Dust Storms in Northern China: Long-Term Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Climate Controls

Abstract

Airborne dust derived from desertification in northern China can be transported to East Asia and other regions, impairing human health and affecting the global climate. This study of northern China dust provides an understanding of the mechanism of dust generation and transportation. The authors used dust storm and climatological data from 129 sites and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) datasets in northern China to analyze spatiotemporal characteristics and determine the main factors controlling dust storms occurring during 1960–2007. Dust storm–prone areas are consistent with the spatial distribution of northern China deserts where the average wind speed (AWS) is more than 2 m s−1, the mean annual temperature (MAT) ranges from 5° to 10°C, and the mean annual precipitation (MAP) is less than 450 mm. Dust storms commonly occur on spring afternoons in a 3- to 6-h pattern. The three predominant factors that can affect DSF are the maximum wind speed, AWS, and MAT. During 1960–2007, dust storm frequency (DSF) in most regions of northern China fluctuated but had a decreasing trend; this was mainly caused by a gradual reduction in wind speed. The effect of temperature on DSF is complex, as positive and negative correlations exist simultaneously. Temperatures can affect source material (dust, sand, etc.), cyclone activity, and vegetation growth status, which influence the generation of dust storms. NDVI and precipitation are negatively correlated with DSF, but the effect is weak. Vegetation can protect the topsoil environment and prevent dust storm creation but is affected by the primary decisive influence of precipitation.

Variability and Trends in Dust Storm Frequency on Decadal Timescales: Climatic Drivers and Human Impacts

“…Numerous studies have identified a decreasing trend in dust-raising in many parts of northern China, particularly in the late twentieth century, and a number of reasons have been cited for the decline. Guan et al [57] found that the decrease in dust storm frequency across much of northern China over the period 1960-2007 was caused mainly by a gradual reduction in wind speeds. These authors concluded that vegetation cover (as measured by the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index or NDVI) and precipitation were negatively correlated with dust storm frequency, but the effect was weak.…”

Insight into global trends in aerosol composition from 2005 to 2015 inferred from the OMI Ultraviolet Aerosol Index

“…The OMI UVAI trend over Mongolia/Inner Mongolia may be part of a longer-term trend. Guan et al (2017) examined dust storm data over northern China (including Inner Mongolia) for the period 1960-2007 and found that dust storm frequency has been declining over the region due to a gradual decrease in wind speed. The current generation of chemical transport models is unlikely to represent the source near the Aral Sea without an explicit parameterization of the drying sea.…”

Evaluation of Climatic and Anthropogenic Impacts on Dust Erodibility: A Case Study in Xilingol Grassland, China

“…This positive correlation was described in Lee and Kim [5] by investigating dust occurrence and strong wind during the period from 1996 to 2007 over the source regions of Asia dust. For long-term spatiotemporal characteristics, a gradual reduction in wind speed was the main cause for the decreasing trend in dust occurrence in most regions of northern China during 1960-2007 [6]. However, the responsibility of erosivity for the interannual variation in dust occurrence mainly appears in desert regions, whereas erodibility plays a more important role in other regions [7].…”