The spatial and temporal variability of fog and its relation to fog oases in the Atacama Desert, Chile

Fog has been studied in the Atacama Desert of Chile for the past ten years. This paper analyzes its temporal and spatial variability, relying in part on satellite images (GOES) to analyze the frequent orographic fog and the low cloud deck (stratocumulus, Sc) that generates advective fog in the area. Fog water fluxes were measured with Standard Fog Collectors (SFC). Field trips and observers provided information on cloud top and base and the presence of fog. Vegetation in fog oases were used to confirm the results of these surveys.The Sc moves onshore into the continent with different intensities depending on season and time of day. The maximum spatial extent occurs during winter and at night. Fog is frequent in the coastal cliffs, where fog water fluxes of 7.0 L m^− 2 day^− 1 were measured using a SFC. It is less frequent 12 km inland, where the collection rates were less than 1 L m^− 2 day^− 1. The height of the fog collector above the ground affected the collection rate. The highest fog water fluxes were recorded at Alto Patache at altitudes of between 750 and 850 m a.s.l. The growth or thickness of the cloud is important in the collection of fog water. The information that GOES provides on the altitude of the top of low clouds is used to analyze this factor. Fog oases are described and analyzed in relation to how the geographical location of fog influences the growth of vegetation.     

Temporal characteristics and fog water collection during summer in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)

The study of fog dynamics in the island of Tenerife began in 1993 at six sites. The analysis of the relationship between fog and several meteorological parameters was conducted at the site located at Anaga. Anaga is located at the summit of a mountain range, at an altitude of 842 m and 3.5 km away from the north-western coastline of the island. The study uses hourly data of the three summer months (June, July and August) that were collected over a period of nine years — from 1996 to 2005. The mean summer (June–August) rainfall was found to be 21.2 mm whilst the total volume of fog water collected was 879.9 l m^− 2; the daily average fog water collection was 9.5 l m^− 2 day^− 1, and the hourly average about 0.4 l m^− 2 h^− 1. Although these amounts were recorded with wind speeds of between 8 and 12 m s^− 1, the correlation between water collected and wind speed is not statistically significant. In spite of this, the volume of fog water collected and wind speed showed a very distinct daily behavioural pattern, their frequency and speed reaching their minimum at 12 a.m. and their maximum from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. GMT. The importance of this research is that it shows that the fog in the Canary Islands occurs more frequently and makes a more significant contribution to the growth of vegetation in the summer (the dry season) than in the winter, when fog accompanies rainfall.     

The implementation of fog water collection systems in South Africa

Two fog water collection systems (FWCS) have been implemented in South Africa. Both are located in areas where communities experience acute water shortages but which are prone to frequent fog episodes. The first was located at a high elevation site at the Tshanowa Junior Primary (JP) School in the Soutpansberg located in the Northern Province and the other near a small rural community at Lepelfontein along the West Coast. The former represents a mountainous site, while the latter is located on a low level coastal plain. The principal aim of the projects was to implement operational FWCSs to supply the communities with water. During the period 1999 to 2001 the total recorded cloud water yields at the Tshanowa JP School and Lepelfontein water collection sites were in the region of 72 422 and 148 691 l, respectively. This is equivalent to just over 2 l m⁻² day⁻¹ at the Tshanowa JP School and 4.6 l m⁻² day⁻¹ at the Lepelfontein site. Despite the relatively low average daily yields recorded, the total water volume collected on a particular day may be considerable. In fact, at both sites the maximum daily yield exceeded 3800 l. Fog deposition accounted for around 25% and 88% of the total water yield measured at the Tshanowa JP School and Lepelfontein sites, respectively. Both experiments indicated that fog water collection holds considerable potential as an alternative water source in the mountainous regions and along the West Coast of South Africa.     

