Modelling and evaluation of size-resolved aerosol characteristics in the Eastern Mediterranean during the SUB-AERO project

The mesoscale air-quality modelling system UAM-AERO has been applied to study the dynamics of aerosols in the Eastern Mediterranean area. The objective of the current work is to validate the model against extensive field aerosol data for the realistic determination of the aerosol size distribution/chemical composition. The model has been studied against comprehensive aerosol size distribution data during the periods July 2000 and January 2001 at the Eastern Mediterranean area. Comparison of the model results with the field data shows that the model predicts a bimodal size distribution for the aerosol mass, which is in agreement with the experimental data, but underpredicts the total mass during the summer period, whereas the agreement for the total aerosol mass is better during the winter period. The model is capable of reproducing the size distribution characteristics of sulphate, ammonium and nitrate, but discrepancies have occurred in relation to their mass concentration during the period 26–30 July 2000. Discrepancies have also been observed in the determination of the size distribution characteristics of crustal aerosol mass and sea salt. The disagreement between the modelled results and the field data is attributed to uncertainties in the primary aerosol emissions such as sea salt and resuspended dust, and unresolved emissions from sources such as forest fires and Saharan dust episodes. It is evident that the use of the mesoscale model UAM-AERO in the Mediterranean area requires the parallel use of a regional model, which needs to incorporate emissions of Saharan dust and forest fires.