Effect of Saharan Dust Transport on Ozone and Carbon Dioxide Concentration

Abstract

This paper concerns simultaneous measurements of ozone and carbondioxide concentrations in troposphere during Saharan transport in orderto highlight the effects of desert dust on gas values. Two episodesselected among those occurred at Mt. Cimone (44 degrees 11' N; 10degrees 42' E, 2165 m asl) from March 1991 to March 1995 are presented.During these episodes a sharp depletion of ozone concentration and achange in the behaviour of carbon dioxide concentration are evident.Three hypotheses to explain these modifications registered duringSaharan dust transports are proposed.