Dew and rain water collection in the Dalmatian Coast, Croatia

Passive dew harvesting and rainwater collection requires a very small financial investment but can exploit a free, clean (outside urban/industrial zones) and inexhaustible source of water. This study investigates the relative contributions of dew and rain water in the Mediterranean Dalmatian coast and islands of Croatia, with emphasis on the dry summer season. In addition, we evaluate the utility of transforming abandoned roof rain collectors (“impluviums”) to collect dew water too. Two sites were chosen, an exposed open site on the coast favourable to dew formation (Zadar) and a less favourable site in a cirque of mountains in Komiža (Vis Island). Between July 1, 2003 and October 31, 2006, dew was collected two or three times per day on a 1 m² inclined (30°) test dew condenser, together with standard meteorological data (air temperature and relative humidity, cloud cover, windspeed and direction). Maximum yields were 0.41 mm in Zadar and 0.6 mm in Komiža. The mean yearly cumulative dew yields were found to be 20 mm (Zadar) and 9.3 mm (Komiža). Because of its physical setting, Komiža represents a poor location for dew collection. However, during the dry season (May to October), monthly cumulative dew water yield can represent up to 38% of water collected by rainfall. In both July 2003 and 2006, dew water represented about 120% of the monthly cumulative rain water. Refurbishing the abandoned impluviums to permit dew collection could then provide useful supplementary water, especially during the dry season. As an example, the 1300 m² impluvium at Podšpilje near Komiža could provide, in addition to rain water, 14,000 L dew water per year.     

Fog water interception by Sophora denudata trees in a Reunion upper-montane forest, Indian Ocean

The forest water balance has never been studied in Reunion Island (Indian Ocean). This study focuses on the interception of fog water by Sophora denudata, an endemic tree, which provides an important water input into the hydrologic budget of the upper-montane forest. Canopy throughfall, rainfall and fog have been compared. The first data were obtained in 2001 in Nez de Bœuf, 2040 m asl, from manual rain gauges. The measurements were made during the day only. The aim was to propose a typology of events, to understand the spatial pattern of canopy throughfall, especially fogdrip, and their relation to the trade-wind direction. A second series of experiments, carried out in 2004 in Piton de Tangues, 2150 m asl, investigated how throughfall and atmospheric water varied with time, using automatic instruments such as the shielded Grunow-type fog collector. Here measurements were made continuously and night data were not excluded. Over a period of 8 months, the throughfall gauges, which were placed under the trees, indicated 1180 mm whereas the total amount of rainfall had reached only 948 mm. The difference (232 mm) is attributed to fog. Of 278 events, 234 showed fog contribution; fog occurred alone in 167 cases. The observations confirm what was found in Nez de Bœuf, namely that fog or rain can occur separately or together. The role of fog contribution to the forest water budget is significant: the spatial variation of canopy throughfall does not only depend on the type of event, but also on wind direction.     

Passive dew collection in a grassland area, The Netherlands

Passive dew collection experiments were initiated in late 2003 in the centre of The Netherlands within a grassland area. A specially designed 1 m² insulated planar dew collector, set at a 30° angle from horizontal, was covered with a thin (0.39 mm) polyethylene foil and subsequently replaced with 4 mm polyvinyl chloride. A second dew collector, in the shape of an inverted pyramid, was constructed to reduce the view angle to only the nighttime sky. A simple surface energy-budget model and an aerodynamic model were used to simulate the dew collected by both collectors. The planar collector collected about 90% of the dew at the grass cover while the pyramid collector collected about 1.20% of the grass cover. The aerodynamic model was able to predict the amount of collector data to within 50% for the planar collector and 60% for the inverted pyramid collector. The pyramid collector design was able to collect about 20% more dew than the inclined planar collector.     

