Chemical aging of atmospheric mineral dust during transatlantic transport

Abstract. Transatlantic dust transport has many implications for the atmosphere, ocean and climate. We present a modeling study on the impact of the key processes (dust emissions flux, convection and dust aging parameterizations) that control the transatlantic dust transport. Typically, the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) acts as a barrier for the meridional dust transport. To characterize the dust outflow over the Atlantic Ocean, we address two regional phenomena: (i) dust interactions with the ITCZ (DIZ) and (ii) the adjacent dust transport over the Atlantic Ocean (DTA). In the DTA zone, the dust loading shows a steep and linear gradient westward over the Atlantic Ocean where parti…