Can Volcanic Dust Suspended From Surface Soil and Deserts of Iceland Be Transferred to Central Balkan Similarly to African Dust (Sahara)?

• Published in: Frontiers in Earth Science
• Main Authors: Dragana Đorđević, Ivana Tošić, Sanja Sakan, Srđan Petrović, Jelena Đuričić-Milanković, David C. Finger, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserová
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019
• Subjects: High Latitude Dust sources; backward trajectories; chemical fingerprints; atmospheric aerosol; long-range transport; Science; Q; Rangárvellir; Iceland
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00142; https://doaj.org/article/5887d25025214c61a8645fe8de559a9d

In this work we use chemical fingerprints as characteristics ratios of specific crustal elements Ca/Al, Fe/Al, K/Al, Mg/Al, Mn/Al, Ca/Fe, and Mg/Fe to investigate the long-range transport of volcanic aerosols from Iceland. Volcanic dust enters the atmosphere during suspension processes from Icelandic deserts, but mainly from the dust hot spots in remote areas in Iceland, and it is transmitted to the central Balkan area (Belgrade). For this purpose, backward trajectories from Belgrade (φ = 44°48′; λ = 20°28′) in 2012 and 2013, simultaneous with atmospheric aerosols measurements, were calculated by using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. We found that about 17% of air masses passed over Icelandic territory and arrived to Balkan area. In almost all of these episodes ratios of some investigated elements in suburban aerosols of Balkan area corresponded to the ratios of elements investigated in surface soil of the Rangárvellir area – South Iceland in the vicinity of volcanoes. We identified several episodes, such as August 6–8, 2012; June 2–6, 2013; June 26–28, 2013; and September 18–20, 2013; with the characteristic ratios of the highest number of investigated elements in atmospheric aerosol of central Balkan corresponding to ratios from Icelandic soil material. This study provides evidence that Icelandic dust can travel long distances showing the importance of High Latitude Dust sources.