Abstract. A severe dust storm event originated from the Gobi Desert in Central and East
Asia during 2–7 May 2017. Based on Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite products, hourly environmental monitoring
measurements from Chinese cities and East Asian meteorological observation
stations, and numerical simulations, we analysed the spatial and temporal
characteristics of this dust event as well as its associated impact on the
Asia-Pacific region. The maximum observed hourly PM10 (particulate
matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm) concentration
was above 1000 µg m−3 in Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang,
Baoding, and Langfang and above 2000 µg m−3 in Erdos, Hohhot,
Baotou, and Alxa in northern China. This dust event affected over
8.35 million km2, or 87 % of the Chinese mainland, and significantly deteriorated air quality in 316 cities of
the 367 cities examined across China. The maximum surface wind speed during
the dust storm was 23–24 m s−1 in the Mongolian Gobi Desert and
20–22 m s−1 in central Inner Mongolia, indicating the potential
source regions of this dust event. Lidar-derived vertical dust profiles in
Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo indicated dust aerosols were uplifted to an
altitude of 1.5–3.5 km, whereas simulations by the Weather Research and
Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model indicated 20.4 and 5.3 Tg of
aeolian dust being deposited respectively across continental Asia and the
North Pacific Ocean. According to forward trajectory analysis by the FLEXible
PARTicle dispersion (FLEXPART) model, the East Asian dust plume moved across
the North Pacific within a week. Dust concentrations decreased from the East
Asian continent across the Pacific Ocean from a magnitude of 103 to
10−5 µg m−3, while dust deposition intensity ranged from
104 to 10−1 mg m−2. This dust event was unusual due to its
impact on continental China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and the North
Pacific Ocean. Asian dust storms such as those observed in early May 2017 may
lead to wider climate forcing on a global scale.
East Asian dust storm in May 2017: observations, modelling, and its influence on the Asia-Pacific region