Five Years of Dust Episodes at the Southern Italy GAW Regional Coastal Mediterranean Observatory: Multisensors and Modeling Analysis

Spatio-temporal evolution of long-range transported mineral desert dust properties over rural and urban sites in Central Europe

An exceptionally strong and very fast (120h) mineral dust inflow from North Africa to Poland was predicted by NMMB/BSC-Dust and NAAPS models on 10-11 June 2019. Simultaneous measurements with two complex lidar systems at the EARLINET-ACTRIS urban site in Warsaw (Central Poland) and the PolWET peatland site in Rzecin (Western Poland) captured the evolution of this dust event. The advected air masses had different source areas in North Africa, they were reaching each station via independent pathways, and thus, were unlikely mixed with each other. The excellent capabilities of the next generation PollyXT lidar and the mobile EMORAL lidar allowed for the derivation of full datasets of aerosol optical properties profiles that enabled comparative study of the advected dust properties evolution. Within a mere 350 km distance between Warsaw and Rzecin, distinctly different dust properties were measured, respectively: dry mineral dust composed mainly of coarse mode dust particles (50 ± 5 % of the total particle backscattering profile) versus the wet mineral dust dominated by fine dust particles (58 ± 4 %). A new parameter fine-to-coarse dust ratio (FCDR) is proposed to describe more intuitively mineral dust composition.

Exposure Assessment of Ambient PM2.5 Levels during a Sequence of Dust Episodes: A Case Study Coupling the WRF-Chem Model with GIS-Based Postprocessing

A sequence of dust intrusions occurred from the Sahara Desert to the central Mediterranean in the second half of June 2021. This event was simulated by means of the Weather Research and Forecasting coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) regional chemical transport model (CTM). The population exposure to the dust surface PM2.5 was evaluated with the open-source quantum geographical information system (QGIS) by combining the output of the CTM with the resident population map of Italy. WRF-Chem analyses were compared with spaceborne aerosol observations derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and, for the PM2.5 surface dust concentration, with the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis. Considering the full-period (17-24 June) and area-averaged statistics, the WRF-Chem simulations showed a general underestimation for both the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the PM2.5 surface dust concentration. The comparison of exposure classes calculated for Italy and its macro-regions showed that the dust sequence exposure varies with the location and entity of the resident population amount. The lowest exposure class (up to 5 µg m-3) had the highest percentage (38%) of the population of Italy and most of the population of north Italy, whereas more than a half of the population of central, south and insular Italy had been exposed to dust PM2.5 in the range of 15-25 µg m-3. The coupling of the WRF-Chem model with QGIS is a promising tool for the management of risks posed by extreme pollution and/or severe meteorological events. Specifically, the present methodology can also be applied for operational dust forecasting purposes, to deliver safety alarm messages to areas with the most exposed population.

Contamination of planktonic food webs in the Mediterranean Sea: Setting the frame for the MERITE-HIPPOCAMPE oceanographic cruise (spring 2019)

This paper looks at experiential feedback and the technical and scientific challenges tied to the MERITE-HIPPOCAMPE cruise that took place in the Mediterranean Sea in spring 2019. This cruise proposes an innovative approach to investigate the accumulation and transfer of inorganic and organic contaminants within the planktonic food webs. We present detailed information on how the cruise worked, including 1) the cruise track and sampling stations, 2) the overall strategy, based mainly on the collection of plankton, suspended particles and water at the deep chlorophyll maximum, and the separation of these particles and planktonic organisms into various size fractions, as well as the collection of atmospheric deposition, 3) the operations performed and material used at each station, and 4) the sequence of operations and main parameters analysed. The paper also provides the main environmental conditions that were prevailing during the campaign. Lastly, we present the types of articles produced based on work completed by the cruise that are part of this special issue.

Large-Scale Saharan Dust Episode in April 2019: Study of Desert Aerosol Loads over Sofia, Bulgaria, Using Remote Sensing, In Situ, and Modeling Resources

Emissions of immense amounts of desert dust into the atmosphere, spreading over vast geographical areas, are in direct feedback relation with ongoing global climate changes. An extreme large-scale Saharan dust episode occurred over Mediterranean and Europe in April 2019, driven by a dynamic blocking synoptic pattern (omega block) creating conditions for a powerful northeastward circulation of air masses rich in dust and moisture. Here, we study and characterize the effects of related dust intrusion over Sofia, Bulgaria, using lidar remote sensing combined with in situ measurements, satellite imagery, and modeling data. Optical and microphysical parameters of the desert aerosols were obtained and vertically profiled, namely, backscatter coefficients and backscatter-related Ångström exponents, as well as statistical distributions of the latter as qualitative analogs of the actual particle size distributions. Dynamical and topological features of the dust-dominated aerosol layers were determined. Height profiles of the aerosol/dust mass concentration were obtained by synergistic combining and calibrating lidar and in situ data. The comparison of the retrieved mass concentration profiles with the dust modeling ones shows a satisfactory compliance. The local meteorological conditions and the aerosol composition and structure of the troposphere above Sofia during the dust event were seriously affected by the desert air masses.

