A 60 Year Examination of Dust Day Activity and Its Contributing Factors From Ten Icelandic Weather Stations From 1950 to 2009

High latitude dust is an important contributor to the global dust cycle, which affects the radiative balance of the atmosphere. The frequency and severity of dust events are driven by variables such as wind speed, precipitation, temperature, surface cover type, and volcanic activity. The extent of i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in Earth Science
Main Authors: Nakashima, Miye, Dagsson-Waldhauserova, Pavla
Other Authors: Auðlinda- og umhverfisdeild (LBHÍ), Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (AUI), Landbúnaðarháskóli Íslands, Agricultural University of Iceland
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media SA 2019
Subjects:
Athmosphere
Aerosols
Dust
Sandfok
Rykmengun
Andrúmsloft
Arctic
Greenland
Climate change
Iceland
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1294
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2018.00245
Description
Summary:High latitude dust is an important contributor to the global dust cycle, which affects the radiative balance of the atmosphere. The frequency and severity of dust events are driven by variables such as wind speed, precipitation, temperature, surface cover type, and volcanic activity. The extent of impact of glacial retreat is yet to be determined, but glacial outburst floods, known as jökulhlaups, have been suggested to be a significant factor in the seasonal pattern of dust activity, with major jökulhlaups being attributed as a cause for an increase in dust activity in their subsequent year. However, in examination of ten meteorological stations from 1950 to 2009, there does not appear to be sufficient evidence that jökulhlaups are a significant driver of Iceland’s dust activity. Additionally, taking into account a larger range of dust codes, contributions from Icelandic dust plumes are found to be greater than previously assumed, with an average of 128 dust days per year as compared to a previously determined average of 34 dust days annually. This work was funded by the SIT (School for International Training) Study Abroad Program, a Program for World Learning, Iceland, and Greenland: Climate Change and the Arctic. The preparation of this manuscript was funded by the Icelandic Research Fund (Rannis) Grant No. 152248-051. Peer Reviewed

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