Combined measurement of Saharan dust, meteorological variables and space charge with the uncrewed aircraft system MASC-3 over Cyprus

Mineral dust, especially Saharan dust, has a significant impact on atmospheric processes by influencing radiative forcing and cloud formation. To improve the representation of dust events in numerical weather prediction models, high-resolution in-situ measurements are required. In this study, the MASC-3 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was used to perform simultaneous vertical profiling of meteorological variables, turbulence, aerosol particles and space charge during an intense dust event over Cyprus in April 2022. The UAS, equipped with an optical particle counter payload (OPC-Pod), provided high-resolution measurements of aerosol number concentration, with observed peaks of 45 counts/ml at 2500 m above sea level (a.s.l.), consistent with concurrent remote sensing observations, satellite imagery and back-trajectory simulations, as well as measurements from other UAS. The space charge distribution within the dust layer showed distinct patterns at the upper and lower boundaries, consistent with theoretical expectations. This study demonstrates the capability of MASC-3 for simultaneous meteorological, aerosol and charge measurements at altitudes up to 5500 m, providing valuable data for improving dust transport models. The results highlight the value of in-situ observations with UAS in characterising the vertical structure and electrical properties of dust layers, contributing to a more accurate understanding of dust-atmosphere interactions.The measurements were part of a project supported by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 - Research and Innovation Framework Programme, H2020-INFRADEV-2019-2, Grant Agreement number: 871115.