Daytime and nighttime chemical and optical properties of fine and coarse particles at a central Mediterranean coastal site

The characterization of the day-to-night changes of the atmospheric particle chemical and optical properties in autumn-winter (AW) and spring-summer (SS) is the main goal of this study to contribute to the characterization and understanding of the particulate matter (PM) impact on the environment and climate at one of the most vulnerable areas of the planet to climate change. To this end, PM10 and PM2.5 samples from 14 January 2016 to 5 January 2017 have been collected in Lecce, a coastal site of South-Eastern Italy (40.33°N, 18.11°E), and day-to-night changes of mass concentrations of both fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10-PM2.5) particles and corresponding chemical species have been assessed both in AW and in SS. The statistical analysis of local meteorological parameters and their correlations with PM2.5 and chemical species mass concentrations have indicated that the day-to-night changes of temperature (T) and wind speed (WS) likely affected the day-to-night changes of mass concentrations, because of the T and WS impact on the atmospheric turbulence and air particle dispersion. The daily evolution of the anthropogenic activities and the planetary-boundary-layer height likely contributed to the day-to-night changes of the particle chemical composition. The stagnant atmospheric conditions prevailing in SS all over the Mediterranean basin, which favoured the mixing and the accumulation of atmospheric particles from different pollution sources, likely contributed to the changes of the relationships between chemical species and meteorological parameters from AW to SS at daytime and nighttime. The analysis of the aerosol scattering coefficient, scattering Ångström exponent, and scattering Ångström exponent difference, retrieved from nephelometer measurements co-located in space and time with the PM samplings, has allowed characterizing the day-to-night change of the aerosol optical properties. The relationships between the particle chemical and optical properties allowed a good understanding of their changes both in AW and in SS.

Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic Lockdown on Atmospheric Nanoparticle Concentrations in Two Sites of Southern Italy

During the new coronavirus infection outbreak, the application of strict containment measures entailed a decrease in most human activities, with the consequent reduction of anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere. In this study, the impact of lockdown on atmospheric particle number concentrations and size distributions is investigated in two different sites of Southern Italy: Lecce and Lamezia Terme, regional stations of the GAW/ACTRIS networks. The effects of restrictions are quantified by comparing submicron particle concentrations, in the size range from 10 nm to 800 nm, measured during the lockdown period and in the same period of previous years, from 2015 to 2019, considering three time intervals: prelockdown, lockdown and postlockdown. Different percentage reductions in total particle number concentrations are observed, −19% and −23% in Lecce and −7% and −4% in Lamezia Terme during lockdown and postlockdown, respectively, with several variations in each subclass of particles. From the comparison, no significant variations of meteorological factors are observed except a reduction of rainfall in 2020, which might explain the higher levels of particle concentrations measured during prelockdown at both stations. In general, the results demonstrate an improvement of air quality, more conspicuous in Lecce than in Lamezia Terme, during the lockdown, with a differed reduction in the concentration of submicronic particles that depends on the different types of sources, their distance from observational sites and local meteorology.

Radiative Effect and Mixing Processes of a Long-Lasting Dust Event over Athens, Greece, during the COVID-19 Period

We report on a long-lasting (10 days) Saharan dust event affecting large sections of South-Eastern Europe by using a synergy of lidar, satellite, in-situ observations and model simulations over Athens, Greece. The dust measurements (11–20 May 2020), performed during the confinement period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, revealed interesting features of the aerosol dust properties in the absence of important air pollution sources over the European continent. During the event, moderate aerosol optical depth (AOD) values (0.3–0.4) were observed inside the dust layer by the ground-based lidar measurements (at 532 nm). Vertical profiles of the lidar ratio and the particle linear depolarization ratio (at 355 nm) showed mean layer values of the order of 47 ± 9 sr and 28 ± 5%, respectively, revealing the coarse non-spherical mode of the probed plume. The values reported here are very close to pure dust measurements performed during dedicated campaigns in the African continent. By utilizing Libradtran simulations for two scenarios (one for typical midlatitude atmospheric conditions and one having reduced atmospheric pollutants due to COVID-19 restrictions, both affected by a free tropospheric dust layer), we revealed negligible differences in terms of radiative effect, of the order of +2.6% (SWBOA, cooling behavior) and +1.9% (LWBOA, heating behavior). Moreover, the net heating rate (HR) at the bottom of the atmosphere (BOA) was equal to +0.156 K/d and equal to +2.543 K/d within 1–6 km due to the presence of the dust layer at that height. On the contrary, the reduction in atmospheric pollutants could lead to a negative HR (−0.036 K/d) at the bottom of the atmosphere (BOA) if dust aerosols were absent, while typical atmospheric conditions are estimated to have an almost zero net HR value (+0.006 K/d). The NMMB-BSC forecast model provided the dust mass concentration over Athens, while the air mass advection from the African to the European continent was simulated by the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model.

Concurrent Influence of Different Natural Sources on the Particulate Matter in the Central Mediterranean Region during a Wildfire Season

Wildfire occurrence and severity in the Mediterranean region during the summer season is increasing, being favoured by climate change-induced conditions (i.e., drought, heatwaves). Moreover, additional natural sources frequently impact this region, particularly Saharan dust intrusions. This study focuses on the combined effect of wildfires and Saharan dust on the air quality of the central Mediterranean Basin (CMB) during 2017, an exceptional year for forested burned areas in southern Italy. The annual behaviors of PM2.5, PM10, CO, benzene, and benzo(a)pirene measurements that were recorded at a rural regional-background station located in southern Italy, highlighted a concentration increase during summer. Both Saharan dust and wildfire events were identified while using Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS) model maps, together with high-resolution Weather Research and Forecast—Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (WRF-HYSPLIT) back-trajectories. Additionally, Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite detections were considered to establish the enrichment of air masses by wildfire emissions. Finally, the occurrence of these natural sources, and their influence on particulate matter, were examined. In this case study, both PM2.5 and PM10 exceedances occurred predominantly in conjunction with wildfire events, while Saharan dust events mainly increased PM10 concentration when overlapping with wildfire effects.