News

Overview paper published

The early online release of the SALTRACE overview paper is now available via the BAMS journal homepage.
Dec 2016

New publications

Check out recent SALTRACE publications on out Publications page.
Jul 2016

New publications

Check out recent SALTRACE publications on out Publications page.
Jul 2016

SALTRACE@DUST2016

Session MF09 - Atmospheric Transport and Modification of Mineral Dust. See DUST2016 Website for details.
11 Mar 2016

4th SALTRACE Workshop

Our 4th workshop was be held at DLR (Oberpfaffenhofen) from Nov 30 to Dec 1, 2015.
1 Dec 2015

SALTRACE
Special Issue

We are pleased to inform you that AMT and ACP have approved our proposal for a joint Inter-Journal Special Issue about SALTRACE. As of today, manuscripts can be submitted by using the online registration forms on the ACP and AMT websites. The SALTRACE Special Issue is open until 28 February 2017. 16 Feb 2015

SALTRACE at EGU 2015

Please note the session at the EGU General Assembly 2015 in Vienna Intercontinental transport of mineral dust across the Atlantic Ocean where various groups will present first data and results from SALTRACE.19 Jan 2015

3rd SALTRACE workshop

The 3rd SALTRACE data workshop was held on Feb 24 and 25, 2015 at the LMU in Munich. 25 Feb 2015

2nd SALTRACE workshop

Our second SALTRACE workshop was held in Leipzig from May 27 to 28th to exchange first results of the SALTRACE data analysis between the different groups. 30 May 2014

more news...

Overview

Aerosol particles have been identified to cause most of the uncertainties in current quantifications of climate change forcing (e.g. CCSP, 2009; IPCC, 2007). Among aerosols, mineral dust particles are of key importance because they contribute to about half of the global annual particle emissions by mass (e.g. Hinds, 1999), impact the radiation budget and act as cloud condensation and ice nuclei. Saharan dust is regularly transported westwards across the Atlantic Ocean into the Caribbean (e.g. Prospero, 1999; Ridley et al., 2012).

In spite of substantial progress in the past decade, many questions in our understanding of the climate effects of mineral dust remain open. Open questions include for example the change of dust size distribution during transport across the Atlantic Ocean and the associated impact on the radiation budget, the presence of particles larger than consistent with Stokes gravitational settling in the Caribbean (Maring et al., 2003), the role of wet and dry dust removal mechanisms during transport across the Atlantic Ocean (Nowottnick et al., 2011), ocean fertilization by mineral dust (e.g. Schulz et al., 2012), the complex interaction between mineral dust and clouds, and the influence of the Saharan Air Layer on tropical cyclone activity (e.g. Evan et al., 2011).

Methods

SALTRACE combines ground-based and airborne in-situ, lidar and meteorological measurements with long-term observations, modeling and satellite remote sensing. During SALTRACE-Falcon, the DLR Falcon research aircraft will be equipped with an extensive set of in-situ aerosol instruments for particle size (4 nm - 100 µm), particle chemical composition and shape, aerosol volatility, absorption coefficient, black carbon mass, single-particle coating thickness and mixing state, and cloud condensation nuclei concentration. In addition, a 2-µm Doppler wind lidar will provide measurements of the vertical and horizontal wind speed and give insight into the structure and vertical extension of the aerosol layers. The standard instrumentation of the DLR Falcon research aircraft will provide continuous measurements of meteorological and flight data.


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