Measurement of Mixed Biomass Burning and Mineral Dust Aerosol in the Thermal Infrared

Abstract

From January 19th to February 7th, 2008, we installed a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) at Praia Airport on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. Our goal was to measure the combined radiative effect of biomass burning aerosol and mineral dust usually observed there during that time of the year, when mineral dust emerging from the Sahara mixes with biomass burning aerosol transported north-westwards from the Sahelian region. Our measurements were part of the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment 2 (SAMUM 2) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) as continuation of the SAMUM field experiment in Morocco in 2006. SAMUM 2 is a joint venture of several German research institutes and universities and included both ground based as well as airborne measurements with the DLR Falcon research aircraft. The ground based instrumentation included spectrometers for visible and thermal infrared downwelling radiation, sun photometers, LIDAR and particle impactors while the Falcon was equipped with LIDAR and several instruments for aerosol analysis and sample return. A comparison of the FTIR measurements with radiative transfer simulations yields the expected aerosol forcing in the atmospheric window region after application of a suitable calibration method.