Extreme dust storm events monitoring using space based remote sensing through INSAT-3D

Abstract

Occurrence of extreme events such as dust storms are now very frequent and fatal causing significant loss to the mankind. Therefore, understanding the origin of a dust storm and its propagation has become pivotal. But its forecasting is quite challenging. However, space based remote sensing has been quite useful so far in monitoring such extreme events. With the recent addition of satellites such as INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR, which present very high spatiotemporal information, monitoring extreme events have been taken front foot in meteorology studies. In this paper, few cases of extreme dust storm events those occurred over India in pre-monsoon seasons of 2018 and 2019, which has been quite hazardous, are monitored using INSAT-3D/3DR sounders and imagers. The propagation and the impact of presence of dust are identified on different Infrared channels by analyzing the various observations present in the satellite data. Comprehensive sensitivity analysis also carried out to understand the response of satellite's remote sensing due to the influence of dust storms. Thus, this work can provide not only an insight to the impact of dust storms on meteorological parameters but also the scope and utility of such satellite meteorology in capturing signatures of extreme dust events. And therefore this study also weighs and highlights the potential of INSAT-3D/3DR in assisting the weather forecasting and now-casting programs of extreme events.