Temporal and spatial characteristics of dust devils and their contribution to the aerosol budget in East Asia—An analysis using a new parameterization scheme for dust devils

Tang, Yue; Han, Yongxiang; Liu, Zhaohuan

doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.03.050

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Considering a possible overestimation of ambient dust emission and the potential to improve the considered region which are relevant for dust emission by dust devils (see Appendix A), the contribution could increase further. A contribution of 5% is significantly less than previous regional estimates of about 30%-50% that were based on observational data and/or large-scale modeling (Han et al, 2016;Pan et al, 2021;Tang et al, 2018), but it is significantly higher than the only existing estimate based on LES (0.03%-0.19% for Australia, Klose & Shao, 2016). Reasons for these deviations are diverse.…”

Section: Contribution By Dust Devilsmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Regional estimates based on the numerical Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model, thermodynamic theory, and measurements vary between 38% for North Africa (Pan et al., 2021) and up to 53% for Western China (Han et al., 2016). Numerical simulations with the WRF Chemistry (WRF‐Chem) model coupled with a new parameterization scheme for dust devils revealed a contribution in East Asia between 17.4% and 43.4% (Tang et al., 2018). Employing LES instead of large‐scale weather prediction models, Klose and Shao (2016) estimated a regional contribution for Australia in the range of 0.03%–0.19%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Saltation‐Induced Dust Emission of Dust Devils in the Convective Boundary Layer—An LES Study on the Meter Scale

Klamt,

Giersch,

Raasch

2024

JGR Atmospheres

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Dust devils are vertically oriented, columnar vortices that form within the atmospheric convective boundary layer (CBL) of dry regions. They are able to lift a sufficient amount of soil particles including dust to become visible and are considered as a potentially important dust source for the atmosphere. Mineral dust, a key component of atmospheric aerosols, influences the climate by affecting the radiation budget and cloud formation. Current estimates of the contribution of dust devils to the global, regional, and local dust release vary considerably from less than 1% to more than 50%. To address this uncertainty, we perform the highest resolved large‐eddy simulation (LES) study on dust emission in the CBL to date, using the PALM model system and the saltation‐based Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) dust emission scheme. Our results show that under desert‐like conditions, dust devils are responsible for an average of 5% of regional dust emissions, with temporary maxima of up to 15%. This contrasts with previous measurement‐based (>35%) and LES‐based estimates (∼0.1%). Local emissions of dust devils (up to 10 mg m−2 s−1) are 1–3 orders of magnitude higher than the emission in the surroundings. This makes dust devils important for air quality and visibility. Additionally, our study reveals previously unknown large‐scale convective dust emission patterns. These patterns are tied to the CBL's cellular flow structure and are the main cause of dust release. Contrary to other studies, our findings clarify the important role of saltation‐induced dust emission.

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Section: Contribution By Dust Devilsmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Saltation‐Induced Dust Emission of Dust Devils in the Convective Boundary Layer—An LES Study on the Meter Scale

Klamt,

Giersch,

Raasch

2024

JGR Atmospheres

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“…Tang et al. (2018) established a new parameterization scheme coupled with WRF‐Chem Model and found that dust devils contributed about 30.4 ± 13% to atmospheric dust aerosols in East Asia. By combining observed meteorological data and estimation model, Ma et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Han et al (2016) estimated that dust devils contributed 53% to the total annual desert dust in western China based on satellite and Lidar observations. Tang et al (2018) established a new parameterization scheme coupled with WRF-Chem Model and found that dust devils contributed about 30.4 ± 13% to atmospheric dust aerosols in East Asia. By combining observed meteorological data and estimation model, Ma et al (2020) gave an estimate of 46.5% for the same region.…”

