A016-01
The Atmospheric Drivers of the Major Saharan Dust Storm in June 2020

Monday, 7 December 2020: 07:00
Virtual
Amato T Evan1, Diana Francis2, Ricardo Morais Fonseca3, Narendra Reddy Nelli3, Juan Cuesta4 and Marouane Temimi3, (1)Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, United States, (2)Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, (3)Khalifa University of Science and Technology, CESAM Lab, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, (4)Laboratoire Inter-universitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Université de Paris, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), Créteil, France
Recorded Presentation
Abstract:
This study investigates the atmospheric forcing of the historical dust storm that occurred in June 2020 over the Sahara and during which dust clouds associated with the highest-on-record aerosol optical depths were transported towards the Americas. We found that an anomalous atmospheric circulation pattern in the mid-latitudes, linked to a circumglobal wavetrain, resulted in the development of a subtropical high-pressure system to the west of the Saharan Heat Low. This created a pressure dipole and generated anomalously strong northeasterlies over the Sahara, which caused continuous dust emissions over 4 days. Occurring along the northern fringes of the Intertropical Discontinuity, the dust was transported to higher altitudes (6 km) by the strong updraft in this region. This injected the dust at the African Easterly Jet (AEJ) altitudes and favored a rapid westward long-range transport. The AEJ was also anonymously strong, being strengthened by the anticyclonic circulation associated with the anomalous high.
Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >>