A Mediterranean atmospheric observatory in Corsica within the framework of

HyMeX and ChArMEx

D. Lambert(1,*), M. Mallet(1), F. Gheusi(1), G. Athier(1), P. Augustin(8), A. Behrendt(18), S. Belamari(4), Y. Bezombes(1), G. Bouhours(4), O. Bousquet(4), C. Bruno(2), B. Campistron(1), J.-P. Chaboureau(1), C. Champollion(11), L. Coppola(13), S.

Coquillat(1), U. Corsmeier(6), E. Defer(7), H. Delbarre(8), S. Derrien(1), B. Di Martino(5), P. Drobinski(12), V. Ducrocq(4), F. Dulac(10), A. Ezcurra(16), M. Fourmentin(8), H. Giordani(4), P. Goloub(19), L. Gomes(4), M. Hagen(17), N. Kalthoff(6), C.

Kottmeier(6), L. Labatut(4), D. Legain(4), P. Lejeune(14), M.D. Loÿe-Pilot(15), M. Muselli(5), G. Notton(5), C. Paoli(5), P. Przygodski(8), J.-P. Rambaud(3), E. Richard(1), O. Roussot(4), F. Saïd(1), J.L. Savelli(9), J. Sciare(10), X. Silvani(5), S.

Soula(1), V. Thouret(1), V. Wulfmeyer(18)

(1) Laboratoire d’Aérologie, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France (2) Centre Départemental de la Météorologie de Corse du Sud, Ajaccio, France (3) Centre Départemental de la Météorologie de Haute Corse, Bastia, France (4) Centre Nationale Recherches Météorologiques, Météo-France, Toulouse, France (5)

Laboratoire Systèmes Physiques pour l’Environnement, Université de Corse, Corte, France (6) Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT Karlsruhe, Germany (7) Laboratoire d'étude du rayonnement et de la matière en astrophysique, Observatoire de Paris, Paris, France

(8) Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie de l’Atmosphère, Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, Dunkerque, France, (9) Qualitair Corse, Corte, France (10) Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, CEA, Saclay, France (11) Géosciences Montpellier, Université de Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France (12)

Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace/Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, Palaiseau, France (13) Observatoire Océanologique de Villefranche-sur-mer, CNRS-UPMC, Villefranche-sur-mer, France (14) Station de Recherches Sous-marines et Océanographiques, Pointe Revellata, Calvi, France (15) CERES/ERTI,

ENS, Paris, France (16) Univ. Pais Vasco-EHU, Dpto. Física Aplicada II, Vitoria, Spain (17) DLR, Munich, Germany (18) University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany (19) Laboratoire d’Optique Atmosphérique, Université de Lille 1, Lille, France

HyMeX (Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment) and ChArMEx (Chemical-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment) are 2 experimental programs dedicated to the study of the Mediterranean environment:

• HyMeX (http://www.hymex.org/) aims at a better quantification and understanding of the hydrological cycle and related processes in the Mediterranean, with emphases put on high-impact weather events and regional impacts of the global

change including those on ecosystems and the human activities.

• ChArMEx (http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr) is a regional project on tropospheric chemistry and aerosols which proposes an integrated modelling and observational approach to study budgets of species, chemical and dynamical processes, intense

events, trends, and impacts.

CORSiCA Corsican Observatory for Research and Studies on Climate and Atmosphere-ocean environment Centre d’Observation Régional pour la Surveillance du Climat et de l’environnement Atmosphérique et océanographique en Méditerranée occidentale

In the western Mediterranean basin, Corsica is at a strategic location for oceanographic and atmospheric studies in the framework of the

Mediterranean projects HyMeX and ChArMEx. The development of a multi-site instrumented platform located on this island is the core

of the project CORSiCA (http://www.aero.obs-mip.fr/spip.php?article658).

ChArMEx actions proposed in Corsica:Characterization of aerosol chemical, physical, optical (both shortwave and longwave) properties

and their vertical profiles

• Monitoring of trace gaseous species (Ozone, NOx, …) and greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4)

• Study of the mixing state of polluted, biomass burning and mineral dust aerosols

• Impacts of aerosols and gases on the radiative budget (both shortwave and longwave)

• Air quality and dynamic processes: import-export budgets

• Chemical processes: secondary matter formation

• Deposition measurements: Fe, P, Hg inputs and particulate mass flux (Saharan dust particles)

Proposed strategy:

• LOP from 2010: set-up of a long-term monitoring observatory at Ersa with standardized automated low frequency routine

measurements → Main objectives: satellite and model validation, inter-annual variability and trends.

• 2-year EOP from mid 2011 to mid 2013: enhanced observation period with high temporal resolution optical and chemical

measurements →Main objectives: seasonal variability and budgets.

• SOPs in summer 2012 and summer 2013: intensive observation periods with additional surface measurements → Main objectives:

aging of continental plumes, column closure and radiative impacts of ozone and aerosols, chemical and dynamical processes.

Scientific objectives for ChArMEx in Corsica: Due to the presence of various aerosol types over the Mediterranean

region, such as mineral dust particles (mostly transported from the Saharan-Libyan deserts), anthropogenic aerosols, but also biomass

burning from forest fires and marine aerosols, atmospheric particles are likely to have a significant impact on the regional climate and on

the hydrological cycle over the Mediterranean basin. In parallel, due to high deposition fluxes of desert dust and anthropogenic aerosols,

atmospheric inputs impact marine cycles of several chemical elements in the Mediterranean environment and could impact the regional

ecosystem. Unlike coastal stations, the Corsica Island (and more specifically the site of Ersa, Cap Corse) is a remote site, which is not

impacted by local and regional anthropogenic inputs.

Furthermore, in spite of high level of ozone and aerosols concentration during the summer period, permanent observations of gas and

aerosols in the background troposphere are sparse in both space and time over the western Mediterranean basin. In that sense, a

Mediterranean observatory in Corsica should present a great interest for investigating different scientific questions related to aerosols and

gases over the Mediterranean basin.

* Contact: dominique.lambert@aero.obs-mip.fr

MERMEx and MOOSE actions proposed in Corsica: MOOSE (Mediterranean Ocean Observing System on Environment) is an integrated multi-sites system of marine and atmospheric observatories in the NW

Mediterranean. Objectives are to observe long-term evolution of the NW Mediterranean Sea in the context of the climate change and anthropogenic pressure. More precisely, (i) to study impact of atmospheric inputs, in particular during

extreme events (such as massive Saharan events); (ii) to maintain time series (LOP) of core parameters relevant over Corsica: atmospheric inputs measurements (dry and wet) for Al, Na, Cd, Fe, P and Hg; (iii) to study effect of solar

radiation variation due to aerosols on solar penetration in Mediterranean waters; (iv) to study effects of solar penetration variation on ecosystems : primary production, organic volatile production, CO2 fluxes.

Photons/Aeronet Sun photometer – (LOA-LA)

near Cap Corse semaphore

The “Ersa site” seems well adapted to “capture”:

• polluted continental air masses,

• mineral dust events,

AOT ∼∼∼∼ 1 (at 440 nm)AOT ∼∼∼∼ 0.5 (at 440 nm)

Ozone concentration (µg.m-3)

CHIMERE simulations

Schematic drawings of the precipitating structures of the MCSs and the

mesoscale triggering and stationarity ingredients for the flash-flood events at

Cévennes (13–14 October 1995) and Aude (12–13 November 1999);

Adapted from Ducrocq, V., O. Nuissier, D. Ricard, C. Lebeaupin and T. Thouvenin: A numerical study of three

catastrophic precipitating events over southern France. II: Mesoscale triggering and stationarit, y factors, Quart. J.

