Comment on egusphere-2025-5234

Abstract. The rising frequency of mineral dust events in the eastern Mediterranean underscores the need for high-resolution observations to better characterize their properties and impacts. This study reports results from the Cyprus Fall Campaign 2021, which aimed to test and validate a new cost-effective methodology for quantitative dust measurements using GPAC, POPS, and UCASS sensors on-board Uncrewed Aerial Systems(UAS). The Cyprus Fall Campaign 2021 captured the microphysical characteristics of dust particles from two major global sources: North Africa(NA) and the Middle East(ME). The campaign took place between 18/10/2021 and 18/11/2021 with continuous ground-based remote-sensing measurements, complementing 36 UAS flights. This work represents the first intensive UAS-based dust characterization campaign in Cyprus and the wider Mediterranean region during the autumn season. Integrated remote-sensing, in-situ, and trajectory analyses revealed NA dust heights up to 7 km over Cyprus, compared to 3.8 km for ME dust. Impactor sampling demonstrated a near-1 collection efficiency for particles between 4–14 µm, highlighting its effectiveness onboard the UAS. Particle volume size distributions showed a fine-mode peak at 0.25 µm in both cases, and distinct coarse-mode peaks at 2.2 µm and 4.8 µm for NA and ME dust, respectively. High-altitude impactor samples showed two distinct dust signatures: NA dust enriched in kaolinite-like and Ca-bearing phases, and ME dust dominated by illite/muscovite and Fe-rich components, indicating contrasting source characteristics influenced by granulometry, transport, and atmospheric processing. This study showcases the capability of high-resolution UAS sampling to characterize atmospheric dust and improve understanding of its regional and climatic impacts.