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confidence: 99%

Long‐Term Variation of Dust Devils in East Asia During 1959–2021

Huang

Tang

et al. 2023

JGR Atmospheres

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Dust devils play an important role in dust transport by carrying it from the surface into the atmosphere, especially in summer. However, information on how dust devils changed in the past decades and what caused these changes remains lacking. Based on thermodynamic criteria and ERA5 reanalysis data set, this study investigated the long‐term variation of favorable conditions for dust devil occurrence in East Asia over the past 63 years and defined it as potential dust devil and dusty plume (PDDP) occurrence in hours. Annual mean frequency of PDDP in East Asia was approximately 217.2 hr from 1959 to 2021. An overall downward trend in PDDP frequency has been found over 63 years in East Asia among which strong PDDPs drop significantly at the fastest rate while the weak ones dropped insignificantly. Moreover, PDDP frequency in the Gobi Desert increased but they decreased in the Taklimakan Desert. The monthly variation of PDDP shows a single‐peak structure with a tendency for the peak to move from June to July. For the diurnal changes, PDDP mainly occurred between 10:00 and 16:00 at local time (LT), with over 60% of them happening between 12:00 LT and 14:00 LT. We also found a negative correlation between precipitation and PDDP occurrence. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of favorable conditions for dust devil occurrence in East Asia over the past decades, which is of great importance to further evaluate its impact on climate, environment as well as ecosystem.

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“…Teixeira et al [30] used WRF-Chem to investigate its sensitivity to vertical resolution during a 22-23 June 2012 dust event over North Africa; results indicated that the model was able to transport particles from the ground to higher layers. Tang et al [31] examined the spatial and temporal characteristics of dust events and their contribution to the budget of aerosols in Eastern Asia, using WRF-Chem and a parametric tool for dust analysis. The results showed that dust loadings peaked in the afternoon and in summer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial-Temporal Variation Characteristics of Vertical Dust Flux Simulated by WRF-Chem Model with GOCART and AFWA Dust Emission Schemes (Case Study: Central Plateau of Iran)

et al. 2020

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Dust and sand storms are among the major threats to central Iran. These phenomena pose irreparable risks to natural ecosystems and human societies, including effects on health. In this study, the spatial and temporal pattern of vertical dust flux (VDF) was used to identify dust sources as well as areas with high potential for dust generation. To simulate VDF, two intense dust storms, from 21 February 2015 and 14 February 2018, were selected using synoptic data and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images. These dust storms were identified as responsible for a reduction of horizontal visibility to less than 1000 m, using remote sensing tools and Ackerman Dust Index. MODIS images show that these two storms covered most of Central Plateau of Iran. The Weather Research and Forecasting model with chemistry (WRF-Chem) was used to simulate the storms, with either the Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) or Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) scheme to calculate VDF. Modeled vertical dust fluxes in both events indicate that the Arabian deserts in Saudi Arabia and in southwestern Iran can be identified as main sources of the dust in the central Iranian plateau. The other source of dust is the Hirmand Basin, located in the country of Afghanistan and in the southeast of Iran. The results of VDF simulations indicate that central southeast Iran could be the main dust source of internal origin. Additionally, over seasonal wetlands in Iran, the amount of VDF was simulated to be sometimes over 4000 μg/(m2s), an indication that these areas are sensitive to wind erosion in dry conditions and can be a source of dust. The WRF-Chem results were compared with the horizontal visibility measured in synoptic stations in the area. The results showed that the coefficients of determination of GOCART results with the measured horizontal visibility on 21 February 2015 and 14 February 2018 were 0.72 and 0.76, respectively, while the coefficient values from the simulations with AFWA scheme on 21 February 2015 and 14 February 2018 with the measured horizontal visibility were lower, 0.44 and 0.50, respectively. Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA2) re-analysis data also showed timing of peak dust levels consistent with the GOCART scheme.

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Temporal and spatial characteristics of dust devils and their contribution to the aerosol budget in East Asia—An analysis using a new parameterization scheme for dust devils

Cited by 15 publications

References 65 publications

Saltation‐Induced Dust Emission of Dust Devils in the Convective Boundary Layer—An LES Study on the Meter Scale

Saltation‐Induced Dust Emission of Dust Devils in the Convective Boundary Layer—An LES Study on the Meter Scale

Long‐Term Variation of Dust Devils in East Asia During 1959–2021

Spatial-Temporal Variation Characteristics of Vertical Dust Flux Simulated by WRF-Chem Model with GOCART and AFWA Dust Emission Schemes (Case Study: Central Plateau of Iran)

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