Roy. Meteor. Soc.,134, 131-145

• Local HPE over the sea, close to

complex topography

• HPE affecting continental south eastern

France and Northern Italy � role of a “sentry”

• Mediterranean

cyclogenesis

Scientific objectives for HyMeX in Corsica:

27th March 1999

LINET observations: 6th July 2006

22UTC – 7th July 2006 10UTC

• Thunderstorm and

lightning activity

LINET

Accumulated precipitation (mm) from 14 Sept. 2006

06UTC to 12 UTC for 2 Meso-NH simulations (a,b) and

for radar (Météo-France/DSO/CMR) and rain-gauge data (little

squares) (c)

Satellite image - 27th March 1999

The Gulf of Genoa is the most cyclogenetic

area of the western Mediterranean basin(Campins J., Jansa A., Genoves A. 2006. Three-dimensional

structure of western Mediterranean cyclones. International Journal

of Climatology 26: 323–343 )

Scientific justification: Corsica is relevant for HyMeX and

ChArMEx studies because it is:

• located near the Gulf of Genoa, the most Western Mediterranean

cyclogenesis area;

• regularly affected by intense weather events (windstorms, heavy

precipitation, Saharan dust events, waves and coastal erosion, drought, forest

fire, lightning…);

• located upstream of the most intense precipitation event affecting the

continental South-Eastern France and the Northern Italy South of the Alps;

• located in the oligotrophic zone of the Mediterranean

western basin enabling to study the impact of

atmospheric deposition on primary production;

• influenced by different air masses from various

origins allowing to study, polluted, biomass-burning

and mineral dust aerosols;

• well located to follow long-term changes of different

gaseous compounds on the Mediterranean Basin;

Organisation: Several measurement sites are planned in various places in Corsica, but the main site gathering the largest panel of

measurements will be located in Ersa. Contacts and partnerships have been established with local partners in Corsica: Departmental

Centres of Météo-France (CDM 2B and CDM 2A), OEC (the Corsica environmental office, a regional agency co-funding the

CORSiCA observatory), the University of Corsica, Qualitair Corse (the local air quality agency) and STARESO (Station de Recherches

Sous-marines et Océanographiques, an oceanographic station located on the west coast of Corsica).

CORSiCA will be operated for the HyMEx and ChArMEx Long Observation Period (LOP), Enhanced Observation Period (EOP) and

Special Observation Periods (SOP).

Precipitation:

• Mediterranean climate: moist winters and dry summers

• High Precipitation Events (HPE: meanly during the inter-seasons

• Total annual precipitation ranges between 300 and 1000 mm - Frequency of rainy days

is under 100 mm per year - Half of the annual precipitation can locally fall in 24 hours

Mediterranean climate in Corsica: Wind:

• At the most northerly and southerly points of

Corsica and where the valleys open out

(Venturi effect), wind can be very strong

• Windstorm events are frequent (78 days with

wind gusts greater than 28 m/s (100 km/h) in

2007 at the Ersa semaphore (Cap Corse).

Winds of over 28 m/s occurred 21.4% of the

time during 2007. The anemometers regularly

stall as speeds reach 60 m/s (216 km/h). Heavy

precipitation events tend to be associated with

easterly winds.

Annual number of days with rainfall ≥ 100, 150 or 190 mm in 24 h

in Corsica (from 1958 to 2007)

1960 1970 1990 2000

&&

Frequency of wind gusts at the Ersa semaphore (Cap-Corse)

according to direction from Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st 2007 (courtesy

of Météo-France)

Frequency of 10 m wind gusts at the Ersa semaphore (Cap-

Corse) according to direction from Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st 2007

(courtesy of Météo-France)

Libeccio wind:

most frequent

Wind speed (km/h)

Wind direction

Instrumentation (in progress):

Cloud radar and Windcube

(KITcube – IMK)

HyMeX actions proposed in Corsica: In the framework of HyMeX several initiatives around measurements in Corsica are

proposed:

• Improve the existing data network with ground-based conventional weather stations, radiosounding stations (profiles of temperature,

humidity, wind speed and direction), and O3 measurement, radars, etc.;

• Deployment of a wind profiler network around the western Mediterranean basin and in the island area;

• Thunderstorm and lightning activity studies;

• Forest fire studies;

• Numerical studies of heavy precipitation events;

• Coastal oceanographic modelling and measurements.Dornier 128-6, D-IBUF