Modelling the generation of dusty marine aerosol by expeditionary data and remote sensing methods over the Black Sea region

Abstract

During a long-range transport, Sahara dust is naturally mixed with other aerosols, including maritime. At present, the mixing of these types of marine and dust aerosols is of particular interest, since it is important to correctly estimate the ionic and mass balance of aerosol particles. This problem is caused by the need for a reliable determination of the aerosol source and for correct atmospheric correction of satellite data. An analysis was made of the correlation between the change in the AOT parameter and the dates of dust transport from the Sahara to the Black Sea region. The analysis results confirmed the fact that the presence of dust aerosol over the Black Sea water area has a strong effect on the AOT indicator at all wavelengths, increasing the parameter almost by 2 times. This fact is correspondent to the generation of a secondary type of aerosol, namely, dusty marine aerosol. Analysis of CALIPSO aerosol subtype maps also revealed the presence of dusty marine aerosol with corresponding depolarization coefficients.