Abstract
ABSTRACT Dust storms are destructive extreme weather events that are difficult to detect because of their large spatial distributions and temporal movement characteristics. The Mongolian Plateau is one of the most important dust sources and poses a serious threat to dust storm disasters in north-east Asia. Understanding the transboundary transport pathways and meteorological driving forces of dust is crucial for dust storm prevention and control. We selected one extreme dust storm event that occurred from 19th to 24th March 2023, in the southern Mongolian Plateau, identified its spatial-temporal transport pathways, and analyzed the impact of multiple meteorological components on dust storm occurrences. The daily distribution of dust storms was recognized firstly by using a normalized difference dust index supported by MOD09GA data. ERA-5 hourly data were used to analyze the spatiotemporal variations of meteorological components. By integrating data on the daily distribution of dust storms with the time-series trends of meteorological components, this study identified dewpoint temperature, air temperature, wind components, surface pressure, and precipitation as the key variables influencing the formation and propagation of dust storms. The results showed that dust storm occurrence is associated with a reduction in dewpoint temperature and increase in air dryness. Low-pressure systems are important precursors of dust storm formation, and strong winds drive their propagation and spread. The reversal of these meteorological trends reduces their intensity and extent, while increased precipitation at the end of a dust storm event helps settle dust. These findings provide crucial insights into the meteorological driving forces and predictability of dust storms on the Mongolian Plateau, and can be utilized in other geographical areas prone to dust storm.
Published Version
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