Modis Satellite Data Evaluation for Detecting the Dust Storm Using Remote Sensing Techniques Over Iraq

Abstract

The phenomena of Dust storm take place in barren and dry regions all over the world. It may cause by intense ground winds which excite the dust and sand from soft, arid land surfaces resulting it to rise up in the air. These phenomena may cause harmful influences upon health, climate, infrastructure, and transportation. GIS and remote sensing have played a key role in studying dust detection. This study was conducted in Iraq with the objective of validating dust detection. These techniques have been used to derive dust indices using Normalized Difference Dust Index (NDDI) and Middle East Dust Index (MEDI), which are based on images from MODIS and in-situ observation based on hourly wind speed and visibility during May 4-5 2022 and 25-26 June 2022. In this study, the appropriateness of two various MODIS-based techniques to discover dust in 13 stations in Iraq was examined. The results suggest NDDI index is the most appropriate index to identifying dust storms across Iraq. Also, the MEDI index has impairment to discover dust through multiple land-cover forms. Beside that MEDI consider an ineffective index to detect and discover dust storms throughout whole kinds of land cover over Iraq.