Sara Basart

• Physics
• PostDoc Position at World Meteorological Organization

Quantification of atmospheric dust deposition into the Atlantic Ocean is provided. The estimates rely on the four-dimensional structure of atmospheric dust provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) – “LIdar climatology of Vertical Aerosol Structure” (LIVAS) climate data record (CDR) established on the basis of Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pat...

Sand and dust storms increasingly threaten global environmental and public health. To date, 150 countries are directly affected, with more than 100 classified as non-dust source regions. With climate change, these storms are expected to become more frequent and severe. Despite international awareness and initiatives, such as those led by the UN, cr...

Airborne mineral dust poses a safety challenge for aviation. Several fatal accidents have happened in dust-laden air due to reduced visibility, strong gusty winds, and wind shear. Dust-induced icing also contributed at least to two fatal accidents. Furthermore, atmospheric dust has long- and short-term effects on aircraft operating condition due to...

GHOST (Globally Harmonised Observations in Space and Time) represents one of the biggest collections of harmonised measurements of atmospheric composition at the surface. In total, 7 275 148 646 measurements from 1970 to 2023, of 227 different components from 38 reporting networks, are compiled, parsed, and standardised. The components processed in...

Executive summary Despite the initial hope inspired by the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world is now dangerously close to breaching its target of limiting global multiyear mean heating to 1·5°C. Annual mean surface temperature reached a record high of 1·45°C above the pre-industrial baseline in 2023, and new temperature highs were recorded throughout...

Executive Summary Low-cost air quality sensor systems (LCS) are a key emerging class of technologies for expanding policy-relevant air quality analysis, including assessing levels of pollution, identifying sources, and producing forecasts. An LCS contains one or more sensing elements together with hardware and software for control, power supply, da...

During the months of February–March (FM) of the 2020–2022 period, several intense dust intrusions from northern Africa affected Europe. The frequency of dust events was exceptional, considering that wintertime is the season with minimum dust activity in the Mediterranean, and some episodes displayed a duration and/or intensity never recorded before...

GHOST: Globally Harmonised Observations in Space and Time, represents one of the biggest collection of harmonised measurements of atmospheric composition at the surface. In total, 7,275,148,646 measurements from 1970–2023, of 227 different components, from 38 reporting networks, are compiled, parsed, and standardised. Components processed include g...

BACKGROUND AND AIM:The association between desert dust and daily mortality has been investigated previously in East Asia, but with a different analytical approach and methods for quantifying dust exposure, rendering it difficult to compare results with other regions. We conducted a study to examine the association using the European Union (EU) Refe...

Mineral dust produced by wind erosion of arid and semi-arid surfaces is a major component of atmospheric aerosol that affects climate, weather, ecosystems, and socio-economic sectors such as human health, transportation, solar energy, and air quality. Understanding these effects and ultimately improving the resilience of affected countries requires...

During the winters of the 2020–2022 period, several intense North African dust intrusions affected Europe. Some of them displayed a duration never recorded before. They were referred to as exceptional by several international operational and research institutions considering that wintertime is the season with minimum dust activity in the Mediterran...

Soil dust aerosols are a key component of the climate system, as they interact with short- and long-wave radiation, alter cloud formation processes, affect atmospheric chemistry and play a role in biogeochemical cycles by providing nutrient inputs such as iron and phosphorus. The influence of dust on these processes depends on its physicochemical p...

Aerosol reanalysis datasets are model-based, observationally constrained, continuous 3D aerosol fields with a relatively high temporal frequency that can be used to assess aerosol variations and trends, climate effects, and impacts on socioeconomic sectors, such as health. Here we compare and assess the recently published MONARCH (Multiscale Online...

Soil dust aerosols are a key component of the climate system, as they interact with short- and long-wave radiation, alter cloud formation processes, affect atmospheric chemistry and play a role in biogeochemical cycles by providing nutrient inputs such as iron and phosphorus. The influence of dust on these processes depends on its physico-chemical...

Aerosol reanalyses are a well-established tool for monitoring aerosol trends, for validation and calibration of weather chemical models, as well as for the enhancement of strategies for environmental monitoring and hazard mitigation. By providing a consistent and complete data set over a sufficiently long period, they address the shortcomings of ae...

Sand and Dust Storms (SDS) play a significant role in different aspects of the Earth system and can represent a severe hazard for life, health, property, environment and economy. SDS can severely disrupt communications, energy production and transportation. The Barcelona Dust Regional Center manages and coordinates the activities related to sand an...

