ORIGINS OF AFRICAN DUST TRANSPORTED OVER THE NORTHEASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC

Citation
I. Chiapello et al., ORIGINS OF AFRICAN DUST TRANSPORTED OVER THE NORTHEASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC, JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES, 102(D12), 1997, pp. 13701-13709
Citations number
45
Categorie Soggetti
Metereology & Atmospheric Sciences
Volume
102
Issue
D12
Year of publication
1997
Pages
13701 - 13709
Database
ISI
SICI code
Abstract
On the basis of 3 years of daily measurements of mineral dust concentr ations at Sal Island (Cape Verde), this study focuses on the origin of the dust transported over the northeastern tropical Atlantic during t he dusty season (October to April). Using backward trajectories, we ha ve identified three different sectors of origin of the transported dus t, covering the Sahara (north/west and central/south) and the Sahel re gions. Time variations of the dust transport from these different area s can be explained by the seasonal shift of the subtropical high-press ure center. A geochemical approach highlights that the calcium amount and the Si/Al ratio of the transported dust differ according to these source regions, in relation to their respective soil compositions.