engleski

Dust deposition climatology of the Adriatic Sea and its possible effect on the marine production

Airborne desert dust plays an important role in climate change. It affects atmospheric radiation properties, cloud formation, and biogeochemical cycles. In this study, for the first time, the climatology of dust deposition in the Adriatic Sea area was analyzed using MERRA-2 reanalysis dust deposition products for the period 1989-2019. The annual deposition cycle is bimodal with a stronger maximum in March-April and weaker in November. The wet deposition was found to be a dominant process with a relative contribution to overall deposition from ~67% to ~88%. On average, dust deposition occurrence is 60 dy yr-1, with the strongest deposition during 1999-2009 and a positive trend in deposited mass during the study period. Deposition hot spots are along the Montenegrin coast and Otranto. Atmospheric mineral dust deposition plays an important role in providing nutrients to marine ecosystems. Dust deposition effect on primary production is observed by a high level of oxygen saturation up to 250% in the stratified middle water layer (5 – 8 m) of the central Adriatic marine system (Rogoznica Lake) during intense wet deposition episode. Extreme values of oxygen saturation are a consequence of intense biological activity visible through the pronounced phytoplankton abundance, diatoms in particular. The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Croatian Science Foundation project IP-2018-01-1717- MARRES, Faculty of Science, the University of Zagreb and University of Rijeka, project uniri-prirod-18-232.

Desert Dust Climatology, EOF, Primary production, Rogoznica Lake

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