The CALIOPE forecasting system, developed and operated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, has been providing daily forecasts of air quality for Europe and Spain since 2008. The system currently integrates an emission processing model (HERMESv3), a meteorological model (WRF-ARW), a chemical transport model (CMAQ), and a mineral dust model (BSC-...

Aerosol reanalysis datasets are model-based observationally constrained continuous 3D aerosol fields with relatively high temporal frequency that can be used to assess aerosol variations and trends, climate effects and impacts upon socio–economic sectors, such as health. Here we compare and assess the recently published MONARCH high resolution regi...

Background WHO states that 9 out of 10 persons in the world do not breath clean air and 8 million people die prematurely from air pollution each year. The problem is well understood, but actions to mitigate it are lacking. The purpose of the EU-funded AQ-WATCH Project is precisely to develop effective tools based on the most advanced science techno...

One of the challenges in studying desert dust aerosol along with its numerous interactions and impacts is the paucity of direct in situ measurements, particularly in the areas most affected by dust storms. Satellites typically provide column-integrated aerosol measurements, but observationally constrained continuous 3D dust fields are needed to ass...

In late March 2018, a large part of the Eastern Mediterranean experienced an extraordinary episode of African dust, one of the most intense in recent years, here referred to as the “Minoan Red” event. The episode mainly affected the Greek island of Crete, where the highest aerosol concentrations over the past 15 yeas were recorded, although impacts...

The AQ-WATCH (Air Quality: Worldwide Analysis and Forecasting of Atmospheric Composition for Health) project, supported by the European Commission, is developing seven innovative products and services for improving air quality forecasts and attributing chemical sources. These prototypes are based on existing space and in-situ observations of air qu...

The aim of the "Sand and Dust Storms Compendium: Information and Guidance on Assessing and Addressing the Risks" is to provide information and guidance on how to assess and address the risks posed by sand and dust storms and plan actions to combat sand and dust storms. The Compendium brings together information and guidance from a wide range of sou...

Desert dust storms pose real threats to air quality and health of millions of people in source regions, with associated impacts extending to downwind areas. Europe (EU) is frequently affected by atmospheric transport of desert dust from the Northern Africa and Middle East drylands. This investigation aims at quantifying the role of desert dust tran...

Every year, large-scale African dust outbreaks frequently pass over the Canary Islands (Spain). Here we describe the seasonal evolution of atmospheric aerosol extinction and meteorological vertical profiles on Tenerife over the period 2007–2018 using long-term micropulse lidar (MPL-3) and radiosonde observations. These measurements are used to cate...

One of the challenges in studying desert dust aerosol along with its numerous interactions and impacts is the paucity of direct in-situ measurements, particularly in the areas most affected by dust storms. Satellites typically provide column-integrated aerosol measurements, but observationally-constrained continuous 3D dust fields are needed to ass...

We present the dust module in the Multiscale Online Non-hydrostatic AtmospheRe CHemistry model (MONARCH) version 2.0, a chemical weather prediction system that can be used for regional and global modeling at a range of resolutions. The representations of dust processes in MONARCH were upgraded with a focus on dust emission (emission parameterizatio...

Droughts and climate-change-driven warming are leading to more frequent and intense wildfires arguably contributing to the severe 2019–2020 Australian wildfires. The environmental and ecological impacts of the fires include loss of habitats and the emission of substantial amounts of atmospheric aerosols. Aerosol emissions from wildfires can lead to...

On 2 June 2014, at about 13 UTC, a dust storm arrived in Tehran as a severe hazard that caused injures, deaths, failures in power supply, and traffic disruption. Such an extreme event is not considered as common for the Tehran area, which has raised the question of the dust storm’s origin and the need for increasing citizens’ preparedness during su...

Every year, large-scale African dust outbreaks frequently pass over the Canary Islands (Spain). Here we describe the seasonal evolution of atmospheric aerosol extinction and meteorological vertical profiles at Tenerife over the period 2007–2018 using long-term Micropulse Lidar (MPL-3) and radiosondes observations. These measurements are used to cat...

We present the dust module in the Multiscale Online Non-hydrostatic AtmospheRe CHemistry model (MONARCH) Version 2.0, a chemical weather prediction system that can be used for regional and global modeling at a range of resolutions. The representations of dust processes in MONARCH were upgraded with a focus on dust emission (emission parameterizatio...

