Synoptic analysis of a rare event of Saharan dust reaching the Arctic region
Abstract A rare event of Saharan dust cloud in the subarctic region north of the Scandinavian Peninsula was discovered by the LiDAR of the Arctic LiDAR Observatory (ALOMAR) on 7 August. The origin of this cloud was from the permanent dust reservoir which exists in the atmosphere above the Sahara and...
| Published in: | Weather |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2010
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wea.503 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fwea.503 https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/wea.503 |
| Summary: | Abstract A rare event of Saharan dust cloud in the subarctic region north of the Scandinavian Peninsula was discovered by the LiDAR of the Arctic LiDAR Observatory (ALOMAR) on 7 August. The origin of this cloud was from the permanent dust reservoir which exists in the atmosphere above the Sahara and was not necessarily a result of a single dust storm. The wind flow and the geopotential height at 700mbar in the area bounded by 0°N–80°N and 100°W–40°E were examined for 1–4 August. Additionally, the 6–7 day forward trajectories from the location 28°N–0°E were computed for the same time. It was found, that during 1–2 August, a strong southwesterly flow formed in northern Africa and western Europe, between a trough along the Atlantic coast of southern Europe and northern Africa and the eastern branch of the subtropical high. This synoptic situation was suitable to long‐range transportation of the dust from the Sahara to the Arctic. © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society |
|---|