Research interests

Mineral dust; climate models; paleoclimate; ice cores

Highlights

Holocene dust database released

We recently released a global compilation of quality controlled, time- and size-resolved records of paleodust deposition during the Holocene, complemented by observation-constrained model reconstructions of dust deposition (Albani et al. 2015, Clim. Past)

Dust improvements for CAM4-BAM and CAM5-MAM3

We made several modifications to the code and input data to improve the dust model in the CAM4 and CAM5 releases, as reported in the CGD forum, and documented in Albani et al. 2014 (J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst.). The improvements for CAM4-BAM and CAM5-MAM dust are available to the community – contact us.

Publications

2024

Mahowald, N., P. Ginoux, G.S. Okin, J. Kok, S. Albani, Y. Balkanski, M. Chin, G. Bergametti, T.F. Eck, C. Pérez García-Pando, A. Gkikas, M. Gonçalves Ageitos, D. Kim, M. Klose, S. LeGrand, L. Li, B. Marticorena, R. Miller, C. Ryder, C. Zender, Y. Yu, Letter to the Editor regarding Chappell et al., 2023, “Satellites reveal Earth's seasonally shifting dust emission sources”, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 949, 2024, 174792, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174792.

Cosentino, N. J., Torre, G., Lambert, F., Albani, S., De Vleeschouwer, F., and Bory, A. J.-M.: Paleo±Dust: quantifying uncertainty in paleo-dust deposition across archive types, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 941–959, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-941-2024, 2024. 

Mahowald, N. M., Li, L., Albani, S., Hamilton, D. S., and Kok, J. F.: Opinion: The importance of historical and paleoclimate aerosol radiative effects, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 533–551, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-533-2024, 2024. [Highlight paper]

2022

Song, Q., Zhang, Z., Yu, H., Kok, J. F., Di Biagio, C., Albani, S., Zheng, J., and Ding, J.: Size-resolved dust direct radiative effect efficiency derived from satellite observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 13115–13135, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13115-2022, 2022. 

2021

Bressac, M., Wagener, T., Leblond, N., Tovar-Sánchez, A., Ridame, C., Taillandier, V., Albani, S., Guasco, S., Dufour, A., Jacquet, S. H. M., Dulac, F., Desboeufs, K., and Guieu, C.: Subsurface iron accumulation and rapid aluminum removal in the Mediterranean following African dust deposition, Biogeosciences, 18, 6435–6453, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6435-2021, 2021. 

Lambert, F. and S. Albani: Mineral dust in PMIP simulations: A short review, in: Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP): 30th anniversary. Past Global Changes Magazine, 29(2), 86-87, 2021, https://doi.org/10.22498/pages.29.2.86.

Checa-Garcia, R., Balkanski, Y., Albani, S., Bergman, T., Carslaw, K., Cozic, A., Dearden, C., Marticorena, B., Michou, M., van Noije, T., Nabat, P., O'Connor, F. M., Olivié, D., Prospero, J. M., Le Sager, P., Schulz, M., and Scott, C.: Evaluation of natural aerosols in CRESCENDO Earth system models (ESMs): mineral dust, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10295–10335, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10295-2021, 2021. 

Braconnot, P., Albani, S., Balkanski, Y., Cozic, A., Kageyama, M., Sima, A., Marti, O., and Peterschmitt, J.-Y.: Impact of dust in PMIP-CMIP6 mid-Holocene simulations with the IPSL model, Clim. Past, 17, 1091–1117, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1091-2021, 2021.

Kok, J. F., Adebiyi, A. A., Albani, S., Balkanski, Y., Checa-Garcia, R., Chin, M., Colarco, P. R., Hamilton, D. S., Huang, Y., Ito, A., Klose, M., Leung, D. M., Li, L., Mahowald, N. M., Miller, R. L., Obiso, V., Pérez García-Pando, C., Rocha-Lima, A., Wan, J. S., and Whicker, C. A.: Improved representation of the global dust cycle using observational constraints on dust properties and abundance, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 8127–8167, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8127-2021, 2021. 