Amongst the most significant extreme meteorological phenomena are the Sand and Dust Storms (SDS). Owing to significant amounts of airborne mineral dust particles generated during these events, SDS have impacts on climate, the environment, human health, and many socioeconomic sectors (e.g. aviation, solar energy management). Many studies and reports...

Sand and dust storms (SDS) entail short- and long-term operational threats for aviation and solar energy production. The ERA4CS DustClim project is assisting these sectors in understanding and reducing SDS-related risks, by producing a state-of-the-art reanalysis climatology and a set of specialized impact analysis products with industry partners.

Recent studies have found increases in the cardiovascular mortality rates during poor air quality events due to outbreaks of desert dust. In Tenerife, we collected (2014–2017) data in 829 patients admitted with a heart failure diagnosis in the Emergency Department of the University Hospital of the Canaries. In this region, concentrations of PM10 an...

Sand and dust storms (SDS) are an important threat to life, health, property, environment and economy in many countries, and play a significant role in different aspects of weather, climate and atmospheric chemistry. There is an increasing need for SDS accurate information and predictions to support early warning systems, and preparedness and mitig...

An unprecedented extreme Saharan dust event was registered in winter time from 20 to 23 February 2017 over the Iberian Peninsula (IP). We report on aerosol optical properties observed under this extreme dust intrusion through passive and active remote sensing techniques. For that, AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) and EARLINET (European Aerosol Res...

Since the first International Cooperative for Aerosol Prediction (ICAP) multi‐model ensemble (MME) study, the number of ICAP global operational aerosol models has increased from five to nine. An update of the current ICAP status is provided, along with an evaluation of the performance of ICAP‐MME over 2012–2017, with a focus on June 2016–May 2017....

We address observations of physical and chemical properties of Saharan dust advections (SDA) as observed in the Central Mediterranean basin, within the framework of the LIFE+2010, DIAPASON project (www.diapason-life. eu). DIAPASON aimed at the definition of best practices and tools to detect and evaluate the contribution of Saharan dust to ground p...

Concentrated solar power (CSP) plants are being implemented in dusty environments such as the Middle East and North Africa where solar radiation is high. However, these areas are usually dry and typically have scarce water resources. The minimization of soiling-induced losses together with the reduction of cleaning costs is a challenge for operator...

Since the first International Cooperative for Aerosol Prediction (ICAP) multi-model ensemble (MME) study, the number of ICAP global operational aerosol models has increased from five to nine. An update of the current ICAP status is provided, along with an evaluation of the performance of the ICAP-MME over 2012-2017, with a focus on the June 2016-Ma...

Sand and dust storms (SDS) play a significant role on air quality, especially in Northern Africa, the Middle East and Europe (NA-ME-E). These pose serious risks to the environment and human health for countries in dust source regions and surrounding areas [1]. Cases of eye infections and diseases such as meningitis and valley fever have been record...

The ability of regional atmospheric models to accurately represent long-range transport of dust is crucial for describing dust effects on radiation and clouds and for reducing their uncertainties on these processes. The optimized CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) pure-dust product that provides the three-d...

Numerical prediction of aerosol particle properties has become an important activity at many research and operational weather centres due to growing interest from a diverse set of stakeholders, such as air quality regulatory bodies, aviation and military authorities, solar energy plant managers, providers of climate services, and health professiona...

Numerical prediction of aerosol particle properties has become an important activity at many research and operational weather centers. This development is due to growing interest from a diverse set of stakeholders, such as air quality regulatory bodies, aviation and military authorities, solar energy plant managers, climate services providers, and...

The ability of three-dimensional dust models to accurately represent long-range transport of dust is crucial for describing dust effects on radiation and clouds and for reducing the uncertainties on these processes. In this study we use the CALIPSO pure-dust product that provides the three-dimensional patterns of dust and its transport pathways ove...

The direct radiative effect (DRE) during 20 intense and widespread dust outbreaks, which affected the broader Mediterranean basin over the period March 2000–February 2013, has been calculated with the NMMB-MONARCH model at regional (Sahara and European continent) and short-term temporal (84 h) scales. According to model simulations, the maximum dus...

Due to the proximity to the Sahara desert, transport of desert dust to Europe affects the particulate matter (PM) air quality metrics regulated by the EU Directive 2008/50. Quantification of this natural contribution is important since, if proved to cause PM exceedances, these latter can be considered not as such for the purpose of the Directive. A...

