Abstract
Soil-sized eolian dusts have been collected by a mesh technique from the lower troposphere of the eastern Mediterranean. The overall average dust-loading in this region is 14 μg m
−3 of air, which is among the highest recorded for maritime soil-sized dusts.
There are two distinct dust populations in the eastern Mediterranean; these have been termed the “northeastern Mediterranean assemblage” and the “southeastern Mediterranean assemblage”.
The dusts of the “northeastern assemblage” originate in the soils of southern Europe. The average dust-loading of this assemblage is 12 μg m
−3 of air, and illite is the principal clay mineral with secondary amounts of kaolinite and the smectites. These dusts make only a secondary contribution to the land-derived material in the underlying deep-sea sediments.
The dusts of the “southeastern assemblage” have their origin in the desert belts of North Africa and the Middle East. Their average dust-loading is 17 μg m
−3 of air, and kaolinite is their dominant clay mineral. Dusts of the “southeastern assemblage” make an important contribution to the land-derived fractions of some eastern Mediterranean deep-sea sediments.
In addition to eolian dusts, river-transported material from the island of Cyprus has also been investigated. The effects of this “Cyprus assemblage” on sedimentation in the eastern Mediterranean is confined to the immediate vicinity of the island itself.