Kok, J. F., Adebiyi, A. A., Albani, S., Balkanski, Y., Checa-Garcia, R., Chin, M., Colarco, P. R., Hamilton, D. S., Huang, Y., Ito, A., Klose, M., Li, L., Mahowald, N. M., Miller, R. L., Obiso, V., Pérez García-Pando, C., Rocha-Lima, A., and Wan, J. S.: Contribution of the world's main dust source regions to the global cycle of desert dust, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 8169–8193, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8169-2021, 2021. 

Bouttes N., Bopp L., Albani S., Ramstein G., Vadsaria T., Capron E. (2021). Biogeochemical Cycles and Aerosols Over the Last Million Years. In: Ramstein G., Landais A., Bouttes N., Sepulchre P., Govin A. (eds) Paleoclimatology. Frontiers in Earth Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24982-3_23.

Lambert, F., N. Opazo, A. Ridgwell, G. Winckler, F. Lamy, G. Shaffer, K. Kohfeld, R. Ohgaito, S. Albani, A. Abe-Ouchi (2021). Regional patterns and temporal evolution of ocean iron fertilization and CO2 drawdown during the last glacial termination. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 554, 116675, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116675.

2020

Otto‐Bliesner, B. L., Brady, E. C., Tomas, R. A., Albani, S., Bartlein, P. J., Mahowald, N. M., Shafer, S. L., Kluzek, E., Lawrence, P. J., Leguy, G., Rothstein, M., and Sommers, A. (2020). A comparison of the CMIP6 midHolocene and lig127k simulations in CESM2. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 35, e2020PA003957. https:// doi.org/10.1029/2020PA003957.

Di Biagio, C., Y. Balkanski, S. Albani, O. Boucher, and P. Formenti. Direct radiative effect by mineral dust aerosols constrained by new microphysical and spectral optical data. Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: 10.1029/2019GL086186, 2020.

Cremonesi, L., A. Passerini, A. Tettamanti, B. Paroli, B. Delmonte, S. Albani, F. Cavaliere, D. Viganò, G. Bettega, T. Sanvito, A. Pullia & M.A.C. Potenza (2020) Multiparametric optical characterization of airborne dust with Single Particle Extinction and Scattering, Aerosol Science and Technology, DOI: 10.1080/02786826.2019.1699896. ☐

2019

Albani S., Mahowald N.: Paleodust insights into dust impacts on climate. J. Clim., 32, 7897–7913, DOI: 10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0742.1, 2019. ☐

2018

Grandey, B. S., Rothenberg, D., Avramov, A., Jin, Q., Lee, H.-H., Liu, X., Lu, Z., Albani, S., and Wang, C.: Effective radiative forcing in the aerosol–climate model CAM5.3-MARC-ARG, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15783-15810, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15783-2018, 2018. ☐

Baccolo, G., B. Delmonte, S. Albani, C. Baroni, G. Cibin, M. Frezzotti, D. Hampai, A. Marcelli, M. Revel, M. C. Salvatore, B. Stenni, and V. Maggi. Regionalization of the atmospheric dust cycle on the periphery of the East Antarctic ice sheet since the last glacial maximum. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 19, 3540–3554, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GC007658, 2018. ☐

Albani S., Balkanski Y., Mahowald N., Winckler G., Maggi V., Delmonte B.: Aerosol-climate interactions during the Last Glacial Maximum. Curr. Clim. Change Rep., 4, 99-114, doi:10.1007/s40641-018-0100-7, 2018. ☐

Kageyama, M., Braconnot, P., Harrison, S. P., Haywood, A. M., Jungclaus, J. H., Otto-Bliesner, B. L., Peterschmitt, J.-Y., Abe-Ouchi, A., Albani, S., Bartlein, P. J., Brierley, C., Crucifix, M., Dolan, A., Fernandez-Donado, L., Fischer, H., Hopcroft, P. O., Ivanovic, R. F., Lambert, F., Lunt, D. J., Mahowald, N. M., Peltier, W. R., Phipps, S. J., Roche, D. M., Schmidt, G. A., Tarasov, L., Valdes, P. J., Zhang, Q., and Zhou, T.: The PMIP4 contribution to CMIP6 – Part 1: Overview and over-arching analysis plan, Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 1033-1057, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-1033-2018, 2018. ☐

