Dust aerosol from the Northern Caspian Sea regions in the near-surface air of the center of European Russia
A.A. Vinogradova1, D.P. Gubanova1, E.A. Lezina2, Yu.A. Ivanova1
1A.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
2Mosjekomonitoring, Moscow, Russia
Keywords: urban aerosol, RM10 and PM2.5, near-surface air, Moscow, dust from the Caspian Sea regions, long-range atmospheric transport, air temperature, precipitation
Abstract
Dust aerosol from the areas of sandstorms is transported by air masses for thousands of kilometers, affecting the optical properties of the atmosphere, climate, and terrestrial natural objects. The northern Caspian region - the territories of Kalmykia, the Volga Delta, the Transcaspian lowlands and northwestern Kazakhstan - is a year-round source of dust aerosol. The increase in the level of aerosol pollution in the near-surface Moscow air, associated with long-range atmospheric transport of dust from the Caspian regions, is analyzed according to continuous observation data at the stations of the State Budgetary Institution Mosecomonitoring during 2011-2021. We have revealed eight months (about 6%) with episodes where the daily PM10 concentration in Moscow was higher than the MPC. Their duration ranges from 3 to 10 days and on average does not exceed 9% of the total number of days per year. The maximal values of daily PM10 concentration in the near-surface city air during such episodes are 2.7 ± 1.1 times higher than the corresponding monthly average ones. The months with episodes of long-range atmospheric dust transport to Moscow are characterized by increased air temperature by 1.9 ± 2.0 °C and reduced precipitation by 9 ± 13 mm on average relative to the corresponding norm values for Moscow.
|
