Dust Storms Research Articles

A case study on the dust storm that occurred on March 13–18, 2022, over the Algerian Sahara, using satellite remote sensing

This study investigates the dynamics of a significant dust storm that occurred in Algeria in March 2022, employing data derived from the Sentinel-5P and CALIPSO satellite instruments. We examine the Aerosol Absorbing Index (AAI) to detect n absorbing aerosols, with a focus on desert dust, and analyze the attenuation coefficient. Additionally, we employ the HYSPLIT trajectory analyze to study dust transport and MERRA-2 to examine wind patterns wind. The key findings unveil a detailed trajectory of a prominent dust storm in Algeria in March 2022. The Aerosol Absorbing Index (AAI) effectively identifies absorbing aerosols, particularly desert dust, through thorough analyses of dust trajectory and wind patterns; augmenting these findings, CALIPSO satellite data has provided a detailed vertical profile of aerosols within the dust plume, emphasizing spatial and altitudinal extents. This research significantly contributes to advancing scientific discussions on atmospheric dynamics in arid regions and enhances our understanding and forecasting capabilities related to Saharan dust storm initiation and trajectory.

Dust Storms Are Associated with an Increase in Outpatient Visits for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Our study is the first to illuminate a previously underexplored dimension in the intricate interplay between environmental factors, specifically dust storms (DSs), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) outcomes. An Auto Regressive Moving Average (ARMA) time-series estimation model was employed to analyze rheumatoid arthritis outpatient visits, dust storms, air pollution, and meteorology data in Taiwan from 2006 to 2012. The results show that females are three times more likely to experience RA-related issues and seek medical attention. Percentage analysis revealed a 10–15% increase in daily RA outpatient visits on post-event days 1 and 2 compared to non-DS days. However, the time-series estimation indicated a delayed and statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase in RA outpatient visits on post-event day 1 for males but not females. Additionally, a significant increase in RA outpatient visits (p < 0.05) was observed on post-event day 1 among individuals aged 61 and above. Environmental factors such as temperature and SO2 showed strong significance across all genders and age groups (p < 0.001). The findings highlight distinct gender and age disparities regarding the impacts of DS on RA outpatient visits, emphasizing the heightened sensitivity of males to environmental pollutants and the vulnerability of the elderly population.

Spatio-temporal probability analysis and predicting of martian dust storms based on remote sensing imagery——A case study of tianwen-1 Mission

Spatio-temporal probability analysis and predicting of martian dust storms based on remote sensing imagery——A case study of tianwen-1 Mission

Effects of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides on Climate Change in Afghanistan

Climate change is a global threat to the environment and human health. Two of the main greenhouse gases that cause the greenhouse effect and raise global temperatures are carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. In this review paper, we investigated the effects of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides on climate change and the effects of climate change on Afghanistan. We found that high concentrations of carbon dioxide, which is now CO2 levels, have increased by 50% than before the Industrial Revolution, contributing to a rise in global temperature and precipitation. At the same time, Nitrous oxide is an important greenhouse gas, with 310-fold higher potential for global warming than CO2 and leads to the depletion of stratospheric Ozone and other Nitrogen oxides, has a significant impact on plant health, including effects on chlorophyll levels, oxidative stress, and antioxidant responses. Afghanistan’s climate change is predicted to increase the country’s prevalence of illnesses linked to dust storms and poor air quality, especially in Kabul, the nation’s capital. In addition, air pollution in Kabul is also likely to increase as a result of climate change. The alarming impacts of air pollution, with more than 3,000 deaths attributed to air pollution annually. Additionally, at least 700,000 individuals in Kabul have experienced various respiratory diseases. Due to climate change, Afghanistan’s total glacier area has shrunk by 13.8%. In 2023, Afghanistan experienced early snow melt and below-average precipitation, causing second-season and irrigated crops to have less access to water. Reducing emissions and coping with the changing climate are essential steps towards tackling the complex issues these gases present and their wider effects on the environment and human health.

