Impact of a Severe Dust Event on Diurnal Behavior of Surface Water Temperature in Subtropical Lake Kinneret

Abstract

Dust impact on lake surface water temperature (SWT) over lakes, located in the Eastern Mediterranean, has not yet been discussed in previous publications. We investigated the effect of an extreme dust intrusion on the diurnal behavior of SWT in Lake Kinneret, appearing from 7–9 September 2015. This was carried out using METEOSAT and in-situ observations of SWT. In the presence of dust, METEOSAT SWT decreased along with increasing dust pollution both in the daytime and nighttime. This contradicted in-situ measurements of SWT at a depth of 20 cm which increased to 1.2 °C in the daytime and to 1 °C in the nighttime, compared to SWT on clear-sky September 6. The in-situ radiometer measurements of upwelling longwave radiation (ULWR) provided us with a criterion for assessing the reliability of METEOSAT and in-situ observations of SWT. Using this criterion, we found that, in the presence of dust, in-situ SWT was in line, whereas METEOSAT SWT contradicted in-situ ULWR. Considering in-situ ULWR is determined by actual SWT, we concluded that, in the presence of dust, in-situ SWT were capable of reproducing Kinneret SWT, while METEOSAT was incapable of doing so. An observed increase in daytime air temperature during the dust intrusion contributed to an increase in daytime Kinneret SWT. In the presence of maximal dust pollution on September 8, atmospheric humidity (ρv) exceeded by 30% that on clear-sky September 6. This increase in ρv was observed in the absence of moisture advection indicating that dust intrusion can cause additional evaporation from Lake Kinneret and, consequently, intensify its drying up.