Impact of Saharan dust on PM10 concentration in the Mediterranean Tunisian coasts |
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| Authors: | Karim Bouchlaghem Blaise Nsom Noureddine Latrache Houda Haj Kacem |
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| Institution: | aUnité de recherche « Energétique et Environnement » (03/ UR 13-06), Institut Supérieur des Sciences Appliquées et de Technologie de Sousse, Cité Taffala, 4003 Sousse Ibn Khaldoun, Tunisia;bLaboratoire d'Ingénierie Mécanique et Electrique LIME/IUT de Brest, BP 93169, Rue de Kergoat 29231 Brest Cedex 3, France |
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| Abstract: | This paper presents samples of Saharan dust outbreak affecting the Mediterranean Tunisian coasts and its impact on PM10 (Particles with an aerodynamic diameter below 10 µm) surface concentrations measured at seven monitoring stations during summer 2006. During the events, the daily PM10 levels at all stations exceeded EU and Tunisian air quality standard limits which are equal to 50 µg/m3. The maximum values ranged from 200 µg/m3 to 300 µg/m3 depending on the monitoring station. The impact is even more dramatic on PM10 hourly concentrations leading to maximum hourly peaks ranging from 400 µg/m3 to 850 µg/m3 again depending on the monitoring station (industrial or residential, traffic and commercial). Comparison between backward air masses trajectories reaching Tunisian coasts and satellite imageries vis-à-vis the PM10 hourly concentrations measured at the monitoring stations during 2006 evidenced the influence of the Saharan dust outbreaks on surface concentrations. The origin of the air masses is found to be from South-West direction under the influence of air masses from the Algerian Saharan desert. |
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| Keywords: | Saharan dust PM10 concentration Air quality Mediterranean Satellite imagery |
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