Modeling an extreme dust deposition event to the French alpine seasonal snowpack in April 2018: Meteorological context and predictions of dust deposition

Model predictions of dust deposition events in snow covered mountain regions are challenging due to the complexity of aerosol-cloud interactions and the specifics of mountain meteorological systems. We use a case study of dust deposition between 30 March and 5 April 2018 to the French alpine snowpack to study the processes that control dust deposition to the seasonal snowpack.

To understand processes controlling dust transport and deposition to snow, we use a combination of in situ observations at Col du Lautaret in the French Alps, satellite remote sensing, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) reanalysis global atmospheric composition, and the regional model WRF-Chem. Specifically, we investigate the role of increased model spatial resolution within WRF-Chem in capturing mountain meteorology, precipitation, and predicted dust deposition.