Dust transport from non-East Asian sources to the North Pacific

It is generally thought that East Asia dominates the supply of eolian dust to the North Pacific. Here we show the first data-based evidence of dust primarily from non-East Asian sources even during March 2010 when a super dust storm from East Asia struck the western Pacific. Chemical characteristics of aerosol samples collected at a high-mountain site in Taiwan show variable inputs from eolian dust and biomass burning. From backward trajectory analyses, satellite observation and model simulation, dust origins can be traced to the Middle East and North Africa, suggesting an integrated source from the global dust belt. Our global model results demonstrate that dust deposition in the North Pacific is primarily contributed by non-East Asian sources with an eastward decrease along the Westerlies. Time-series of aerosol composition at Mt. Lulin: (A) 210Pb and biomass burning potassium (KBB), (B) 7Be and aluminum. Also shown (in A) are daily mean O3 and CO , hourly relative humidity (gray curve/area) and (in B) daily rainfall (yellow bars) measured at Taiwan EPA's Lulin Atmospheric Background Station (LABS), ~25 m southeast of our aerosol sampling site. Results from the MATCH model showing (A) total annual dust deposition fluxes, and (B) fraction of the total deposition attributable to East Asian sources over the North Pacific.