The climate of the coast and fog zone in the Tarapacá Region, Atacama Desert, Chile

In the Atacama Desert, the narrow littoral plain and the adjacent mountain range have a unique climate. This area is locally called the “coastal desert with abundant cloudiness”, and extends from the coastline up to an elevation of 1000 m. The climate is designated as being BWn according to Köppen's Climate Classification as adapted for Chile. In the original classification the acronym (Bn) is used for foggy environments. Toward the east a “normal desert” climate (BW) is found. This is known as one of the most extreme deserts of the world. In the BWn areas there are meteorological differences between low and high elevation zones. The climate of the coastal plains and the mountains is described in this paper in order to show that there is an area where the climate differs from those classified as BWn and BW in the Chilean Climate Classification. This area is located between 650 and 1200 m a.s.l. and contains several fog oases or lomas vegetation, rich in biodiversity and endemism.The weather is warmer near sea level, with an annual average temperature of 18 °C. At high elevation sites like Alto Patache, the temperature decreases at a rate of 0.7 °C for every 100-m increase in altitude. The average annual minimum temperature often approaches 1 °C in winter, while the mean annual temperature range is significant (8.3 °C in Los Cóndores). The mean monthly relative humidity in Alto Patache is over 80%, except during the summer months. During autumn, winter and spring high elevation fog is present in the study area at altitudes ranging from 650 m up to 1060 m, giving annual water yields of 0.8 to 7 L m^− 2 day^− 1. If vegetation is used as an indicator, the foggy zone lies between 650 m a.s.l. and 1200 m a.s.l. About 70% of the mountain range experiences the foggy climate, as opposed to the coastal plains that are characterized by a cloudy climate.     

Advective, orographic and radiation fog in the Tarapacá region, Chile

A project in northern Chile was undertaken to determine the origin and behaviour of fog in the coastal and inland locations of the Tarapacá Region. In the Pampa del Tamarugal, 50 km from the sea, conditions exist for the formation of radiation fog. Advective fog has been studied on the coast and orographic fog was observed at a few coastal sites near mountain ranges with elevations above 1000 m. Fog water collected by two standard fog collectors (SFC) for 3 1/2 years showed an average flux of 8.5 l m⁻² day⁻¹ on the coast and 1.1 l m⁻² day⁻¹ inland 12 km from the coastline. On only a few days in 10 months was water collected at the inland site of Pampa del Tamarugal. GOES satellite images are shown to illustrate the pattern of formation of the stratocumuli cloud over the sea, its approach to the coastline, the entrance of fog by corridors through the coastal range and the presence of radiation fog inland. The results are important for the understanding of fog formation and dissipation along the coastal mountain range and for the recognition of potential sites for the installation of fog water collectors, which can be used as a water source in the Atacama Desert. The results also provide vital information for use in the preservation of the unique ecosystems of the most arid desert of the world.     

Characteristics of gaseous pollutants near a main traffic line in Beijing and its influencing factors

Automobile exhaust emissions are becoming increasingly serious with the drastic increase of the number of vehicles in Beijing. In order to investigate the air pollution level and characteristics in the areas near the main traffic lines in Beijing and to identify the contributions from traffic and other sources, gaseous pollutants including NOx, CO, O₃, SO₂, and meteorological parameters have been monitored at a monitoring site and a contrasting site in winter and summer in 2006. The volumes of vehicles on Beiyuan Road were recorded. The average concentrations of NO, NO₂, NOx, CO, O₃, and SO₂ at the monitoring site were 0.148 mg/m³, 0.107 mg/m³, 0.333 mg/m³, 5.110 mg/m³, 0.006 mg/m³, and 0.157 mg/m³, respectively during the sampling period in winter and 0.021 mg/m³, 0.068 mg/m³, 0.101 mg/m³, 4.170 mg/m³, 0.083 mg/m³, and 0.056 mg/m³, respectively in summer. The high concentrations of CO and O₃ reflect the influence of vehicles emission near the traffic lines evidently. The higher concentrations of CO, NO and O₃ in summer may indicate that the characteristics of traffic pollution were more pronounced in summer. Results of regression analysis showed that in winter the concentrations of SO₂ and CO were significantly positively correlated with the emission of heating boilers at night and negatively correlated with wind speed in daytime. The concentrations of NO and NOx were negatively correlated with wind speed, positively correlated with emission of heating boilers in daytime and positively correlated with traffic density at nighttime. The concentrations of NO₂ were positively correlated with the emission of heating boilers in daytime and traffic density at nighttime. In summer, the air quality at the monitoring site and the contrasting site was mainly influenced by the traffic emissions.     

