EGU23-11119
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-11119
EGU General Assembly 2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

The development of a detailed mineralogical database from satellite remote sensing products, towards an improved representation of dust transport in NWP simulations.

Nikolaos S. Bartsotas1,2, Olga Sykioti3, Christos Spyrou1, Kostas C. Douvis1, Vassilis Amiridis3, Christos Zerefos1, and Stavros Solomos1
Nikolaos S. Bartsotas et al.
  • 1Research Centre for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
  • 2Beyond Center of EO Research & Satellite Remote Sensing, IAASARS, National Observatory of Athens, Athens, Greece
  • 3Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications, and Remote Sensing (IAASARS), National Observatory of Athens, Athens, Greece

A broad spectrum of environmental processes such as radiation, cloud formation, ocean fertilization and human health are affected from the presence of mineral dust. The transport of dust particles is dictated by the prevailing meteorological conditions as well as the composition and physiochemical properties of the particles themselves. Which, in turn, are bound to the soil mineralogy at the source region.

Numerical weather prediction models can estimate the transport of dust particles, yet a more refined mineralogical categorization can significantly improve the dust transport estimations and  increase preparedness for implications on weather, biogeochemistry and health. This novel mineralogical representation is derived from multi-spectral satellite remote sensing sensors (Sentinel 2A) over a limited area around Lake Chad in Sahara desert by taking into account dust particle characteristics such as size, composition and optical properties. The mineralogy map will be implemented in WRF/CHEM model to improve the accuracy of atmospheric simulations. The final product will be juxtaposed against current state-of-the-art mineralogical products such as the NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) mission. Dust transport simulations will be compared against field measurements from Antikythera PANGEA station in the Mediterranean and ASKOS campaign in the Atlantic Ocean.

How to cite: Bartsotas, N. S., Sykioti, O., Spyrou, C., Douvis, K. C., Amiridis, V., Zerefos, C., and Solomos, S.: The development of a detailed mineralogical database from satellite remote sensing products, towards an improved representation of dust transport in NWP simulations., EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-11119, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-11119, 2023.