A model for prediction of desert dust cycle in the atmosphere

An integrated modeling system has been developed to accurately describe the dust cycle in the atmosphere. It is based on the SKIRON/Eta modeling syste m and the EtaNCEP regional atmospheric model. The dust modules of the entir e system incorporate the state of the art parameterizations of all the majo r phases of the atmospheric dust life such as production, diffusion, advect ion, and removal. These modules also include effects of the particle size d istribution on aerosol dispersion. The dust production mechanism is based o n the viscous/turbulent mixing, shear-free convection diffusion, and soil m oisture. In addition to these sophisticated mechanisms, very high resolutio n databases, including elevation, soil properties, and vegetation cover are utilized. The entire system is easily configurable and transferable to any place on the Earth, it can cover domains on almost any size, and its horiz ontal resolution can vary from about 100 km up to approximately 4 km. It ca n run on one-way-nested form if necessary. The performance of the system ha s been tested for various dust storm episodes, in various places and resolu tion using gridded analysis or forecasting fields from various sources (ECM WF and NCEP) for initial and boundary conditions. The system is in operatio nal use during the last two years, providing 72 hour forecasts for the Medi terranean region. The results are available on the internet (http://www.ico d.org.mt and http://forecast.uoa.gr).