Transport of Sahara dust into the Atlantic Ocean from satellite image sequence analysis

In this contribution, image processing techniques in conjunction with efficient numerical solvers will be used for measuring the transport of atmospheric dust originating in the Sahara to the Atlantic Ocean. Mineral dust aerosols are an important component of the Earth's climate system through a number of direct and indirect influences, and have a strong effect on terrestrial and oceanic biogeochemical cycles. We use Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) infra-red (IR) difference dust index images for visualizing dust plumes in the atmosphere. For every 15-minute scan the dust index is computed basing on the difference of the brightness temperatures measured by the Spinning enhanced Visible and Infra-Red Imager (SEVIRI) at the wavelengths centred at 8.7 m, 10.8 m and 12.0 m. Sinks and sources of the plumes are detected and trajectories computed. Newly developed techniques for computing optical flows and transport parameters are employed. Through the estimation of these transport parameters, dust deposition in the ocean can be quantified. We will present results for a wide range of events, highlighting the capabilities of our approach.