The strongest desert dust intrusion over the Iberian Peninsula

Cachorro et al. have published an interesting article in JGR. They analyze the strongest desert dust intrusion that occurred over the Iberian Peninsula (IP) during the last decade registered with Sun photometry. This extreme episode took place from 22 July to 3 August 2004. The most relevant features of this exceptional event, originated over the Saharan desert, were its great intensity and duration. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) reached a maximum of 2.7 at El Arenosillo during 22 July and 1.3 at Palencia on 23 July, with the Ansgtrom exponent values near zero during the AOD peaks.