Monitoring the change in annual drought conditions in Iraq for the period (1981-2022), using statistical methods and modern technologies

Climate change is a natural phenomenon that occurs every several thousand years, but with the increase in human activities, climate change has accelerated. Since climate is the average of successive weather conditions in a place over a long period, it may be a month, a season, a year, or several years. Therefore, we find that climatology is concerned with showing the average or median weather conditions prevailing in a region rather than showing daily changes in weather conditions in the region. Therefore, climate change had a significant impact on drought conditions in the location of the study area during the period (1081-2022). The reason for this is that Iraq is characterized by its equatoriality and flat surface in the central and southern regions, which makes it enjoy fast wind movement that raises dust storms that reduce the level of humidity. Stations in southern and central Iraq recorded the highest frequency, represented by the dominance of (south-easterly) winds in the summer season, while stations in the northern region recorded the lowest frequency of this type of wind in the (winter) season. The reason is due to the high temperatures, the variation in humidity, and the frequency of winds in the summer and spring seasons, where air highs prevail and the frequency of air lows decreases, and since climate change causes the retention of rain in the winter with the phenomenon of global warming or the intensity of rain in the spring, summer and fall seasons due to... The phenomenon of convection, which becomes more active due to the heating of the Earth, as well as an increase in the pressure gradient as a result of the deepening of the depression. Seasonal thermal, while the reason for the decrease in wind speed in the fall and winter is due to the lack of thermal activity, the decline of the seasonal low, and the increase in the influence of the Siberian High. Since the drought trend and rising global temperatures have negatively affected drought conditions in Iraq, causing scarcity of rainfall throughout Iraq. Due to the decrease in the frequency of air depressions in the winter, as well as the dominance of air highs, which causes a decline in rain and a lack of humidity or its variation from one region to another, and using statistical methods and the SPSS program, it became clear that Iraq is going through varying periods of drought, which affected the climate conditions over a period of 41 years and during three cycles. Micro-climate cycle and macro-climate cycle.

The role of observation nudging in high-resolution simulations of the 2016 Tunisian dust storm event

The role of observation nudging in high-resolution simulations of the 2016 Tunisian dust storm event

Combined impact of heat and dust on diabetes hospitalization in Kuwait

IntroductionIn Kuwait, a severe diabetes and obesity epidemic coexists with intense dust storms and harsh summer heat. While, theoretically, this interplay between dust, heat, and diabetes presents a serious public...

HOSO2 Released from Mineral Dust: A Novel Channel of Heterogeneous Oxidation of Sulfur Dioxide during Dust Storms

HOSO₂ Released from Mineral Dust: A Novel Channel of Heterogeneous Oxidation of Sulfur Dioxide during Dust Storms

Characterization of the M1 and M2 layers in the undisturbed Martian ionosphere at a variety of solar conditions with MAVEN ROSE

We utilize data from the MAVEN Radio Occultation Science Experiment (Withers et al., 2020) - with unprecedented coverage in solar zenith angle - to isolate the effects that local time and season induce on the photochemical ionosphere of Mars around solar minimum, leading to solar maximum. 185 out of the 1228 electron density profiles of the Martian undisturbed ionosphere collected by MAVEN ROSE between July 2016 and December 2022 show a distinct M1 layer below the M2 layer. We define undisturbed here as conditions when there are no solar events or dust storms to influence the ionosphere. This allowed us to study the behavior of both the M2 and M1 peak densities and altitudes as a function of solar zenith angle, and, for the first time, to be able to separate these trends by dusk and dawn local time, as well as by southern spring and summer versus southern fall and winter. We find that the M1 layer at small SZA can occur at altitudes lower than 100 km; that the peak altitudes and densities of both the M2 and M1 layers at dawn change more with season than they do at dusk; and that the M2 peak density decreases at a faster rate than the M1 with SZA.

Why Is the Dust Activity in the Atacama Desert Low Despite its Aridity?

AbstractThe Atacama Desert is amongst the driest places on Earth yet large dust outbreaks seem rare. We present the first quantitative assessment of dust events in the Atacama for 1950–2021 based on station observations. A total of 1920 dust days were recorded with less than 10% being classified as dust storms. We calculated the wind speeds at 5%, 25% and 50% of the dust‐event frequency distribution. The mean wind speed for the threshold of 5% is 10.9 ± 1.6 ms−1 which is twice as large as the values in the Taklamakan, Western Sahel, and Sudan, and consistent with the perceptually infrequent dust activity despite the exceptional aridity. We see no overall long‐term trend but increased dust activity for 1970–1978, 1984–1988 and 2013–2017. A combination of changes in the wind speed statistics and soil conditions, possibly including anthropogenic land‐use changes have led to the variability in dust activity.

