PAEROS-Charmex Mountain
Experiment (PACMEx)
G. Roberts, C. Corrigan, J. Ritchie, V. Pont,
M. Claeys, M. Mallet, D. Lambert, J. Sciare,
S. Barrau, F. Dulac
Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO)
Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques (CNRM)
Laboratoire Aérologie (LA)
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement
(LCSE)
Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (CEA)
funded by the National Science Foundation, INSU-MISTRALS, ANR ADRIMED, Météo France
ADRIMED-ChArMEx
Corsica Aerosol
Sampling Locations
ERSA - Primary ground-based site
- Located on Cap Corse peninsula
- 550 m.asl, ~3 km from ocean
- Extensive range of aerosol, trace
gas and radiometric measurements
Pinerole – Remote mountain site
- Located in the island interior
- 2000 m.asl, ~50 km from ocean
- Aerosol instrumentation powered
by a solar panel array
Portable AERosol Observing System
• Total Particle Concentration
• Particle Size Distributions
(20 nm – 5 µm)
• Cloud Condensation Nuclei
• Supersaturation Spectra
(0.7 – 1.5 % Sc)
• Size distribution
• Hygroscopicity
• Aerosol Absorption (black carbon)
• Meteorology (PTU)
• Solar flux (l – 0.4 to 1.1 µm)
• Position, Orientation, Movement
Motivation
• Identify sources and sinks of aerosol (esp.
European emissions, Saharan dust and
biomass burning) above the boundary layer
• Characterize mixing between the free
troposphere and boundary layer.
• Study the evolution of aerosol during
transport
Total Particle Concentrations – 5 min avg
ERSA
10000
9000
Dust event
Pinerole PAEROS
Dust + Wave
Westerly wind
high Ca2+
high Na+
Southerly wind
high Ca2+
8000
Concentration, #/cm3
7000
6000
5000
4000
FLEXPART
3000
24 June 2013
2000
1000
MSG
/ SEVIRI
0
Date 2013
Pinerole Pre
Calm event
Northerly wind
Optical Particle Counters (Dp > 0.3 µm) – 5 min resolution
ERSA
Pinerole PAEROS
Pinerole Ext
200
180
Dust
Dust +
Waves
Calm
160
Concentration, #/cm3
140
120
100
80
FLEXPART
FLEXPART
60
4 July 2013
10 July 2013
40
20
0
MSG / SEVIRI
MSG / SEVIRI
Date 2013
OPC ( Dp > 1 µm ) - 5 min resolution
ERSA
2
1.8
Dust
Pinerole PAEROS
Dust +
Waves
Pinerole Ext
Calm
1.6
Concentration, #/cm3
1.4
1.2
1
FLEXPART
0.8
0.6
16 June 2013
0.4
0.2
MSG / SEVIRI
0
Date 2013
Aethelometer (Black Carbon)
Aethalometer - Pinerole - 30 min avg (2-hr line)
MAAP
mAeth
4 per. Mov. Avg. (mAeth)
1,400
BC Concentration, ug/m3
1,200
1,000
800
600
FLEXPART
400
10 July 2013
200
0
MSG / SEVIRI
Day 2013
MAAP: LSCE
Preliminary results
• Identified dust events, emissions from continental Europe, and
biomass burning.
• Observations at both sites show similar trends; yet with
differences that still need to be explored.
• Strong diurnal variations at Pinerole  transitions between
boundary layer and free troposphere
• Dust events show higher concentrations in free troposphere
(esp. 1 um)
• Transport of black carbon from
Europe and biomass burning
– concentrations higher
in boundary layer
Monte Pinerole PACMEx Site
Data Collection Timeline at Pinerole