Dust storm simulation with regional air quality model – Problems and results

On 24 March 2007 an extraordinary dust plume was observed in the troposphere over Central Europe. Satellite observations revealed its origins in a dust storm in Southern Ukraine, where large amounts of soil were resuspended from dried-out farmlands by wind gusts up to 30 m/s. Maximum particulate matter (PM10) mass concentrations between 200 and 1400 μg m−3 occurred in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany along the pathway of the plume from East to West. In order to achieve a better understanding of the processes involved and their interaction the numerical simulation of this event was done by using a new parameterization of dust emission under certain conditions. A simplified dust emission scheme, proposed by Shao (2004), is implemented in the EURAD –Model (European Air Pollution Dispersion Model). A possible way for simulation of other similar dust events in the future is described. The obtained results are compared with the available measurement data and are commented.

► Numerical simulation of a dust cloud over Europe. ► Implementation of a dust activation mechanisms. ► A posteriori and a priori simulation of a dust emission event. ► Relatively good agreement of simulated particle concentrations compared with measurements.