10- Particle Size Analysis of African Dust Haze over the Last 20 Years: A Focus on the Extreme Event of June 2020 [Euphrasie et al (2021)]

Over the past decades, the impact of mineral dust from African deserts on human health and the climate has been of great interest to the scientific community. In this article, the KaruSphere laboratory carried out a particle size analysis of dust events over the past 20 years in the Caribbean region. The focus is on the extreme June 2020 event dubbed “Godzilla”. To carry out this study, different types of data were used (on the ground, satellites, model and soundings) on several Caribbean sites. First, the scale of the June 2020 event has been clearly demonstrated using satellite imagery. At the peak of this event, the value of particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 µm (PM10) reached a value 9 times higher than the threshold recommended by the World Health Organization for one day. Subsequently, the analyzes of PM10 and optical values ​​showed their maximum values ​​for June 2020. We also highlighted the exceptional characteristics of the Saharan air layer in terms of thickness and wind speed for this event. . Finally, our results showed that the more the proportion of particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) in PM10 increases, the greater the influence of marine aerosols.