessaloniki (DPR)]	en
dc.subject.other	Thessaloniki	en
dc.title	Optical characteristics of desert dust over the east Mediterranean during summer: A case study	en
heal.type	journalArticle	en
heal.identifier.primary	10.5194/angeo-24-807-2006	en
heal.identifier.secondary	http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/angeo-24-807-2006	en
heal.language	English	en
heal.publicationDate	2006	en
heal.abstract	High aerosol optical depth (AOD) values, larger than 0.6, are systematically observed in the Ultraviolet (UV) region both by sunphotometers and lidar systems over Greece during summertime. To study in more detail the characteristics and the origin of these high AOD values, a campaign took place in Greece in the frame of the PHOENICS (Particles of Human Origin Extinguishing Natural solar radiation In Climate Systems) and EARLINET (European Aerosol Lidar Network) projects during August–September of 2003, which included simultaneous sunphotometric and lidar measurements at three sites covering the north-south axis of Greece: Thessaloniki, Athens and Finokalia, Crete. Several events with high AOD values have been observed over the measuring sites during the campaign period, many of them corresponding to Saharan dust. In this paper we focused on the event of 30 and 31 August 2003, when a dust layer in the height range of 2000-5000 m, progressively affected all three stations. This layer showed a complex behavior concerning its spatial evolution and allowed us to study the changes in the optical properties of the desert dust particles along their transport due to aging and mixing with other types of aerosol. The extinction-to-backscatter ratio determined on the 30 August 2003 at Thessaloniki was approximately 50 sr, characteristic for rather spherical mineral particles, and the measured color index of 0.4 was within the typical range of values for desert dust. Mixing of the desert dust with other sources of aerosols resulted the next day in overall smaller and less absorbing population of particles with a lidar ratio of 20 sr. Mixing of polluted air-masses originating from Northern Greece and Crete and Saharan dust result in very high aerosol backscatter values reaching 7 Mm-1 sr-1 over Finokalia. The Saharan dust observed over Athens followed a different spatial evolution and was not mixed with the boundary layer aerosols mainly originating from local pollution.	en
heal.publisher	EUROPEAN GEOSCIENCES UNION	en
heal.journalName	Annales Geophysicae	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.5194/angeo-24-807-2006	en
dc.identifier.isi	ISI:000239074400002	en
dc.identifier.volume	24	en
dc.identifier.issue	3	en
dc.identifier.spage	807	en
dc.identifier.epage	821	en