2017

Otto-Bliesner, B. L., Braconnot, P., Harrison, S. P., Lunt, D. J., Abe-Ouchi, A., Albani, S., Bartlein, P. J., Capron, E., Carlson, A. E., Dutton, A., Fischer, H., Goelzer, H., Govin, A., Haywood, A., Joos, F., LeGrande, A. N., Lipscomb, W. H., Lohmann, G., Mahowald, N., Nehrbass-Ahles, C., Pausata, F. S. R., Peterschmitt, J.-Y., Phipps, S. J., Renssen, H., and Zhang, Q.: The PMIP4 contribution to CMIP6 – Part 2: Two interglacials, scientific objective and experimental design for Holocene and Last Interglacial simulations, Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3979-4003, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3979-2017, 2017. ☐

Kageyama, M., Albani, S., Braconnot, P., Harrison, S. P., Hopcroft, P. O., Ivanovic, R. F., Lambert, F., Marti, O., Peltier, W. R., Peterschmitt, J.-Y., Roche, D. M., Tarasov, L., Zhang, X., Brady, E. C., Haywood, A. M., LeGrande, A. N., Lunt, D. J., Mahowald, N. M., Mikolajewicz, U., Nisancioglu, K. H., Otto-Bliesner, B. L., Renssen, H., Tomas, R. A., Zhang, Q., Abe-Ouchi, A., Bartlein, P. J., Cao, J., Li, Q., Lohmann, G., Ohgaito, R., Shi, X., Volodin, E., Yoshida, K., Zhang, X., and Zheng, W.: The PMIP4 contribution to CMIP6 – Part 4: Scientific objectives and experimental design of the PMIP4-CMIP6 Last Glacial Maximum experiments and PMIP4 sensitivity experiments, Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 4035-4055, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4035-2017, 2017. ☐

Raiswell, R., Hawkings, J. R., Benning, L. G., Albani, S., and Mahowald, N. (2017), Comments on ‘Influence of measurement uncertainties on fractional solubility of iron in mineral aerosols over the oceans’ Aeolian Research 22, 85–92, Aeolian Res., 25, 123–125, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeolia.2017.03.003. ☐

Kok, J.F., Ridley, D.A., Zhou Q., Miller, R.L., Zhao, C., Heald, C.L., Ward, D.S., Albani, S., and Haustein, K. (2017). Smaller desert dust cooling effect estimated from analysis of dust size and abundance. Nature Geosci., 10, 274–278, doi:10.1038/ngeo2912. ☐  Nature Geoscience News and Views --> link

Smith, M. B., Mahowald, N. M., Albani, S., Perry, A., Losno, R., Qu, Z., Marticorena, B., Ridley, D. A., and Heald, C. L.: Sensitivity of the interannual variability of mineral aerosol simulations to meteorological forcing dataset, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 3253-3278, doi:10.5194/acp-17-3253-2017, 2017. ☐

2016

Kienast, S. S., G. Winckler, J. Lippold, S. Albani, and N. M. Mahowald (2016), Tracing Dust Input to the Global Ocean using Thorium Isotopes in Marine Sediments: ThoroMap, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 30, 1526-1541, doi:10.1002/2016GB005408. ☐

Raiswell, R., Hawkings, J. R., Benning, L. G., Baker, A. R., Death, R., Albani, S., Mahowald, N., Krom, M. D., Poulton, S. W., Wadham, J., and Tranter, M.: Potentially bioavailable iron delivery by iceberg-hosted sediments and atmospheric dust to the polar oceans, Biogeosciences, 13, 3887-3900, doi:10.5194/bg-13-3887-2016, 2016. ☐

Potenza, M.A.C., S. Albani, B. Delmonte, S. Villa, T. Sanvito, B. Paroli, A. Pullia, G. Baccolo, N. Mahowald, and V. Maggi. Shape and size constraints on dust optical properties from the Dome C ice core, Antarctica. Sci. Rep. 6, 28162; doi: 10.1038/srep28162 (2016). ☐

Albani, S., N. M. Mahowald, L. N. Murphy, R. Raiswell, J. K. Moore, R. F. Anderson, D. McGee, L. I. Bradtmiller, B. Delmonte, P. P. Hesse, and P. A. Mayewski (2016). Paleodust variability since the Last Glacial Maximum and implications for iron inputs to the ocean. Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 3944–3954, doi:10.1002/2016GL067911. ☐

2015

Zhang, Y., Mahowald, N., Scanza, R. A., Journet, E., Desboeufs, K., Albani, S., Kok, J. F., Zhuang, G., Chen, Y., Cohen, D. D., Paytan, A., Patey, M. D., Achterberg, E. P., Engelbrecht, J. P., and Fomba, K. W.: Modeling the global emission, transport and deposition of trace elements associated with mineral dust, Biogeosciences, 12, 5771-5792, doi:10.5194/bg-12-5771-2015, 2015. ☐

Albani, S., Mahowald, N. M., Winckler, G., Anderson, R. F., Bradtmiller, L. I., Delmonte, B., François, R., Goman, M., Heavens, N. G., Hesse, P. P., Hovan, S. A., Kang, S., Kohfeld, K. E., Lu, H., Maggi, V., Mason, J. A., Mayewski, P. A., McGee, D., Miao, X., Otto-Bliesner, B. L., Perry, A. T., Pourmand, A., Roberts, H. M., Rosenbloom, N., Stevens, T., and Sun, J.: Twelve thousand years of dust: the Holocene global dust cycle constrained by natural archives, Climate of the Past, 11, 869-903, doi:10.5194/cp-11-869-2015, 2015. ☐  EGU highlighted article

Scanza, R. A., N. Mahowald, S. Ghan, C. S. Zender, J. F. Kok, X. Liu, Y. Zhang, and S. Albani (2015). Modeling dust as component minerals in the Community Atmosphere Model: development of framework and impact on radiative forcing. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 537-561, doi:10.5194/acp-15-537-2015. ☐

2014

Kok, J. F., S. Albani, N. M. Mahowald, and D. S. Ward (2014). An improved dust emission model – Part 2: Evaluation in the Community Earth System Model, with implications for the use of dust source functions. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 13043-13061, doi:10.5194/acp-14-13043-2014. ☐

Albani, S., N. M. Mahowald, A. T. Perry, R. A. Scanza, N. G. Heavens, C. S. Zender, V. Maggi, J. F. Kok, and B. L. Otto-Bliesner (2014). Improved dust representation in the Community Atmosphere Model. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 6, 541-570, doi: 10.1002/2013MS000279. ☐

Mahowald, N., S. Albani, J. F. Kok, S. Engelstaedter, R. Scanza, D. S. Ward, and M. G. Flanner (2014). The size distribution of desert dust aerosols and its impact on the Earth system. Aeolian Research, 15, 53-71, doi: 10.1016/j.aeolia.2013.09.002. ☐  ISI Web of Science: highly cited paper

Murphy, L. N., A. C. Clement, S. Albani, N. M. Mahowald, P. Swart, and M. M. Arienzo (2014). Simulated Changes in Atmospheric Dust in Response to a Heinrich stadial. Paleoceanography, 29, 30-43, doi:10.1002/2013PA002550. ☐

2013

Schüpbach, S., U. Federer, P. R. Kaufmann, S. Albani, C. Barbante, T. F. Stocker, and H. Fischer (2013). High-resolution mineral dust and sea ice proxy records from the Talos Dome ice core. Clim. Past, 9, 2789-2807, doi:10.5194/cp-9-2789-2013. ☐

Iizuka, Y., B. Delmonte, I. Oyabu, T. Karlin, V. Maggi, S. Albani, M. Fukui, T. Hondoh, and M. Hansson (2013). Sulfate and chloride aerosols during Holocene and last glacial periods preserved in the Talos Dome Ice Core, a peripheral region of Antarctica. Tellus B, 20197, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v65i0.20197. ☐

