Meteorological aspects associated with dust storms in the Sistan region, southeastern Iran

Kaskaoutis, Dimitris G.; Rashki, Alireza; Houssos, E. E.; Mofidi, Abbas; Goto, Daisuke; Bartzokas, A.; François, Philippe; Legrand, Michel

doi:10.1007/s00382-014-2208-3

Cited by 93 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Thus, considering the position of the Gizan and Najran stations (the southwest corner of the study region), it is clear that the dust systems in summer and autumn invade the area from the west instead of from the east, as occurs in the winter and spring. This dust pattern reversed over the Sistan region, where the dust events in the western areas during winter and spring shifted to the east during summer and autumn (Rezazadeh et al, 2013;Kaskaoutis et al, 2015). The synoptic features of these characteristics are explained below in the seasonal synoptic characteristics subsection.…”

Section: Station Variability Regarding the Surface Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the Sudan low deepened and interacted with the Indian monsoon low (which appeared for the first time in this season) to form a cell of low pressure over the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Indian monsoon low represented one of the permanent atmospheric systems that accompanied the dust storms during the warm months in the Sistan region (Kaskaoutis et al, 2015). The main difference between the active and inactive categories is that the ridges over the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf deepen in the active category cases (Figure 7(a)).…”

Section: Springmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This number of dust days was less than the 356 dust-storm days at Zabol station (dust source area) in Iran's Sistan region from 2001 to 2012 (Kaskaoutis et al, 2015) and less than the average of 167 dust-storm days per year over Sistan (Alizadeh Choobari et al, 2013). Moreover, the average observed dust storms (dust events) in the study region, totaling 24.6 (869.2) per year, was larger than the average frequency of 21.7 (413) dust storms (dust events) per year in the Jazmurian Basin (non-dust source area) in southeastern Iran (Rashki et al, 2017).…”

Section: Station Variability Regarding the Surface Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Indian low represented one of the main systems that produced dust over the Arabian Peninsula during summer (Rao et al, 2003), and it merged with the Azores high to form the Shamal system (Hamidi et al, 2013). These two systems interacted to form a high-pressure gradient over the Arabian Peninsula and the eastern Mediterranean, forming the Shamal wind over the Arabian Peninsula and representing the main cause of dust emission (Yu et al, 2016), and similar to the wind mechanisms of the dust storms over the Sistan region (Kaskaoutis et al, 2015). Notably, the influence of the high-pressure gradient on the effective dust area was a common synoptic feature that accompanied the dust transition (Barkan et al, 2004;Barkan and Alpert, 2010;Alharbi et al, 2013;Awad and Mashat, 2014;Kaskaoutis et al, 2014;Kaskaoutis et al, 2015).…”

Section: Summermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal variability and synoptic characteristics of dust cases over southwestern Saudi Arabia

Mashat

Alamoudi

Awad

et al. 2017

Intl Journal of Climatology

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ABSTRACT:The synoptic characteristics and statistical variability of seasonal dust over southwestern Saudi Arabia are studied for the period from 1979 to 2006 using the aerosol index (AI) from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) satellite, dust observations from surface stations, and meteorological data from the National Center for Environmental Prediction and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis data set.The seasonal AI distribution indicates that approximately 80% of each year was dusty and that most of the dust occurred during hot months. In addition, the surface observations of the dust types show that the stations with the largest number of dust observations throughout the year were close to the desert, except during the summer, when the stations near the Red Sea had the largest number of dust observations.The synoptic forces that influenced the dust cases were the relative positions of high-pressure systems (Azores or Siberian) and low-pressure systems (Sudan or Indian), alongside their interactions. The relative positions of the atmospheric systems are highly pronounced at a pressure level of 850 hPa; at this pressure, the systems are oriented from north (anticyclonic system) to south (cyclonic system), turn anticlockwise to become oriented from west (anticyclonic system) to east (cyclonic system) during the summer, and then turn clockwise during the winter. Moreover, the interaction of the atmospheric systems influences the wind pattern of the seasonal composition over the southern Arabian Peninsula, which produces an anticyclonic wind pattern during winter, a cyclonic wind pattern during spring, a northerly/northwesterly wind pattern during summer and an anticyclonic wind pattern during autumn.The dust sources changed because of the relative positions of these atmospheric systems, in which the 'Toker Gap' Sudan was the summer/autumn dust source, and the 'central and eastern' Arabian Peninsula was the winter/spring dust source.