Fog measurements at the site “Falda Verde” north of Chañaral compared with other fog stations of Chile

Fog collection data registered through a Standard Fog Collector (SFC) installed by a local fishermen's association at a height of 600 m at the “Falda Verde” site, north of the Chilean harbor Chañaral (26°17′S/70°36′W), from November 1998 to November 2000, are analyzed. Trying to give new lights on the dynamics of fog along the Chilean northern coast, this article compares, for the first time, the data obtained at Falda Verde with those obtained at five other Chilean fog stations. The total time period runs from 1987 to 2001. A mean of 1.46 l/m²/day was registered at the Falda Verde site after 2 years of measurements, one of the lowest yields along the north Chilean coast. After a brief historical recapitulation of fog researches in the study area, geographical explanations of the water yields obtained in different sites are discussed. The annual mean collection from Cerro Moreno and Paposo shows a clearly different behavior from all other sites, showing a greater stability throughout the year. Other stations have a marked difference between extreme seasons. Alto Patache yields, if not the best in Chile, are very high and offer unexpected possibilities for future applications in the coast. Stations located away from the seashore (Cerro Guatalaya) are clearly less productive. Ocean proximity, altitude, south and southwest orientations of the coastal ranges and local relief explain some of the differences noted.     

Rainfall yield characteristics of electrical storm observed in the Spanish Basque Country area during the period 1992–1996

This paper is focused on the study of rainfall yield characteristics of electrical storms observed over the Northern Iberian Peninsula during 1992–1996. To this aim Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) method have been used. The SOM method is a group of artificial neural networks based on the topological properties of the human brain. Results clearly suggest that there exist three different meteorological patterns that are linked to the characteristics of electrical events found in the study area. In winter, most of the electrical events are formed under oceanic advection (NW air fluxes). On these cases, mean rainfall yield estimates reach values of 700 10⁴ m³ per cloud to ground lightning flash (CG flash). During summer most frequent electrical storms are associated to local instability shooting by surface heating with advection of humidity coming from the Iberian Peninsula. Under these meteorological situations, rain is scarcer if compared with oceanic events but lightning CG counts reach the maximum values found in the area (about 10 CG counts per 20 × 20 km² and day) giving this way the smallest rainfall yield with a mean value of 15 10⁴ m³ per CG flash. Iberian air fluxes associated with cold air in upper parts of the atmosphere represent the third meteorological pattern found. This pattern is most common in spring and autumn but is not unusual in the rest of the seasons. In those cases mean rainfall yield in the area is about 150 10⁴ m³ per CG flash. In all electrical episodes K instability index is greater than 15 °C but in the most lightning producing events, this index reaches in the area values greater than 24 °C. PCA results pointed out that there exists a relationship between rain and CG counts expressed by the first principal component computed from standardized data. However, we must notice that no event is solely linked to this axis, since a seasonal influence which decreases lightning production when rain increases is always present. Results found are of great interest for short term forecasting of flashfloods in mountainous areas like the Spanish Basque Country region.     

