TITLE:
Seasonal Behavior of Aerosol Vertical Concentration in Dakar and Role Played by the Sea-Breeze
AUTHORS:
Habib Senghor, Éric Machu, Luis Durán, Gregory S. Jenkins, Amadou Thierno Gaye
KEYWORDS:
Aerosols, Dust, Sea-Breeze, Circulation
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Air Pollution,
Vol.9 No.1,
February
4,
2020
ABSTRACT: The
Westward transport of mineral dust from the North Africa continent to Atlantic
Ocean can produce poor air quality, low visibilities, and negatively impacting
respiratory and cardiac health due to the optical and physical properties of
aerosols. The dynamical impact of the sea-breeze on the dust vertical
distribution in West Africa remains unknown. To investigate this issue, we have
used in-situ measurements from lidar. We have focused on the attenuated backscatter of
aerosols to study the effect of the local circulation on the vertical profile
of mineral dust at land-sea transition. The results highlight a strong diurnal
cycle of mineral dust associated with the nocturnal low-level jet (NLLJ). The
jet is located between 500 m and 1000 m and crucially affected by the dynamic
of the sea-breeze circulation.