Study of a Saharan Dust Intrusion into the Atmosphere of Colombia

Abstract

The Sahara Desert is one of the main sources of particulate matter (PM) in the world. This PM has the ability to affect air quality thousands of miles from the source. The intrusions of this dust in the Caribbean are well documented; however, no intrusions of this pollutant have been reported in large Colombian cities. This article analyses and determines the possible relationship between the emissions of dust from the Sahara, and an episode of high pollution that occurred in Bogotá and Medellín at the end of June 2014. The data recorded by the air quality networks of Bogotá and Medellín, the dust column mass density of the Merra-2 project, and the results of the NMMB/BSC-Dust model were used. The origins and trajectories of air masses were tracked by implementing HYSPLIT. The aerosol subtype was obtained from the CALIOP-CALIPSO sensor.