Observations of Saharan Dust Intrusions over Potenza, Southern Italy, During 13 Years of Lidar Measurements: Seasonal Variability of Optical Properties and Radiative Impact

We present a multi-year study of Saharan dust intrusions on a mountainous site located in the central Mediterranean Basin regarding their aerosol optical and geometrical properties. The observations were carried out at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-Istituto di Metodologie per l’Analisi Ambientale (CNR-IMAA) located in Potenza (40,360N, 15,440E), Italy, from March 2010 to October 2022, using ACTRIS (Aerosol Clouds and Trace Gases Research InfraStructure). A total of 101 night-time lidar measurements of dust intrusions were identified. The following properties were calculated for the periods December, January, February (DJF), March, April, May (MAM), June, July, August (JJA) and September, October, November (SON): aerosol layer center of mass altitude, particle lidar ratio at 355 and 532 nm, particle depolarization ratio at 532 nm and backscattering Ångström exponent at 532–1064 nm. Both geometrical and optical aerosol properties vary considerably with the seasons. During SON and DJF, air masses transporting dust travel at lower altitudes, and become contaminated with local continental particles. In MAM and JJA, dust is also likely to travel at higher altitudes and rarely mix with other aerosol types. As a result, aerosols are larger in size and irregular in shape during the warm months. The ratio of the lidar ratios at 355 and 532 nm is 1.11 ± 0.15 in DJF, 1.12 ± 0.07 in SON, 0.94 ± 0.12 in MAM, and 0.92 ± 0.08 in JJA. The seasonal radiative effect estimated using the Fu–Liou–Gu (FLG) radiative transfer model indicates the most significant impact during the JJA period. A negative dust radiative effect is observed both at the surface (SRF) and at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) in all the seasons, and this could be related to a minimal contribution from black carbon. Specifically, the SRF radiative effect estimation is −14.48 ± 1.32 W/m² in DJF, −18.00 ± 0.89 W/m² in MAM, −22.08 ± 1.36 W/m² in JJA, and −13.47 ± 1.12 W/m² in SON. Instead, radiative effect estimation at the TOA is −22.23 ± 2.06 W/m² in DJF, −38.23 ± 2.16 W/m² in MAM, −51.36 ± 3.53 W/m² in JJA, and −22.57 ± 2.11 W/m² in SON. The results highlight how the radiative effects of the particles depend on the complex relationship between the dust load, their altitude in the troposphere, and their optical properties. Accordingly, the knowledge of aerosols optical property profiles is of primary importance to understand the radiative impact of dust.