Thierry Portafaix
Papers
2
Total Citations
18
H-Index
2
About
Thierry Portafaix is a leading atmospheric scientist whose research centers on aerosol optical properties, long-range dust transport, and the complex interactions between Saharan dust and regional climate systems across North Africa. His major contributions lie in characterizing aerosol distributions over Southern Morocco, a critical but understudied region for understanding global dust cycles. Using a powerful combination of ground-based AERONET observations and satellite remote sensing, Portafaix has provided detailed analyses of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Angström exponent (AE) on daily and seasonal timescales. His 2022 study on aerosol distributions and transport, which has garnered 12 citations, established a foundational baseline for aerosol variability in the region. In a complementary highly-cited work, he investigated a major Saharan dust-storm event from August 2018, employing volume size distributions to reveal the microphysical evolution of dust plumes. By integrating multi-platform data, Portafaix has advanced our understanding of how mineral dust influences radiative forcing and air quality. His work is essential for improving climate models and forecasting dust events that affect millions across West Africa and the Mediterranean.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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