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Mechanisms of Climate Variability, Air Quality and Impacts of Atmospheric Constituents in the Mediterranean Region

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Regional Assessment of Climate Change in the Mediterranean

Part of the book series: Advances in Global Change Research ((AGLO,volume 50))

Abstract

This chapter describes the physicochemical mechanisms that formulate the air quality over the Mediterranean region and the resulted impacts on the regional climate. At first, a detailed description of the teleconnections and regional flow patterns that dominate in the region is provided. The dominant flow patterns during the different seasons of the year determine the transport paths of air pollutants and aerosols towards and across the study area. The analysis on the characteristics of the air pollution transport is separated for the different parts of the Mediterranean region (eastern, western and entire), since the sources of pollutants that reach at different points in the region vary, while specific pollutant transport paths may influence the wider Mediterranean area. Similarities and differences in patterns are discussed. The air quality over the region, as recorded from black/organic carbon, ozone, aerosol observations, is extensively discussed, along with seasonal variabilities and annual trends. There is particular discussion on the suspension of naturally-produced aerosols and especially desert dust particles in the region and their spatial influence on the aerosol levels. At the last part of the chapter, the major impacts of the transport and transformation processes (natural and anthropogenic pollutants) on the regional climate are discussed. The impacts of aerosols are distinguished in direct (the impacts on radiation budget), health (the amounts of inhaled particles and impacts on health) and indirect effects (impacts on clouds and precipitation), are discussed on qualitative and quantitative way.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics, Institute of Accelerating Systems and Applications IASA, University of Athens, University of Athens Campus, Athens, Greece

    George Kallos, Christina Mitsakou, Marina Astitha, Jonilda Kushta, Stavros Solomos & Christos Spyrou

  2. Department of Geosciences, CSIC, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Barcelona, Spain

    Andres Alastuey, Michael Cusack, Natalia Perez, Jorge Pey & Xavier Querol

  3. European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra, (VA), Italy

    John van Aardenne & Ulrike Doering

  4. Energy, Environment and Water Research Centre, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Marina Astitha & Jos Lelieveld

  5. Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Dessau, Germany

    Ulrike Doering

  6. Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Evangelos Gerasopoulos & Christos Zerefos

  7. Laboratory of Meteorology, Department of Physics, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Nikolaos Hatzianastassiou

  8. Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece

    Maria Kanakidou, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos & Chris Theodosi

  9. Department of Atmospheric Chemistry, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany

    Jos Lelieveld

  10. Department of Geophysics and Planetary Science, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Zev Levin

  11. Fundacion Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterràneo, CEAM, Valencia, Spain

    Millán Millán & Josè L. Palau

Authors
  1. George Kallos
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  2. Christina Mitsakou
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  3. Andres Alastuey
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  4. John van Aardenne
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  5. Marina Astitha
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  6. Michael Cusack
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  7. Ulrike Doering
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  8. Evangelos Gerasopoulos
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  9. Nikolaos Hatzianastassiou
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  10. Maria Kanakidou
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  11. Jonilda Kushta
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  12. Jos Lelieveld
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  13. Zev Levin
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  14. Nikolaos Mihalopoulos
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  15. Millán Millán
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  16. Josè L. Palau
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  17. Natalia Perez
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  18. Jorge Pey
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  19. Xavier Querol
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  20. Stavros Solomos
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  21. Christos Spyrou
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  22. Chris Theodosi
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  23. Christos Zerefos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to George Kallos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Climate Change (CMCC), Euro-Mediterranean Center on, via Augusto Imperatore 16, Lecce, 73100, Italy

    Antonio Navarra

  2. IDDRI SciencesPo, rue du Four 41, Paris, 75006, France

    Laurence Tubiana

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Kallos, G. et al. (2013). Mechanisms of Climate Variability, Air Quality and Impacts of Atmospheric Constituents in the Mediterranean Region. In: Navarra, A., Tubiana, L. (eds) Regional Assessment of Climate Change in the Mediterranean. Advances in Global Change Research, vol 50. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5781-3_4

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