[RegCNET] Physical and chemical properties and impacts of atmospheric aerosols over arid and semi-arid regions AS3.18

[Ashraf Zakey]

Dear Friends,

Happy new year. Sorry if there is cross-posting, but I wanted to
bring your attention to the session AS3.18, "Physical and chemical
properties and impacts of atmospheric aerosols over arid and
semi-arid regions" at the upcoming EGU 2010 General Assembly on 2-7
May 2010 in Vienna. The deadline for submission of Abstracts is
January 18, so there is still time to submit your contribution and
make this as exciting a session. We hope you will be able to submit
a paper,



All the best wishes
Yours Sincerely

Ashraf Zakey

The Abdu Salam International Ceneter for Theortical Physics (ICTP)
Earth System Physics ( ESP)
Physics of Weather and Climate section
Strada Costiera 11, 34100
Trieste – Italy
Tel(office):+39 040 2240 385
Fax: +39 040 2241 63





AS3.18
Physical and chemical properties and impacts of atmospheric aerosols
over arid and semi-arid regions


Convener: Ashraf Zakey
Co-Conveners: François Dulac , Alexander Baklanov , Slobodan Nickovic , 
Maria Rita Perrone


Atmospheric aerosol produce a significant influence on the Earth 
radiative budget, through scattering and absorption of radiation (direct 
forcing), and by influencing the cloud nucleation processes and the 
cloud microphysical properties (indirect forcing). Tropospheric aerosols 
are among the most uncertain elements in the estimation of the planetary 
radiative budget because of the high variability of their 
characteristics and the complex phenomena in which they are involved. 
Some aerosol types, like sulphates (and in particular stratospheric 
particles after major volcanic eruptions), scatter a significant 
fraction of the solar radiation, producing an increase of the planetary 
albedo and a cooling of the lower atmosphere. On the other hand, 
absorbing particles, like carbonaceous aerosol and dust may induce 
warming effects on the atmosphere. Arid regions are the major source 
areas for soil dust, a major component of the global aerosol, and show 
some peculiarities such as a high surface albedo. In semi-arid areas, 
where can be found large cities, the aerosols are impacted by dust 
transport from deserts but are also influenced by anthropogenic 
activities including soil perturbations by agricultural activities, 
biomass burning, fossil fuel combustion...

This session invites presentations on all aspects of aerosols physics, 
chemistry and dynamics in arid and semi-arid regions. The main objective 
of this session is to illustrate the distribution, chemical composition, 
and fluxes of aerosols over arid and semi-arid region. Special emphasis 
will be given on the interactions between chemical composition and the 
dynamical structure of aerosols in arid and semi-arid regions.

This includes contributions focusing on


1- Chemistry of aerosols over arid and semi-arid region
2- Aerosol characterization in arid and semi-arid region
3- Aerosol parameterization of cloud microphysics arid and semi-arid region
4- Aerosol dynamics in arid and semi-arid region
5- Aerosol-radiation interactions in arid and semi-arid region
6- Long-term variability and trends of aerosols chemistry and dynamics.