Types, Indications and Impact Evaluation of Sand and Dust Storms Trajectories in the Arabian Gulf

Al-Dousari, Ali; Doronzo, Domenico M.; Ahmed, Mansour

doi:10.3390/su9091526

Cited by 76 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…During winter and summer months (monsoon periods), SDS appears with the least frequency, with some exceptional cases however present during February and June. For the entire time period of this study, Kuwait is found to be affected by SDS with a mean annual frequency of 19.4 days/year, ranging from 35 days/year (in 2008) to 13 days/year (in 2017), in agreement with recent studies performed with satellite images and in-situ measurements (i.e., dust traps) [44]. The lasting time period of these events, varies from 1 up to 5 consequent days, with the latter appearing during the months of May and June.…”

Section: Aod Levels and Seasonal Variationsupporting

confidence: 91%

Long-Term Ground-Based Measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth over Kuwait City

et al. 2018

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We analyze ten years (2008–2017) of ground-based observations of the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) in the atmosphere of Kuwait City, in Middle East. The measurements were conducted with a CIMEL sun-sky photometer, at various wavelengths. The daily average AOD at 500 nm (AOD500) is 0.45, while the mean Ångström coefficient (AE), calculated from the pair of wavelengths 440 and 870 nm, is 0.61. The observed high AOD500 values (0.75–2.91), are due to regional sand and dust storm events, which are affecting Kuwait with a mean annual frequency of almost 20 days/year. The long-term record analysis of AOD500 and AE, shows a downward and upward tendency respectively, something which could be attributed to the continuous expansion and industrialization of the main city of Kuwait, in combination with the simultaneous increase of soil moisture over the area. By utilizing back trajectories of air masses for up to 4 days, we assessed the influence of various regions to the aerosol load over Kuwait. The high aerosol loads during spring, are attributed to the dominance of coarse particles from Saudi Arabia (AOD500 0.56–0.74), a source area that contributes the 56% to the mean annual AOD500. Other dust sources affecting significantly Kuwait originated from the regions of Iraq and Iran with contribution of 21%.

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Section: Aod Levels and Seasonal Variationsupporting

confidence: 91%

Long-Term Ground-Based Measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth over Kuwait City

et al. 2018

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“…This study also revealed that dust storms, suspended dust, rising dust and PM 10 followed a similar pattern throughout the studied period with high peaks during summer months, specifically in June, and lower during winter months; this finding confirms the robust link between dust storm events and ambient air PM 10 levels and is in agreement with other studies in similar arid conditions [6,29,43,44]. Increased PM 10 concentrations during the summer can be associated with the Middle Eastern dust storms from the arid lands of Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia which are the particular sources of dust events coming to Kuwait from the Northwest [2,29,45].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…The northern region of the Arabian region is characterized by complex dust storm trajectories where they pass through the western desert of Syria and Iraq toward the Mesopotamian flood plain reaching the northeastern region of the peninsula into Kuwait at a dust fallout rate of 61.4 tons per km 2 per year, where fallen dust compromises 37% of sand particles [2,3]. A particular feature of blown dust is its extreme particulate matter intensity that increases the ambient air dust concentrations for several days.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Impact Assessment Associated with Exposure to PM10 and Dust Storms in Kuwait

et al. 2018

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Abstract:Little information is available on the assessment of health impact concerning the Middle Eastern dust storms and PM 10 concentration levels despite the aridity of the region and frequent dust storms occurring in this part of the world. A prospective study was conducted to determine the association between dust particles and morbidity and mortality rates for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in Kuwait. Spearman and Pearson's correlations were used to identify such associations. Results revealed a significant correlation between dust storms, suspended dust and rising dust (p < 0.01). Correlation between the occurrence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and dust storms showed that PM 10 concentrations were significantly correlated with bronchial asthma at the 0.05 level (Pearson r = 0.292). Significant correlations at the 0.01 level were shown between bronchial asthma and both acute lower respiratory tract infection (r = 0.737) and acute upper respiratory tract infection (r = 0.839). Respiratory and cardiovascular mortality rates were both equal to 0.62 per 10,000 persons, each corresponding to 8.7% proportionate mortality rate. This study provides a good evidence of the consistent relationship between dust storm events, PM 10 concentration levels, and respiratory diseases.

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“…The observed temporal trends might be a result of large-scale land-use change dynamics within Saudi Arabia (e.g., urbanization and variability in vegetation coverage) [74,75], as well as in neighboring military conflict areas, such as Syria and Iraq, where a widespread abandonment of fields resulted in an enhanced dust erodibility of the soil [76]. As these regions are located on the most important dust trajectories reaching the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula [77], it is likely to result in a locally increased dust supply. Furthermore, climate change might also have an impact on the frequency of dust storms, as drier and hotter conditions may reduce the overall vegetation coverage and, therefore, intensify the desertification process [38,78].…”

Section: Large-scale Trends and Driversmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Incidence of Dust Storms in Saudi Arabia Revealed from In Situ Observations

et al. 2019

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Monthly meteorological data from 27 observation stations provided by the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) of Saudi Arabia were used to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of atmospheric dust in Saudi Arabia between 2000 and 2016. These data were used to analyze the effects of environmental forcing on the occurrence of dust storms across Saudi Arabia by considering the relationships between dust storm frequency and temperature, precipitation, and wind variables. We reveal a clear seasonality in the reported incidence of dust storms, with the highest frequency of events during the spring. Our results show significant positive relationships (p < 0.005) between dust storm occurrence and wind speed, wind direction, and precipitation. However, we did not detect a significant relationship with temperature. Our results reveal important spatial patterns, as well as seasonal and inter-annual variations, in the occurrence of dust storms in Saudi Arabia. For instance, the eastern part of the study area experienced an increase in dust storm events over time, especially in the region near Al-Ahsa. Similarly, an increasing trend in dust storms was also observed in the west of the study area near Jeddah. However, the occurrence of dust storm events is decreasing over time in the north, in areas such as Hail and Qaisumah. Overall, the eastern part of Saudi Arabia experiences the highest number of dust storms per year (i.e., 10 to 60 events), followed by the northern region, with the south and the west having fewer dust storm events (i.e., five to 15 events per year). In addition, our results showed that the wind speeds during a dust storm are 15-20 m/s and above, while, on a non-dust day, the wind speeds are approximately 10-15 m/s or lower. Findings of this study provide insight into the relationship between environmental conditions and dust storm occurrence across Saudi Arabia, and a basis for future research into the drivers behind these observed spatio-temporal trends.

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Types, Indications and Impact Evaluation of Sand and Dust Storms Trajectories in the Arabian Gulf

Cited by 76 publications

References 30 publications

Long-Term Ground-Based Measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth over Kuwait City

Long-Term Ground-Based Measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth over Kuwait City

Health Impact Assessment Associated with Exposure to PM10 and Dust Storms in Kuwait

Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Incidence of Dust Storms in Saudi Arabia Revealed from In Situ Observations

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