Measuring Campaign INTERACT-TNA: "DUST- in air and snow"

On May 21, 2024, the measurement campaign DUST started at the Sonnblick Observatory, carried out by O. Meinander from the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and K. Bohm from the University of Helsinki. The team is trying to “catch” dust particles from the atmosphere using various passive sample containers (containers that do not electronically suck in the air), and analyses of snow samples and precipitation samples are also being carried out. “Our DUST project ‘Dust in Air and Snow’ is of great importance for our understanding of atmospheric dust transport, new dust sources, new dust transport pathways and dust deposition in a changing climate. The dust originates from hot deserts such as the Sahara and from cold deserts and soils, the so-called “High Latitude Dust” (HLD), such as the dust sources in Iceland, Greenland and North America,” says O. Meinander. The team is therefore not only taking samples at the Sonnblick Observatory, but also in Iceland and in the Arctic. The measurement campaign is supported by the EU INTERACT project.
Sampling will be carried out until September 2024.

Figure-1: Left: “Catching dust” with colored marbles. Passive collection container with glass marbles for better deposition and protection of the sample. Right. K. Bohm after successful mounting of different sample collectors. The measurement campaign is sponsored by INTERACT.

The research is receiving funding from INTERACT III under the European Union H2020 Grant Agreement No.87112