HR: 09:15h
AN: A31A-06    [PDF]
TI: Satellite Estimation of the Anthropogenic Component of Sahelian and Saharan Dust
AU: * Koren, I
EM: ilank@climate.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771
AU: * Koren, I
EM: ilank@climate.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: National Research Council, The National Academies, 500 Fifth St, NW GR322, Washington, DC 20001
AU: Kaufman, Y J
EM: kaufman@climate.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771
AU: Remer, L A
EM: remer@climate.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771
AB: Saharan dust impacts the Earth radiation balance. It was suggested that anywhere between 20-50% of the dust is anthropogenic, generated from human activity in the Sahel. Recent study By Prospero et al noticed that most of the sources should be north of Latitude of 15 deg. where population density is small. Here we use Aqua and Terra data to study the dust sources and their possible anthropogenic origin. Dust packages emitted from the Bodele depression and other sources in the southern part of the Sahara, are transported in the winter by a Northern East winds over the Sahel to the ocean. We are tracking these packages with MODIS from their sources to the ocean, showing that most of the dust reaching the Ocean from the Sahelian shore is generated in the Sahara, suggesting that the anthropogenic influence in the area is negligible. Saharan dust was suggested to be the main source of nutrients to the Amazon forest. Here we are also showing that these South Saharan sources around the Bodele depression are very active in the winter and rather passive in the summer, suggesting that the type of dust reaching Brazil, and its mineral content from these sources may be different from the dust that arrives to North America and Europe emitted in the summer from different sources.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801)
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
DE: 1640 Remote sensing
DE: 3360 Remote sensing
DE: 3394 Instruments and techniques
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting