The Respective Roles of Wind Speed and Green Vegetation in Controlling Sahelian Dust Emission During the Wet Season

Based on 10 years of continuous measurements of wind speed, rainfall, and PM10 concentrations (i.e., concentrations of the particulate matter having a diameter lower than 10 μm) performed in two Sahelian stations, we examine how wind speed and vegetation interact during the wet season to control the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2020-11, Vol.47 (22), p.n/a
Main Authors: Bergametti, G., Marticorena, B., Rajot, J. L., Siour, G., Féron, A., Gaimoz, C., Coman, A., Chatenet, B., Coulibaly, M., Maman, A., Koné, I., Zakou, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric particulates
Diameters
Dust
Dust control
Dust emission
Dust storms
Emissions control
Ocean, Atmosphere
Particulate emissions
Particulate matter
Rain
Rainfall
Rainy season
Sciences of the Universe
Seasons
Suspended particulate matter
Vegetation
Wet season
Wind erosion
Wind measurement
Wind speed
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Summary:Based on 10 years of continuous measurements of wind speed, rainfall, and PM10 concentrations (i.e., concentrations of the particulate matter having a diameter lower than 10 μm) performed in two Sahelian stations, we examine how wind speed and vegetation interact during the wet season to control the dust concentration when it is due to local dust emissions. The results clearly show that the frequency of the high wind speeds is higher at the beginning of the wet season and is the main driver of the seasonal dust emission. During the second part of the wet season, the frequency of high wind speeds is much lower and, in addition, their efficiency for wind erosion and dust emission is strongly affected by the vegetation whose growth reduces progressively PM10 concentrations up to 80%. Key Points Between May and September, the decrease of the high wind speeds is the main reason for the decrease of PM10 in the Central Sahel During the growing period (June to September), the green vegetation progressively reduces dust emission efficiency in the Sahel For identical wind speeds, vegetation cover characterized by NDVI higher than 0.26 reduces PM10 concentrations up to 80%
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2020GL089761