Global Air Pollution Crossroads over the Mediterranean

Abstract

The Mediterranean Intensive Oxidant Study, performed in the summer of 2001, uncovered air pollution layers from the surface to an altitude of 15 kilometers. In the boundary layer, air pollution standards are exceeded throughout the region, caused by West and East European pollution from the north. Aerosol particles also reduce solar radiation penetration to the surface, which can suppress precipitation. In the middle troposphere, Asian and to a lesser extent North American pollution is transported from the west. Additional Asian pollution from the east, transported from the monsoon in the upper troposphere, crosses the Mediterranean tropopause, which pollutes the lower stratosphere at middle latitudes.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Oct 25, 2002
Source ID
10.1126/science.1075457

Entities

People

  • A. Minikin
  • B. Steil
  • C. Warneke
  • E. G. Stephanou
  • F. J. Dentener
  • G. J. Roelofs
  • H. A. Scheeren
  • H. Berresheim
  • H. Fischer
  • H. Schlager
  • H. Ziereis
  • J. Feichter
  • J. Heland
  • J. Lelieveld
  • J. Sciare
  • Jim Williams
  • K. M. Markowicz
  • M. De Reus
  • M. G. Lawrence
  • M. Traub
  • Michael P. Schultz
  • N. Mihalopoulos
  • P. J. Crutzen
  • P. J. Flatau
  • P. Siegmund
  • P. Stier
  • R. Holzinger
  • R. Korrmann
  • S. Borrmann
  • V. Ramanathan
  • Z. Levin

Organizations

  • Deutscher Wetterdienst
  • German Aerospace Center
  • Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
  • Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
  • Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
  • Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
  • Tel Aviv University
  • United States Naval Research Laboratory
  • University of Adelaide Environment Institute
  • University of California
  • University of Crete
  • University of Warsaw
  • Utrecht University

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Environmental Engineering.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris