Identifying natural dust source regions over the Middle-East and North-Africa: Estimation of dust emission potential

Recently, the Korea Meteorological Administration developed Asian Dust Aerosol Model version 3 (ADAM3) by incorporating additional parameters into ADAM2, including anthropogenic particulate matter (PM) emissions, modification of dust generation by considering real-time surface vegetation, and assimilations of surface PM observations and satellite-measured aerosol optical depth. This study evaluates the performance of ADAM3 in identifying Asian dust days over the dust source regions in Northern China and their variations according to regions and soil types by comparing its performance with ADAM2 (from January to June of 2017). In all regions the performance of ADAM3 was markedly improved, especially for Northwestern China, where the threat score (TS) and the probability of detection (POD) improved from 5.4% and 5.5% to 30.4% and 34.4%, respectively. ADAM3 outperforms ADAM2 for all soil types, especially for the sand-type soil for which TS and POD are improved from 39.2.0% and 50.7% to 48.9% and 68.2%, respectively. Despite these improvements in regions and surface soil types, Asian dust emission formulas in ADAM3 need improvement for the loess-type soils to modulate the overestimation of Asian dust events related to anthropogenic emissions in the Huabei Plain and Manchuria.

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Anthropogenic Decline of African Dust inferred from Insights From the Holocene Records and Beyond: are dust purely natural?

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-262 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tianle Yuan ◽

Hongbin Yu ◽

Mian Chin ◽

Lorraine Remer ◽

David McGee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Wind ◽

Dust Emission ◽

Surface Wind Speed ◽

Natural Phenomenon ◽

Unified Framework ◽

Dust Source ◽

The Holocene ◽

African Dust ◽

Source Regions ◽

The Relationship

<p>African dust exhibits strong variability on a range of time scales. Here we show that the interhemispheric contrast in Atlantic SST (ICAS) drives African dust variability at decadal to millennial timescales, and the strong anthropogenic increase of the ICAS in the future will decrease African dust loading to a level never seen during the Holocene. We provide a physical framework to understand the relationship between the ICAS and African dust activity: positive ICAS anomalies push the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) northward and decrease surface wind speed over African dust source regions, which reduces dust emission and transport. It provides a unified framework for and is consistent with relationships in the literature. We find strong observational and proxy&#8208;record support for the ICAS&#8208;ITCZ&#8208;dust relationship during the past 160 and 17,000 years. Model&#8208;projected anthropogenic increase of the ICAS will reduce African dust by as much as 60%, which has broad consequences. We posit that dust cannot be thought of as a purely natural phenomenon.</p>

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Simulation of a Severe Sand and Dust Storm Event in March 2021 in Northern China: Dust Emission Schemes Comparison and the Role of Gusty Wind

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos13010108 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 108

Author(s):

Jikang Wang ◽

Bihui Zhang ◽

Hengde Zhang ◽

Cong Hua ◽

Linchang An ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dust Storm ◽

Dust Emission ◽

Northern China ◽

Pm10 Concentration ◽

Storm Event ◽

Air Quality Model ◽

Wind Model ◽

Dust Source ◽

Source Regions ◽

Sand And Dust Storm

Northern China experienced a severe sand and dust storm (SDS) on 14/15 March 2021. It was difficult to simulate this severe SDS event accurately. This study compared the performances of three dust-emission schemes on simulating PM10 concentration during this SDS event by implementing three vertical dust flux parameterizations in the Comprehensive Air-Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) model. Additionally, a statistical gusty-wind model was implemented in the dust-emission scheme, and it was used to quantify the gusty-wind contribution to dust emissions and peak PM10 concentration. As a result, the LS scheme (Lu and Shao 1999) produced the minimum errors for peak PM10 concentrations, the MB scheme (Marticorena and Bergametti 1995) underestimated the PM10 concentrations by 70–90%, and the KOK scheme (Kok et al. 2014) overestimated PM10 concentrations by 10–50% in most areas. The gusty-wind model could reasonably reproduce the probability density function of 2-min wind speeds. There were 5–40% more dust-emission flux and 5–40% more peak PM10 concentrations generated by the gusty wind than the hourly wind in the dust-source regions. The increase of peak PM10 concentration caused by gusty wind in the non-dust-source regions was higher than in the dust-source regions, with 10–50%. Implementing the gusty-wind model could help improve the LS scheme’s performance in simulating PM10 concentrations of this severe SDS event. More work is still needed to investigate the reliability of the gusty-wind model and LS scheme on various SDS events.

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Improvements of ADAM3 by Incorporating New Dust Emission Reduction Formulations Based on Real-Time MODIS NDVI

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13163139 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 3139

Author(s):

Jeong Hoon Cho ◽

Sang-Boom Ryoo ◽

Jinwon Kim

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Land Surface ◽

Emission Reduction ◽

Dust Emission ◽

Asian Dust ◽

Soil Types ◽

Dust Source ◽

Surface Conditions ◽

Modis Ndvi ◽

Source Regions

Dust events in Northeast Asia have several adverse effects on human health, agricultural land, infrastructure, and transport. Wind speed is the most important factor in determining the total dust emission at the land surface; however, various land-surface conditions must be considered as well. Recently, the Korea Meteorological Administration updated the dust emission reduction factor (RF) in the Asian Dust Aerosol Model 3 (ADAM3) using data from the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). We evaluated the improvements of ADAM3 according to soil types. We incorporated new RF formulations in the evaluation based on real-time MODIS NDVI data obtained over the Asian dust source regions in northern China during spring 2017. This incorporation improved the simulation performance of ADAM3 for the PM10 mass concentration in Inner Mongolia and Manchuria for all soil types, except Gobi. The ADAM3 skill scores for sand, loess, and mixed types in a 24 h forecast increased by 6.6%, 20.4%, and 13.3%, respectively, compared with those in forecasts employing the monthly RF based on the NDVI data. As surface conditions in the dust source regions continually change, incorporating real-time vegetation data is critical to improving performance of dust forecast models such as ADAM3.

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Diagnostic evaluation of the Community Earth System Model in simulating mineral dust emission with insight into large-scale dust storm mobilization in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Aeolian Research ◽

10.1016/j.aeolia.2016.02.002 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

pp. 21-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Sagar Prasad Parajuli ◽

Zong-Liang Yang ◽

David M. Lawrence

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

North Africa ◽

Dust Storm ◽

Large Scale ◽

Mineral Dust ◽

Dust Emission ◽

System Model ◽

Earth System ◽

Community Earth System Model ◽

Insight Into

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Uncertainty in modeling dust mass balance and radiative forcing from size parameterization

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-13-19649-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 19649-19700 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

C. Zhao ◽

S. Chen ◽

L. R. Leung ◽

Y. Qian ◽

J. Kok ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Radiative Forcing ◽

Dust Emission ◽

Dust Particles ◽

Mass Loading ◽

Dust Source ◽

Deposition Fluxes ◽

Source Regions ◽

Dust Mass ◽

The Difference

Abstract. This study examines the uncertainties in simulating mass balance and radiative forcing of mineral dust due to biases in the dust size parameterization. Simulations are conducted quasi-globally (180° W–180° E and 60° S–70° N) using the WRF-Chem model with three different approaches to represent dust size distribution (8-bin, 4-bin, and 3-mode). The biases in the 3-mode or 4-bin approaches against a relatively more accurate 8-bin approach in simulating dust mass balance and radiative forcing are identified. Compared to the 8-bin approach, the 4-bin approach simulates similar but coarser size distributions of dust particles in the atmosphere, while the 3-mode approach retains more fine dust particles but fewer coarse dust particles due to its prescribed σg of each mode. Although the 3-mode approach yields up to 10 days longer dust mass lifetime over the remote oceanic regions than the 8-bin approach, the three size approaches produce similar dust mass lifetime (3.2 days to 3.5 days) on quasi-global average, reflecting that the global dust mass lifetime is mainly determined by the dust mass lifetime near the dust source regions. With the same global dust emission (∼6000 Tg yr-1), the 8-bin approach produces a dust mass loading of 39 Tg, while the 4-bin and 3-mode approaches produce 3% (40.2 Tg) and 25% (49.1 Tg) higher dust mass loading, respectively. The difference in dust mass loading between the 8-bin approach and the 4-bin or 3-mode approaches has large spatial variations, with generally smaller relative difference (<10%) near the surface over the dust source regions. The three size approaches also result in significantly different dry and wet deposition fluxes and number concentrations of dust. The difference in dust aerosol optical depth (AOD) (a factor of 3) among the three size approaches is much larger than their difference (25%) in dust mass loading. Compared to the 8-bin approach, the 4-bin approach yields stronger dust absorptivity, while the 3-mode approach yields weaker dust absorptivity. Overall, on quasi-global average, the three size parameterizations result in a significant difference of a factor of 2∼3 in dust surface cooling (-1.02∼-2.87 W m-2) and atmospheric warming (0.39∼0.96 W m-2) and in a tremendous difference of a factor of ∼10 in dust TOA cooling (-0.24∼-2.20 W m-2). An uncertainty of a factor of 2 is quantified in dust emission estimation due to the different size parameterizations. This study also highlights the uncertainties in modeling dust mass and number loading, deposition fluxes, and radiative forcing resulting from different size parameterizations, and motivates further investigation of the impact of size parameterizations on modeling dust impacts on air quality, climate, and ecosystem.

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Recent advances in our understanding of dust source emission processes

Progress in Physical Geography Earth and Environment ◽

10.1177/0309133313479391 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 397-421 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Robert G. Bryant

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Radiative Forcing ◽

Climate Models ◽

Dust Emission ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Dust Source ◽

Dust Emissions ◽

Sensing Data ◽

Source Regions

The dust cycle can play an important role in the land–atmosphere–ocean system through interaction with biogeochemical cycles and direct and indirect radiative forcing of the atmosphere. One of the limiting factors for existing global models of dust transport, atmospheric processing and deposition is the quality and availability of data to allow evaluation and validation of emission schemes against in situ data from source regions. This review provides a critical overview of recent studies of aeolian processes from within or on dust sources, and focuses on studies dealing with retrieval of dust emission data, quantification of the contribution and variability of dust emissions from specific landforms, and the use of remote sensing data to reconcile dust storm inventories by direct comparison to dust source geomorphology. These case studies highlight significant advances in both field measurement and regional understanding of important components of the dust cycle derived through use of remote sensing data. However, recent research also demonstrates that most source regions exhibit significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity in dust emissions from candidate geomorphologies, which has direct implications for strategies aimed at inclusion of dust emission schemes at a scale relevant to climate models. To accommodate these factors and other significant scaling issues, additional research is needed to increase our quantification of a wider range of dust source types and geomorphological contexts over longer time periods.

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Possible Explanation for Interannual Variations in Trans-Pacific Transport of East Asian Dust

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-2509 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mingxing Wang ◽

Yiran Peng ◽

Tianliang Zhao

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

North Pacific ◽

Western North Pacific ◽

East Asian ◽

Dust Emission ◽

Asian Dust ◽

Dust Aerosol ◽

Interannual Variations ◽

Dust Source ◽

Source Regions

<p>East Asian dust aerosols prevail during spring season and transport cross Pacific Ocean. Satellite retrieval data show that dust AOD in downwind plume region over Pacific is significantly high and extends northward and eastward in 2003 comparing to 2002. In this study, we investigate the possible mechanism behind the differences in dust plume over Pacific by analyzing aerosol observations from CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) and MISR (Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer) satellite platforms and ERA-Interim reanalysis data of meteorological fields. Firstly, we derive dust aerosol optical depth (AOD) in spring of 2002 and 2003 from MISR data by referring to the climatological mass ratio of dust to total aerosol from CALIPSO aerosol retrievals during 2007-2016. Second, we illustrate the axis of dust plume over Pacific by mimicking the center-of-gravity method for dust distribution, which clearly demonstrates that the axis shifts more northward and eastward and dust AOD is noticeably higher in April to May of 2003 than 2002. Thirdly, we look into the relationships between dust AOD and meteorological fields. Our results show that stronger surface wind speed in Northwest China (the source regions of East Asian dust) leads to higher dust emission in spring of 2003 than 2002. The updraft velocity in dust source regions is also stronger in 2003, which favors the uplifting of emitted dust. The precipitation over Pacific shows similar pattern between 2002 and 2003, indicating that wet deposition of dust has similar impacts on the dust aerosol transported cross Pacific Ocean. Lastly, we found that stronger southerly wind prevails over western North Pacific in May of 2003 than 2002, where negative vorticity is observed and might be related to certain features of Rossby wave. It is likely responsible for the northward axis of dust plume over Pacific. Therefore we conclude that the stronger and more easterly extended dust plume over Pacific Ocean in 2003 is resulted from excessive dust emission and stronger uplift in dust source regions of East Asia. The stronger southerly winds cause to the further northward axis of dust plume over western North Pacific. In the current stage, we extend the above investigation for the past two decades, to explain the interannual variations of East Asian dust related to emission in source regions, Trans-Pacific transport, meteorological fields and climatic indices.</p>

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Uncertainty in modeling dust mass balance and radiative forcing from size parameterization

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-13-10733-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (21) ◽

pp. 10733-10753 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

C. Zhao ◽

S. Chen ◽

L. R. Leung ◽

Y. Qian ◽

J. F. Kok ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Radiative Forcing ◽

Dust Emission ◽

Dust Particles ◽

Mass Loading ◽

Dust Source ◽

Source Regions ◽

Dust Mass ◽

The Difference ◽

The Impact

Abstract. This study examines the uncertainties in simulating mass balance and radiative forcing of mineral dust due to biases in the dust size parameterization. Simulations are conducted quasi-globally (180° W–180° E and 60° S–70° N) using the WRF-Chem model with three different approaches to represent dust size distribution (8-bin, 4-bin, and 3-mode). The biases in the 3-mode or 4-bin approaches against a relatively more accurate 8-bin approach in simulating dust mass balance and radiative forcing are identified. Compared to the 8-bin approach, the 4-bin approach simulates similar but coarser size distributions of dust particles in the atmosphere, while the 3-mode approach retains more fine dust particles but fewer coarse dust particles due to its prescribed σg of each mode. Although the 3-mode approach yields up to 10 days of longer dust mass lifetime over the remote oceanic regions than the 8-bin approach, the three size approaches produce a similar dust mass lifetime (3.2 days to 3.5 days) on quasi-global average, reflecting that the global dust mass lifetime is mainly determined by the dust mass lifetime near the dust source regions. With the same global dust emission (~4600 Tg yr−1), the 8-bin approach produces a dust mass loading of 39 Tg, while the 4-bin and 3-mode approaches produce 3% (40.2 Tg) and 25% (49.1 Tg) higher dust mass loading, respectively. The difference in dust mass loading between the 8-bin approach and the 4-bin or 3-mode approaches has large spatial variations, with generally smaller relative difference (<10%) near the surface over the dust source regions. The three size approaches also result in significantly different dry and wet deposition fluxes and number concentrations of dust. The difference in dust aerosol optical depth (AOD) (a factor of 3) among the three size approaches is much larger than their difference (25%) in dust mass loading. Compared to the 8-bin approach, the 4-bin approach yields stronger dust absorptivity, while the 3-mode approach yields weaker dust absorptivity. Overall, on quasi-global average, the three size parameterizations result in a significant difference of a factor of 2~3 in dust surface cooling (−1.02~−2.87 W m−2) and atmospheric warming (0.39~0.96 W m−2) and in a tremendous difference of a factor of ~10 in dust TOA (top of atmosphere) cooling (−0.24~−2.20 W m−2). The impact of different size representations on dust radiative forcing efficiency is smaller. An uncertainty of a factor of 2 is quantified in dust emission estimation due to the different size parameterizations. This study also highlights the uncertainties in modeling dust mass and number loading, deposition fluxes, and radiative forcing resulting from different size parameterizations, and motivates further investigation of the impact of size parameterizations on modeling dust impacts on air quality, climate, and ecosystems.

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