Hurricane Sandy and Saharan dust

There is evidence that dust aerosols played a non-trivial role in the formation of Sandy. A Saharan dust event transported significant amounts of mineral dust into the troposphere along the path of the tropic wave Invest 99L, which formed into Hurricane Sandy. The Terra/Aqua-MODIS observations clearly define the spatial distribution of the coarse/fine aerosols, while the CALIPSO observations of Sandy development provide a clear view, vertical structure and aerosols type of the dust-laden layer. CALIPSO aerosol types map revealed the varying dust abundance before, during and after Sandy development. Six zones between the West African coast and the central Caribbean were examined during the period that the mineral dust moved across the mid-Atlantic. Increased AOD, followed by increased precipitation and a decrease in cloud top temperature was observed.