Mid- and far-infrared spectral signatures of mineral dust from low- to high-latitude regions: significance and implications
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: . Mineral dust absorbs and scatters solar and infrared radiation, thereby affecting the radiance spectrum at the surface and top-of-atmosphere and the atmospheric heating rate. While half of the outgoing thermal radiation is emitted in the far infrared (FIR, 15–100 μm), knowledge of the optical properties and thermal radiative effects of dust is currently limited to the mid-infrared region (MIR, 3–15 μm). In this study we performed pellet spectroscopy measurements to evaluate the MIR and FIR contribution to dust absorbance and explore the variability and spectral diversity of the dust signature within the 2.5–25 μm range. Thirteen dust samples re-suspended from parent soils with contrasting mineralogy were investigated, including low and mid latitude dust (LMLD) sources in Africa, America, Asia, and Middle East, and high latitude dust (HLD) from Iceland. Results show that the absorbance of dust in the FIR up to 25 μm is comparable in intensity to that in the MIR. Also, spectrally different absorption (position and shape of the peaks) is observed for HLD compared to LMLD, due to differences in mineralogical composition. Corroborated with the few available literature data on absorption properties of natural dust and single minerals up to 100 μm wavelength, these data suggest the relevance of MIR and FIR interactions to the dust radiative effect for low to high latitude sources. Furthermore, the dust spectral signatures in the MIR and FIR could potentially be used to characterise the mineralogy and differentiate the origin of airborne particles based on infrared remote sensing observations.
Authors: Claudia Di Biagio, Elisa Bru, Avila Orta, Servanne Chevaillier, Clarissa Baldo, Antonin Bergé, Mathieu Cazaunau, Sandra Lafon, Sophie Nowak, Edouard Pangui, Meinrat O. Andreae, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserova, Kebonyethata Dintwe, Konrad Kandler, James S. King, Amelie Chaput, Gregory S. Okin, Stuart Piketh, Thuraya Saeed, David Seibert, Zongbo Shi, Earle Williams, Pasquale Sellitto, Paola Formenti
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Université Paris-Saclay, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, Interfaces Traitements Organisation et Dynamique des Systèmes, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, King Saud University, University of California San Diego, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Agricultural University of Iceland, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, University of Botswana, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Université de Montréal, National University of Singapore, University of California, Los Angeles, North-West University, Lakehead University, Walden University, University of Birmingham, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV Osservatorio Etneo
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,725
Awards: Island als Modell für Mineralstaubquellen in hohen Breiten – ein kombinierter experimenteller und modellierender Ansatz zur Charakterisierung von Staubemissions und transportprozessen (HiLDA), G434337789, Co-ordinating and Co-designing the European Polar Research Area, Staub im globalen System prozessorientierte Forschung auf Einzelpartikelebene, G6835502459
OpenAlex ID: W7125438032