The Long-Term Monitoring of Atmospheric Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxin Dibenzofurans at a Background Station in Taiwan during Biomass Burning Seasons in El Niño and La Niña Events

To measure the long-range transport of PCDD/Fs, a background sampling site at Mt. Lulin station (Taiwan) was selected based on meteorological information and its location relative to burning events in Southeast Asia. During regular sampling periods, a higher concentration of PCDD/Fs was recorded in 2008 at Mt. Lulin station during La Niña events, with levels reaching 390 fg I-TEQ/m3. In contrast, a higher concentration of 483 fg I-TEQ/m3 was observed in 2013 during biomass burning events. This indicates that La Niña affects the ambient PCDD/F concentrations. The ratio of ΣPCDD/ΣPCDF was 0.59, suggesting significant long-range transport contributions from 2007 to 2023. From 2007 to 2015, the predominant species was 2,3,4,7,8-PCDF, accounting for 25.3 to 39.6% of the total PCDD/Fs. From 2018 onward, 1,2,3,7,8-PCDD became more dominant, accounting for 15.0 to 27.1%. According to the results from the receptor model PMF (n = 150), the sources of PCDD/Fs were identified as dust storms and monsoon events (19.3%), anthropogenic activity (28.5%), and biomass burning events (52.2%). The PSCF values higher than 0.7 highlighted potential PCDD/F emission source regions for Mt. Lulin during biomass burning events, indicating high PSCF values in southern Thailand, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam.

Long-Term Wind and Air Temperature Patterns in the Southeastern Region of Iran through Model Simulation and Ground Observations

Dust storms are one of the important natural hazards that affect the lives of inhabitants all around the world, especially in North Africa and the Middle East. In this study, wind speed, wind direction, and air temperature patterns are investigated in one of the dustiest cities in Sistan Basin, Zahedan City, located in southeast Iran, over a 17-year period (2004–2020) using a WRF model and ground observation data. The city is located near a dust source and is mostly affected by local dust storms. The World Meteorology Organization (WMO) dust-related codes show that the city was affected by local dust, with 52 percent of the total dust events occurring during the period (2004–2021). The city’s weather station reported that 17.5% and 43% were the minimum and maximum dusty days, respectively, during 2004–2021. The summer and July were considered the dustiest season and month in the city. Since air temperature, wind speed, and wind direction are important factors in dust rising and propagation, these meteorological factors were simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for the Zahedan weather station. The WRF model’s output was found to be highly correlated with the station data; however, the WRF simulation mostly overestimated when compared with station data during the study period (2004–2020). The model had a reasonable performance in wind class frequency distribution at the station, demonstrating that 42.6% of the wind was between 0.5 and 2, which is in good agreement with the station data (42% in the range of 0.5–2). So, the WRF model effectively simulated the wind class frequency distribution and the wind direction at Zahedan station, despite overestimating the wind speed as well as minimum, maximum, and average air temperatures during the 17-year period.

Sand and Dust Storms: Recent Developments in Impact Mitigation

Sand and Dust Storms: Recent Developments in Impact Mitigation

Dust Storms and Respiratory Symptoms in a Rural Children’s Cohort near a Drying Saline Lake

Dust Storms and Respiratory Symptoms in a Rural Children’s Cohort near a Drying Saline Lake

Dust storms and emergency department visits in the southwestern United States, 2005-2016

Dust storms and emergency department visits in the southwestern United States, 2005-2016

Provenance of soil parent materials in relation to regional environmental changes in the Songnen Plain, Northeast China

Parent materials have a strong control on soil formation process and soil properties, understanding their provenance can provide important information for soil genesis, classification, and regionalization. The Songnen Plain in northeast China has large areas of Phaeozems and Chernozems, popularly known as “black soils”, but their parent material provenance and sedimentary processes are still unclear. Therefore, this paper analyzes the types and formation process of soil parent materials in the context of regional environmental changes. This analysis is based on the characteristics of grain size distribution and quartz particle morphology at the regional and profile scales. The results indicate that aeolian loess is the predominant parent material. For instance, the surface of quartz particles exhibits characteristics indicative of mechanical impact, which is produced during the process of wind transportation. The particle size distribution curve displays a bimodal pattern, and the soil particle size tends to become finer from west to east. However, in some areas, the soil is influenced by river or lake sediments. The main source areas of aeolian deposits are likely the Gobi and sandy land in the upwind direction of the study area, while the Songhua River alluvial deposits only provide source material in local areas. High-resolution grain size analysis and K-feldspar single-particle OSL chronology show that from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Early Holocene, far-source materials dominated the deposition process. In the Middle Holocene, climate warming increased the frequency of dust activities and accelerated the deposition process. In the late Holocene, climate fluctuations and intensified human activities led to more intense dust storms in the provenance area, which in turn promoted the continuous accumulation of parent materials for soils that developed into Phaeozems and Chernozems.