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Section: Station Variability Regarding the Surface Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Springmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Station Variability Regarding the Surface Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Summermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal variability and synoptic characteristics of dust cases over southwestern Saudi Arabia

Mashat

Alamoudi

Awad

et al. 2017

Intl Journal of Climatology

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“…To evaluate a complete picture of the dust events and to determine the breakout time of the dust storm for the forward air-mass trajectories, hourly IDDI results during the dust storm are collected. IDDI of one cloudless pixel can be defined as the absolute brightness temperature difference in the IR channel under clear sky conditions and under the dust particle loading conditions [36,44]. Because the surface is always hotter than a dust layer, the bright temperature of a pixel under clear sky is considered to be the maximum bright temperature over a 10-day period.…”

Section: Space-based Aerosol Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Aerosol Optical and Micro-Physical Properties over Northeast Asia from a Severe Dust Storm in April 2014

Wang

et al. 2016

Remote Sensing

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This study focuses on analyzing the changes to aerosol properties caused by the dust storm called "China's Great Wall of Dust" that originated from the Taklimakan Desert in April 2014. IDDI (Infrared Difference Dust Index) images from FY-2E and true color composite images from FY-3C MERSI (Medium Resolution Spectral Imager) show the breakout and transport path of the dust storm. Three-hourly ground-based measurements from MICAPS (Meteorological Information Comprehensive Analysis and Process System) suggest that anticyclonic circulation occupying the Southern Xinjiang basin and cyclonic circulation in Mongolia form a dipole pressure system that leads to strong northwesterly winds (13.7-20 m/s), which favored the breakout of the dust storm. IDDI results indicate that the dust storm breakout occurred at~2:00 UTC on 23 April in the Taklimakan Desert. Four-day forward air mass trajectories with the HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model gives the simulation results of the dust transport paths and dust vertical distributions, which are consistent with the corresponding aerosol vertical distributions derived from CALIPSO. The Aerosol Index (AI) data of TOU (Total Ozone Unit) aboard FY-3B are first used to study the areas affected by the dust storm. From the AI results, the dust-affected areas agree well with the synoptic meteorological condition analysis, which supports that the synoptic meteorological conditions are the main reason for the breakout and transport of the dust storm. Anomalies of the average MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) AOD (Aerosol Optical Depth) distributions over northeast Asia during the dust storm to the average of the values in April between 2010 and 2014 are calculated as a percent. The results indicate high aerosol loading with a spatially-averaged anomaly of 121% for dusty days between 23 April and 25 April. Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) retrievals of VSD (Volume Size Distribution) and SSA (Single Scattering Albedo) show that while the aerosol properties in Dalanzadgad, which is closer to the dust source, were influenced primarily by coarse dust particles, the aerosol properties in Beijing were mostly contributed by fine dust particles that transported over longer distances and at high atmospheric levels.

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Regime shift in Arabian dust activity, triggered by persistent Fertile Crescent drought

2015

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The Arabian Peninsula has experienced pronounced interannual to decadal variability in dust activity, including an abrupt regime shift around 2006 from an inactive dust period during 1998-2005 to an active period during [2007][2008][2009][2010][2011][2012][2013]. Corresponding in time to the onset of this regime shift, the climate state transitioned into a combined La Niña and negative phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which incited a hiatus in global warming in the 2000s. Superimposed upon a long-term regional drying trend, synergistic interactions between these teleconnection modes triggered the establishment of a devastating and prolonged drought, which engulfed the Fertile Crescent, namely, Iraq and Syria, and led to crop failure and civil unrest. Dried soils and diminished vegetation cover in the Fertile Crescent, as evident through remotely sensed enhanced vegetation indices, supported greater dust generation and transport to the Arabian Peninsula in 2007-2013, as identified both in increased dust days observed at weather stations and enhanced remotely sensed aerosol optical depth. According to backward trajectory analysis of dust days on the Arabian Peninsula, increased dust lifting and atmospheric dust concentration in the Fertile Crescent during this recent, prolonged drought episode supported a greater frequency of dust events across the peninsula with associated northerly trajectories and led to the dust regime shift. These findings are particularly concerning, considering projections of warming and drying for the eastern Mediterranean region and potential collapse of the Fertile Crescent during this century.

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Meteorological aspects associated with dust storms in the Sistan region, southeastern Iran

Cited by 93 publications

References 75 publications

Seasonal variability and synoptic characteristics of dust cases over southwestern Saudi Arabia

Seasonal variability and synoptic characteristics of dust cases over southwestern Saudi Arabia

Changes in Aerosol Optical and Micro-Physical Properties over Northeast Asia from a Severe Dust Storm in April 2014

Regime shift in Arabian dust activity, triggered by persistent Fertile Crescent drought

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