The Generalized Aerosol Retrieval from Radiometer and Lidar Combined data algorithm (GARRLiC) and the LIdar-Radiometer Inversion Code (LIRIC) provide the opportunity to study the aerosol vertical distribution by combining ground-based lidar and sun-photometric measurements. Here, we utilize the capabilities of both algorithms for the characterizati...

A unique 4-week ship cruise from Guadeloupe to Cabo Verde in April–May 2013 see part 1, is used for an in-depth comparison of dust profiles observed with a polarization/Raman lidar aboard the German research vessel Meteor over the remote tropical Atlantic and respective dust forecasts of a regional (SKIRON) and two global atmospheric (dust) transpo...

The direct radiative effect (DRE) of 20 intense and widespread dust outbreaks that affected the broader Mediterranean basin during the period March 2000 – February 2013, has been calculated with the regional NMMB-MONARCH model. The DREs have been calculated based on short-term simulations (84 hours) for a domain covering the Sahara and most part of...

It was previously shown that during August the export of Saharan dust to the Atlantic was strongly affected by the difference of the 700-hPa geopotential height anomaly between the subtropics and the tropics over North Africa, which was termed the North African Dipole Intensity (NAFDI). In this work a more comprehensive analysis of the NAFDI is per...

The Generalized Aerosol Retrieval from Radiometer and Lidar Combined data algorithm (GARRLiC) and the LIdar-Radiometer Inversion Code (LIRIC) provide the opportunity to study the aerosol vertical distribution by combining ground-based lidar and sun-photometric measurements. Here, we utilize the capabilities of both algorithms for the characterizati...

In this study we present an evaluation of the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions (CAMx) for Thessaloniki using radiometric and lidar data. The aerosol mass concentration profiles of CAMx are compared against the PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 concentration profiles retrieved by the Lidar-Radiometer Inversion Code (LIRIC). The CAMx model and the LI...

A unique 4-week ship cruise from Guadeloupe to Cabo Verde in April–May 2013 (see part 1, Rittmeister et al., 2017) is used for an in-depth comparison of dust profiles observed with a polarization/Raman lidar aboard the German research vessel Meteor over the remote tropical Atlantic and respective dust forecasts of a regional (SKIRON) and two global...

In 2011 the European Commission (EC) released specific ‘Guidelines’ describing the methods to quantify and subtract the contribution of natural sources from the PM10 values regulated by the European Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC). This work investigates the applicability to Italy of the EC-Methodology suggested for desert-dust, describes main l...

In this study we present an evaluation of the Comprehensive Air quality Model with extensions CAMx for Thessaloniki using radiometric and lidar data. The aerosol mass concentration profiles of CAMx are compared against the fine and coarse mode aerosol concentration profiles retrieved by the Lidar-Radiometer Inversion Code LIRIC. The CAMx model and...

The present work demonstrates the impact of model resolution in dust propagation in a complex terrain region such as West Asia. For this purpose, two simulations using the NMMB/BSC-Dust model are performed and analysed, one with a high horizontal resolution (at 0.03° × 0.03°) and one with a lower horizontal resolution (at 0.33° × 0.33°). Both model...

The main aim of the present study is to describe the vertical structure of the intense Mediterranean dust outbreaks, based on the use of satellite and surface-based retrievals/measurements. Strong and extreme desert dust (DD) episodes are identified at 1° × 1° spatial resolution, over the period March 2000–February 2013, through the implementation...

The simultaneous analysis of aerosol microphysical properties profiles at different European stations is made in the framework of the ChArMEx/EMEP 2012 field campaign (9–11 July 2012). During and in support of this campaign, five lidar ground-based stations (Athens, Barcelona, Bucharest, Évora, and Granada) performed 72 h of continuous lidar measur...

Seminar imparted on 19 May 2016 about a very preliminar and completely different version of the Atmospheric Environment article published in 2017 about NAFDI, RW and SHL; in this presentation/seminar, there is a link to a discussion manuscript published in 2016 that contains additional interesting sugestions/ideas for future work.

In the framework of the World Meteorological Organisation's Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System, we evaluated the predictions of five state-of-the-art dust forecast models during an intense Saharan dust outbreak affecting western and northern Europe in April 2011. We assessed the capacity of the models to predict the evolutio...

The present analysis focuses on the model capability to properly simulate long-range Saharan dust transport for summer 2012 in the Western Mediterranean. The present contribution shows an intercomparison of a set of 9 European regional dust model simulations. An exhaustive comparison of model outputs against other models and observations can reveal...