Changes in Thermospheric Neutral and Ionic Species Densities during Global (2018) and Regional (2016) Scale Martian Dust Storms

Changes in Thermospheric Neutral and Ionic Species Densities during Global (2018) and Regional (2016) Scale Martian Dust Storms

Source contributions to two super dust storms over Northern China in March 2021 and the impact of soil moisture

Two extremely devastating super dust storms (SDS) hit Mongolia and Northern China in March 2021, causing many deaths and substantial economic damage. Accurate forecasting of dust storms is of great importance for avoiding or mitigating their effects. One of the most critical factors affecting dust emissions is soil moisture, but its value in desert exhibits significant uncertainty. In this study, model experiments were conducted to simulate dust emissions using four soil moisture datasets. The results were compared with observations to assess the effects of soil moisture on the dust emission strength. The Integrated Source Apportionment Method (ISAM) was used to track the dust sources and quantify the contribution from each source region to the dust load over the North China Plain (NCP), Korea peninsula, and western Japan. The results show large differences in the dust load depending on the soil moisture datasets used. The high soil moisture in the NCEP dataset results in substantial underestimation of the dust emission flux and PM10 concentration. Despite a minor overestimation of PM10 concentrations in many Northern China cities, the ERA5 dataset yields the best simulation performance. During the two SDS events, about 7.5 Mt dust was released from the deserts in Mongolia and 2.8 Mt from the deserts in China. Source apportionment indicates that the Mongolian Gobi Desert is the dominant source of PM10 in the NCP, Korea peninsula, and western Japan, accounting for 60 %–80 %, while Inner Mongolia contributed 10 %–20 %.

The emission, transport, and impacts of the extreme Saharan dust storm of 2015

Abstract. ​​​​​​​Each summer, the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) transports massive amounts of mineral dust across the Atlantic Ocean, affecting weather, climate, and public health over large areas. Despite the considerable impacts of African dust, the causes and impacts of extreme trans-Atlantic African dust events are not fully understood. The “Godzilla” trans-Atlantic dust event of 2020 has been extensively studied, but little is known about other similar events. Here, we examine the June 2015 event, the second strongest trans-Atlantic African dust event that occurred during the summers from 2003–2022. This event was characterized by moderately high dust emissions over western North Africa and an extremely high aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the tropical North Atlantic. The high dust loading over the Atlantic is associated with atmospheric circulation extremes similar to the Godzilla event. Both the African easterly jet (AEJ) and Caribbean low-level jet (CLLJ) have greatly intensified, along with a westward extension of the North Atlantic subtropical high (NASH), all of which favor the westward transport of African dust. The enhanced dust emissions are related to anomalously strong surface winds in dust source regions and reduced vegetation density and soil moisture across the northern Sahel. The dust plume reduced net surface shortwave radiation over the eastern tropical North Atlantic by about 25 W m−2 but increased net longwave flux by about 3 W m−2. In contrast to the Godzilla event, the 2015 event had minor air quality impacts on the US, partially due to the extremely intensified CLLJ that dispersed the dust plume towards the Pacific.

Identification of dust events in the greater Phoenix area

Dust events are common in Arizona, USA, causing significant impacts on air quality and human health. Several previous studies have compiled an analysis of the dust event climatology for the state of Arizona, yet very few used multiple Meteorological Aerodrome Reports (METARs) to determine their occurrence, seasonality, cause, and duration. In this project, we identified dust events based on measurements taken from nine different METAR Automatic Surface Observation Systems (ASOS) from the greater Phoenix area in Arizona. A total of 531 dust events were identified from 2005 to 2021. Each dust event was examined for the meteorological disturbance (synoptic and convective) that caused it. Dust events were analyzed for different meteorological characteristics (temperature, dew point, relative humidity, wind speed, wind gust, and visibility), temporal patterns, and the impacts of different climatological indices and drought conditions. Each dust event was categorized based on its intensity as either a blowing dust event or a dust storm based on the lowest visibility recorded. Separation based on cause and severity was then performed to further analyze differences in the aforementioned meteorological characteristics and parameters during dust events. Notable seasonality, causality, and temporal trends consistent with the occurrence of the summer monsoon season were found, with differences in meteorological parameters when analyzed by cause and intensity consistent with previous studies. Observations of Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations during dust and non-dust times reveal the impact of these dust events on PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations.