Seasonality in Saharan Dust Across the Atlantic Ocean: From Atmospheric Transport to Seafloor Deposition

M. van der Does, G.-J.A. Brummer, L.F. Korte, J.-B.W. Stuut

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

© 2021. The Authors.Saharan dust is transported in great quantities from the North African continent every year, most of which is deposited across the North Atlantic Ocean. This dust impacts regional and global climate by affecting the atmospheric radiation balance and altering ocean carbon budgets. However, little research has been carried out on time series of Saharan dust collected in situ across the open Atlantic. Here, we present a unique three-year time series of Saharan dust along a trans-Atlantic transect, sampled by moored surface buoys and subsurface sediment traps. Results show a good correlation between the particle-size distributions of atmospheric dust and the lithogenic particles settling to the deep ocean floor, confirming the aeolian origin of the lithogenic particles intercepted by the subsurface sediment traps, even in the distal western part of the Atlantic Ocean. Dust from both dry and wet deposition as collected by the sediment traps, shows increased deposition fluxes and coarser grain size in summer and/or autumn that coincides with increased precipitation at the sampling sites as derived from satellite data. In contrast, both buoys that sampled dust during transport at sea level show little seasonal variation in both concentration and particle size, as the large amounts of dust transported in summer and early autumn at high altitudes are far above their sampling range. This implies that wet deposition in summer and autumn defines the typical seasonal trends of both the dust deposition flux and its particle-size distribution observed in the sediment traps.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2021JD034614
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Volume126
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Jun 2021

Funding

This project was funded by grants from NWO (project 822.01.008, TRAFFIC), and ERC (project 311152, DUSTTRAFFIC), both awarded to JBS. The captains, crews, and scientists of FS Meteor cruise M89, RV Pelagia cruises 64PE378 and 64PE395, RRS James Cook cruise JC134, and NIOZ technicians are thanked for deployment and retrieval of the sediment-trap moorings and buoys. NIOZ technicians are also thanked for the design and improvement of the dust-collecting buoys. Chris Munday, Piet van Gaever and Juliane Steinhardt are thanked for their assistance in sediment-trap sample processing. Open access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This project was funded by grants from NWO (project 822.01.008, TRAFFIC), and ERC (project 311152, DUSTTRAFFIC), both awarded to JBS. The captains, crews, and scientists of FS cruise M89, RV cruises 64PE378 and 64PE395, RRS cruise JC134, and NIOZ technicians are thanked for deployment and retrieval of the sediment‐trap moorings and buoys. NIOZ technicians are also thanked for the design and improvement of the dust‐collecting buoys. Chris Munday, Piet van Gaever and Juliane Steinhardt are thanked for their assistance in sediment‐trap sample processing. Open access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. Meteor Pelagia James Cook

FundersFunder number
European Research Council64PE378, JC134, 311152, 64PE395
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek der Zee

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