Impact of Saharan dust on PM10 concentration in the Mediterranean Tunisian coasts

This paper presents samples of Saharan dust outbreak affecting the Mediterranean Tunisian coasts and its impact on PM10 (Particles with an aerodynamic diameter below 10 µm) surface concentrations measured at seven monitoring stations during summer 2006. During the events, the daily PM10 levels at all stations exceeded EU and Tunisian air quality standard limits which are equal to 50 µg/m³. The maximum values ranged from 200 µg/m³ to 300 µg/m³ depending on the monitoring station. The impact is even more dramatic on PM10 hourly concentrations leading to maximum hourly peaks ranging from 400 µg/m³ to 850 µg/m³ again depending on the monitoring station (industrial or residential, traffic and commercial). Comparison between backward air masses trajectories reaching Tunisian coasts and satellite imageries vis-à-vis the PM10 hourly concentrations measured at the monitoring stations during 2006 evidenced the influence of the Saharan dust outbreaks on surface concentrations. The origin of the air masses is found to be from South-West direction under the influence of air masses from the Algerian Saharan desert.     

Fog and rain water chemistry at Mt. Fuji: A case study during the September 2002 campaign

Measurements of fog and rain water chemistry at the summit of Mt. Fuji, the highest peak in Japan, as well as at Tarobo, the ESE slope of Mt. Fuji in September 2002. The pH of fog and rain water sampled at Mt. Fuji varied over a range of 4.0–6.8. Acidic fogs (pH < 5.0) were observed at the summit when the air mass came from the industrial regions on the Asian continent. The ratio of [SO₄²⁻]/[NO₃⁻] in the fog water was lower at Tarobo than at the summit. High concentrations of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ were determined in the rain water sampled at the summit, possibly because of the long-range transport of sea-salt particles raised by a typhoon through the middle troposphere. The vertical transport of sea-salt particles would influence the cloud microphysical properties in the middle troposphere. Significant loss of Mg²⁺ was seen in the rain water at the summit. The concentrations of peroxides in the fog and rain water were relatively large (10–105 μM). The potential capacity for SO₂ oxidation seems to be strong from summer to early autumn at Mt. Fuji. The fog water peroxide concentrations displayed diurnal variability. The peroxide concentrations in the nighttime were significantly higher than those in the daytime.     

Estimation of fog deposition on epiphytic bryophytes in a subtropical montane forest ecosystem in northeastern Taiwan

The fog meteorology, fog chemistry and fog deposition on epiphytic bryophytes were investigated from July 2000 to June 2001 in the Yuanyang Lake forest ecosystem. The elevation of the site ranges from 1650 to 2420 m, at which the high frequency of fog occurrence throughout the year has been thought to be of benefit to the establishment of the primary Taiwan yellow cypress forest [Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana (Hayata) Rehder] and to the extensive growth of the epiphytic bryophytes. A weather station including a visibility sensor and an active fog collector was installed for fog meteorological and chemical study. The fog deposition rate on epiphytic bryophytes was estimated by measuring the increase rate in plant weight when exposed to fog. Average fog duration of 4.7 and 11.0 h per day was measured in summer months (June to August) and the rest of the year, respectively. November 2000 was the foggiest month in which the average fog duration reached 14.9 h per day. The ionic composition of fog water revealed that the area was less polluted than expected from literature data. The in situ exposure experiments done with the dominant epiphytic bryophytes showed an average fog deposition rate of 0.63 g H₂O g⁻¹ d. w. h⁻¹, which approximated 0.17 mm h⁻¹ at the stand scale. The nutrient fluxes estimated for February 2001 showed that for all ions, more than 50% of the ecosystem input was through fog deposition. These results demonstrate the importance of epiphytic bryophytes and fog deposition in nutrient cycling of this subtropical montane forest ecosystem. The incorporation of fog study in the long-term ecosystem research projects is necessary in this area.     

Cloud contribution to the daily and annual radiation budget in a mountainous valley

An automated-ventilated radiation station has been set up in a mountainous valley at the Logan Airport in northern Utah, USA, since mid-1995, to evaluate the daily and annual radiation budget components, and develop an algorithm to study cloudiness and its contribution to the daily and annual radiation. This radiation station (composed of pyranometers, pyrgeometers and a net radiometer) provides continuous measurements of downward and upward shortwave, longwave and net radiation throughout the year. The surface temperature and pressure, the 2-m air temperature and humidity, precipitation, and wind at this station were also measured. A heated rain gauge provided precipitation information. Using air temperature and moisture and measured downward longwave (atmospheric) radiation, appropriate formula (among four approaches) was chosen for computation of cloudless-skies atmospheric emissivity. Considering the additional longwave radiation during the cloudy skies coming from the cloud in the waveband which the gaseous emission lacks (from 8–13 μm), an algorithm was developed which provides continuous 20-min cloud information (cloud base height, cloud base temperature, percent of skies covered by cloud, and cloud contribution to the radiation budget) over the area during day and night. On the partly-cloudy day of 3 February, 2003, for instance, cloud contributed 1.34 MJ m^− 2 d^− 1 out of 26.92 MJ m^− 2 d^− 1 to the daily atmospheric radiation. On the overcast day of 18 December, 2003, this contribution was 5.77 MJ m^− 2 d^− 1 out of 29.38 MJ m^− 2 d^− 1. The same contribution for the year 2003 amounted to 402.85 MJ m^− 2 y^− 1 out of 9976.08 MJ m^− 2 y^− 1. Observations (fog which yielded a zero cloud base height and satellite cloud imaging data) throughout the year confirmed the validity of the computed data. The nearby Bowen ratio station provided the downward radiation and net radiation data. If necessary, these data could be substituted for the missing data at the radiation station. While the automated surface observing systems (ASOS) ceilometer at the Logan airport provides only the overhead cloud information, the proposed algorithm provides this information over the valley. The proposed algorithm is a promising approach for evaluation of the cloud base temperature, cloud base height, percent of skies covered by cloud, and cloud contribution to the daily and annual radiation budget at local and regional scales.     

Elemental and organic carbon in atmospheric aerosols at downtown and suburban sites in Prague

Organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC) content in PM₁₀ was studied at two sites in Prague, which were located in a suburb and in the downtown. Similar overall average levels were found for both species and also for the PM₁₀ mass at the two sites (i.e., 5.5 and 4.8 μg/m³ for OC, 0.74 and 0.80 μg/m³ for EC, and 33 μg/m³ and 37 μg/m³ for the PM₁₀ mass at the suburb and downtown site, respectively), but substantial differences were observed between the two sites in some seasons and/or meteorological situations. Approximately three times higher values were found for OC in winter compared to summer, with a higher winter/summer ratio for the suburban site. The differences for EC were smaller, but still, compared to summer, more than two times higher EC levels were observed during autumn at the suburban site and 1.5 higher EC levels in winter and autumn at the downtown site. The lowest OC to EC ratios at the suburban site were 3.4, while they were around 1.3 for the downtown site. It was found that the origin of the air masses had a major impact on the observed PM₁₀ mass and OC levels, with largest concentrations noted for air masses recirculating over central Europe and arriving from southeastern Europe in winter. Trajectories coming from the west and northwest originating above the Atlantic Ocean and the Artic brought the cleanest air masses to the sites. For EC the largest difference between the two sites was observed for northwesterly winds during the non-heating season when the suburban site was upwind of Prague.     

Carbonaceous materials in size-segregated atmospheric aerosols from urban and coastal-rural areas at the Western European Coast