Delmonte B., Baroni C., Andersson P.S., Narcisi B., Salvatore M.C., Petit J.R., Scarchilli C., Frezzotti M., Albani S., Maggi V. (2013). Modern and Holocene aeolian dust variability from Talos Dome (Northern Victoria Land) to the interior of the Antarctic ice sheet. Quat. Sci. Rev., 64, 76-89, doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.11.033. ☐

2012

Albani S., B. Delmonte, V. Maggi, C. Baroni, J.R. Petit, B. Stenni, C. Mazzola, and M. Frezzotti (2012). Interpreting last glacial to Holocene dust changes at Talos Dome (East Antarctica): implications for atmospheric variations from regional to hemispheric scales. Clim. Past, 8, 741-750, doi: 10.5194/cp-8-741-2012. ☐

Albani S., N. M. Mahowald, B. Delmonte, V. Maggi, and G. Winckler (2012). Comparing modeled and observed changes in mineral dust transport and deposition to Antarctica between the Last Glacial Maximum and current climates. Climate Dynamics, 38, 9, 1731-1755, doi: 10.1007/s00382-011-1139-5. ☐

Albani S., and N. Mahowald (2012). Aerosols and climate: How sensitive is earth’s climate to atmospheric aerosols? in Paired Perspectives on Global Change, PAGES News - Vol. 20, No.1, 20.

2011

Mahowald N. M., S. Albani, S. Engelstaedter, G. Winckler, and M. Goman (2011). Model insight into glacial-interglacial paleodust records. Quaternary Science Reviews, 30, 7-8, 832-854, doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.09.007. ☐

Stenni B., D. Buiron, M. Frezzotti, S. Albani, C. Barbante, E. Bard, J. M. Barnola, M. Baroni, M. Baumgartner, M. Bonazza, E. Capron, E. Castellano, J. Chappellaz, B. Delmonte, S. Falourd, L. Genoni, P. Iacumin, J. Jouzel, S. Kipfstuhl, A. Landais, B. Lemieux-Dudon, V. Maggi, V. Masson-Delmotte, C. Mazzola, B. Minster, M. Montagnat, R. Mulvaney, B. Narcisi, H. Oerter, F. Parrenin, J. R. Petit, C. Ritz, C. Scarchilli, A. Schilt, S. Schüpbach, J. Schwander, E. Selmo, M. Severi, T. F. Stocker, and R. Udisti (2011). Expression of the bipolar see-saw in Antarctic climate records during the last deglaciation. Nature Geoscience, doi: 10.1038/ngeo1026. ☐  ISI Web of Science: highly cited paper

2010

Mahowald N. M., S. Kloster, S. Engelstaedter, J. K. Moore, S. Mukhopadhyay, J. McConnell, S. Albani, S. Doney, A. Bhattacharya, M. A. J. Curran, M. G. Flanner, F. M. Hoffman, D. M. Lawrence, K. Lindsay, P. A. Mayewski, J. Neff, D. Rothenberg, E. Thomas, P. E. Thornton, and C. S. Zender (2010). Observed 20th century desert dust variability: impact on climate and biogeochemistry. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 10, 22, 10875-10893. ☐

Delmonte B., C. Baroni, P. S. Andersson, H. Schöberg, M. Hansson, S. Aciego, J. R. Petit, S. Albani, C. Mazzola, V. Maggi, and M. Frezzotti (2010). Aeolian dust in the Talos Dome ice core (East Antarctica, Pacific/Ross Sea sector): Victoria Land versus remote sources over the last two climate cycles. Journal of Quaternary Science, doi: 10.1002/jqs.1418. ☐

2008

Cibin G., A. Marcelli, V. Maggi, M. Sala, F. Marino, B. Delmonte, S. Albani, and S. Pignotti (2008). First combined total reflection X-ray fluorescence and grazing incidence X-ray absorption spectroscopy characterization of aeolian dust archived in Antarctica and Alpine deep ice cores. Spectrochimica Acta Part B - Atomic Spectroscopy, 63, 12, 1503-1510. ☐