Dust emission from dust sources in Iceland: Insights from the High-Latitude Dust Experiment in summer 2021

Mineral dust is one of the most prominent natural aerosols and is almost ubiquitous in the atmosphere, where it substantially interacts, modulates and alter atmospheric processes. Although research on dust aerosol is carried out since many decades by means of different approaches and techniques, knowledge on mineral dust emitted at high latitudes or in cold climate regions is still limited despite its pivotal impact on polar environments. Within a warming climate, dust emitted from sources located in cold climate zones is expected to increase due to the retreat of the ice sheets and increasing melting rates. Therefore, and for its extensive impacts on different aspects of the climate system, a better understanding of the atmospheric dust cycle at high latitudes/cold climates in general, and the spatio-temporal distribution of dust sources in particular, are essential.

We will present results from the HiLDA measurement campaign which took place in summer 2021 in the Dyngjusandur in Iceland. The measurements were set up to observe dust concentration variability across the Dyngjusandur and near-source dust transport areas in order to eventually conclude on the variability in dust source emissivity. We have measured aerosol size distributions and meteorological parameters distributed over different dust source areas at high temporal resolution for a period of eight weeks in summer 2021 and spring 2022. During this time, we observed a couple of intense dust events as well as background conditions. Ultimately, the analysis of our measurement data addresses the complex web of interactions which is defined by the variability of dust source characteristics and wind speed distribution in concert. Findings from this study contribute to the understanding of dust emission in cold climate regions and its spatio-temporal variability, which is essential with respect to the quantification of dust-associated feedbacks in the Earth system.