A high-volume cascade impactor, equipped with a PM10 inlet, was used to collect size-segregated aerosol samples during the summer of 2004 at two Portuguese locations: a coastal-rural area (Moitinhos) and an urban area (Oporto). Concentrations of airborne particulate matter (PM), total carbon (TC), organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) were determined for the following particle size ranges: < 0.49, 0.49–0.95, 0.95–3.0, and 3.0–10 µm. The total PM mass concentrations at the urban and coastal-rural sites ranged from 22.8 to 79.6 μg m^− 3 and 19.9 to 28.2 μg m^− 3, respectively, and more than 56% of the total aerosol mass was found in the fractions below 3.0 μm. At both locations the highest concentrations of OC and EC were found in the submicrometer size range. The regional variability for the OC and EC concentrations, with the highest concentrations being found in the urban area, was related to the contribution of local primary sources (mostly traffic emissions). It was also verified an enrichment of the small size particles in WSOC, representing on average 37.3(± 12.4)% and 59.7(± 18.0)% of OC in the very fine aerosol at the coastal-rural and urban areas, respectively. The amount of secondary OC calculated by the minimum OC/EC ratio method indicates that secondary organic aerosol formation was important throughout the study at both sites. The obtained results suggest that long-range transport and favourable summer conditions for photochemical oxidation are key factors determining secondary OC formation in the coastal-rural and urban areas. The ultraviolet absorption properties of the chromophoric constituents of the WSOC fractions were also different among the different particle size ranges and also between the two sampling locations, thus suggesting the strong impact of the diverse emission sources into the composition of the size-segregated organic aerosol.     

Changes of cloud water chemical composition in the Western Sudety Mountains, Poland

The changing chemical composition of cloud water and precipitation in the Western Sudety Mountains are discussed against the background of air-pollution changes in the Black Triangle since the 1980s until September 2004. A marked reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions between the early 1990's and the present (from almost 2 million tons to around 0.2 million tons) has been observed, with a substantial decline of sulphate and hydrogen concentration in cloud water (SO₄²⁻ from more than 200 to around 70 μmol l^− 1; H⁺ from 150 to 50 μmol l^− 1) and precipitation (SO₄²⁻ from around 80 to 20–30 μmol l^− 1; H⁺ from around 60 to 10–15 μmol l^− 1) samples. At some sites, where fog/cloud becomes the major source of pollutants, deposition hot spots are still observed where, for example, nitrogen deposition can exceed 20 times the relevant critical load. The results show that monitoring of cloud water chemistry can be a sensitive indicator of pollutant emissions.     

Black carbon relationships with emissions and meteorology in Xi'an, China

Aerosol black carbon (BC) was measured every 5 min at Xi'an, China from September 2003 to August 2005. Daily BC concentrations ranged from 2 to 65 μg m^− 3, averaging 14.7 ± 9.5 μg m^− 3 and displayed clear summer minima and winter maxima. BC typically peaked between 0800 and 1000 LST and again between 2000 and 2200 LST, corresponding with morning and evening traffic combined with nighttime residential cooking and heating. The nocturnal peak was especially evident in winter, when more domestic heating is used and pollutant-trapping surface-inversions form earlier than in summer. BC frequency distributions the most commonly occurring concentrations occurred between 5 and 10 μg m^− 3 in all four seasons. BC ranged from 1.6% and 15.6%, and averaged 8.3% of PM_2.5. A clear inverse relationship between BC and wind speed (WS) was found when WS was below 2.5 to 3.0 m s^− 1, implying a local origin for BC. Mixed layer depths (MLDs) were shallower during BC episodes compared to cleaner conditions.     

Seasonal variations of atmospheric sulfur dioxide and dimethylsulfide concentrations at Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean

Daily measurements of atmospheric sulfur dioxide (SO₂) concentrations were performed from March 1989 to January 1991 at Amsterdam Island (37°50 S–77°30 E), a remote site located in the southern Indian Ocean. Long-range transport of continental air masses was studied using Radon (²²²Rn) as continental tracer. Average monthly SO₂ concentrations range from less than 0.2 to 3.9 nmol m^-3 (annual average = 0.7 nmol m^-3) and present a seasonal cycle with a minimum in winter and a maximum in summer, similar to that described for atmospheric DMS concentrations measured during the same period. Clear diel correlation between atmospheric DMS and SO₂ concentrations is also observed during summer. A photochemical box model using measured atmospheric DMS concentrations as input data reproduces the seasonal variations in the measured atmospheric SO₂ concentrations within ±30%. Comparing between computed and measured SO₂ concentrations allowed us to estimate a yield of SO₂ from DMS oxidation of about 70%.