Predicting the mineral composition of dust aerosols: Insights from elemental composition measured at the Izaña Observatory

33Citations
Citations of this article
44Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Regional variations of dust mineral composition are fundamental to climate impacts but generally neglected in climate models. A challenge for models is that atlases of soil composition are derived from measurements following wet sieving, which destroys the aggregates potentially emitted from the soil. Aggregates are crucial to simulating the observed size distribution of emitted soil particles. We use an extension of brittle fragmentation theory in a global dust model to account for these aggregates. Our method reproduces the size-resolved dust concentration along with the approximately size-invariant fractional abundance of elements like Fe and Al in the decade-long aerosol record from the Izaña Observatory, off the coast of West Africa. By distinguishing between Fe in structural and free forms, we can attribute improved model behavior to aggregation of Fe and Al-rich clay particles. We also demonstrate the importance of size-resolved measurements along with elemental composition analysis to constrain models.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Pérez García-Pando, C., Miller, R. L., Perlwitz, J. P., Rodríguez, S., & Prospero, J. M. (2016). Predicting the mineral composition of dust aerosols: Insights from elemental composition measured at the Izaña Observatory. Geophysical Research Letters, 43(19), 10,520-10,529. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069873

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free