Textured Dust Storm Activity in Northeast Amazonis–Southwest Arcadia, Mars: Phenomenology and Dynamical Interpretation

Abstract Dust storms are Mars’s most notable meteorological phenomenon, but many aspects of their structure and dynamics remain mysterious. The cloud-top appearance of dust storms in visible imagery varies on a continuum between diffuse/hazy and textured. Textured storms contain cellular structure and/or banding, which is thought to indicate active lifting within the storm. Some textured dust storms may contain the deep convection that generates the detached dust layers observed high in Mars’s atmosphere. This study focuses on textured local dust storms in a limited area within Northeast (NE) Amazonis and Southwest (SW) Arcadia Planitiae (25°–40°N, 155°–165°W) using collocated observations by instruments on board the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) satellites. In northern fall and winter, this area frequently experiences dust storms with a previously unreported ruffled texture that resembles wide, mixed-layer rolls in Earth’s atmosphere, a resemblance that is supported by high-resolution active sounding and passive radiometry in both the near- and thermal infrared. These storms are mostly confined within the atmospheric boundary layer and are rarely sources of detached dust layers. The climatology and structure of these storms are thus consistent with an underlying driver of cold-air-advection events related to the passage of strong baroclinic waves. While the properties of the studied region may be ideal for detecting these structures and processes, the dynamics here are likely relevant to dust storm activity elsewhere on Mars.

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An Observational Overview of Dusty Deep Convection in Martian Dust Storms

Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences ◽

10.1175/jas-d-19-0042.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (11) ◽

pp. 3299-3326 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Nicholas G. Heavens ◽

David M. Kass ◽

James H. Shirley ◽

Sylvain Piqueux ◽

Bruce A. Cantor

Keyword(s):

Dust Storm ◽

Large Scale ◽

Middle Atmosphere ◽

Deep Convection ◽

High Surface ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Radiative Heating ◽

Storm Activity ◽

Mesoscale Circulations ◽

Convective Structures

Abstract Deep convection, as used in meteorology, refers to the rapid ascent of air parcels in Earth’s troposphere driven by the buoyancy generated by phase change in water. Deep convection undergirds some of Earth’s most important and violent weather phenomena and is responsible for many aspects of the observed distribution of energy, momentum, and constituents (particularly water) in Earth’s atmosphere. Deep convection driven by buoyancy generated by the radiative heating of atmospheric dust may be similarly important in the atmosphere of Mars but lacks a systematic description. Here we propose a comprehensive framework for this phenomenon of dusty deep convection (DDC) that is supported by energetic calculations and observations of the vertical dust distribution and exemplary dusty deep convective structures within local, regional, and global dust storm activity. In this framework, DDC is distinct from a spectrum of weaker dusty convective activity because DDC originates from preexisting or concurrently forming mesoscale circulations that generate high surface dust fluxes, oppose large-scale horizontal advective–diffusive processes, and are thus able to maintain higher dust concentrations than typically simulated. DDC takes two distinctive forms. Mesoscale circulations that form near Mars’s highest volcanoes in dust storms of all scales can transport dust to the base of the upper atmosphere in as little as 2 h. In the second distinctive form, mesoscale circulations at low elevations within regional and global dust storm activity generate freely convecting streamers of dust that are sheared into the middle atmosphere over the diurnal cycle.

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The Spatial and Temporal Probability of Dust Storm Activity in Chryse, One of the Tentative Landing Areas of Tianwen-1 Mission

10.21203/rs.3.rs-41993/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bo Li ◽

Jiang Zhang ◽

Zongyu Yue ◽

Peiwen Yao ◽

Chenfan Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dust Storm ◽

Dust Storms ◽

The Arctic ◽

Atmospheric Conditions ◽

Polar Ice ◽

Storm Activity ◽

Mars Atmosphere ◽

Ice Cap ◽

Activity Frequency ◽

Temporal And Spatial

Abstract Dust storms, observed in all seasons, are among the most momentous Mars atmosphere activities. The Entry-Descent-Landing (EDL) activity of a Martian landing mission is influenced by local atmospheric conditions, especially the dust storm activity probability. It is of great significance to know well the dust storm situation that China's first Mars mission (Tianwen-1) may encounter in EDL season in the Chryse area, one of the tentative landing areas. Firstly, based on four Martian years’ Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Mars Daily Global Maps (MDGMs), 1172 dust storms were identified within Chryse’s 1600 km radius ring with their shape parameters extracted, including center, range and area. Secondly, the daily mean dust storm probability was calculated binned by 1° of solar longitude in the Chryse area during EDL season. Dust storm activity frequency was closely interrelated with the seasonal ebb and flow of the arctic polar ice cap, consequently, most of dust storms occurring in either the cap’s grow or the recession. The dust storm activity in the Chryse area mainly came from the northern polar cap region, Acidalia and Chryse, with some contribution from the southern hemisphere (Argyre and Bosprous) northward. Thirdly, we divided the Chryse area into many square grids of 0.5° and computed the average occurrence probability of dust storm in each grid during EDL season. The dust storm activity probability in space was also in-homogeneous, low in the west and south but high in the east and north, which was mainly affected by three factors: topography, the origin and the path of dust storm sequence. Based on Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, of the storms in the Chryse area we’ve discovered, 40.5% are cap-edge storms in the northern hemisphere and 17.5% are textured dust storms. Finally, according to the temporal and spatial probability of dust storm activity in the Chryse area during EDL season, we held that the preferred landing time of the Tianwen-1 mission in 2021 was in Ls=18°-65° and three preferred landing areas were selected with low dust storm probability.

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Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Dust Storm Activity in Chryse Planitia Using MGS-MOC Observations from Mars Years 24–28

Universe ◽

10.3390/universe7110433 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (11) ◽

pp. 433

Author(s):

Bo Li ◽

Zongyu Yue ◽

Shaojie Qu ◽

Peiwen Yao ◽

Xiaohui Fu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dust Storm ◽

Temporal Analysis ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Atmospheric Conditions ◽

Storm Activity ◽

Ice Cap ◽

The North ◽

Outflow Channels ◽

Average Probability ◽

Spatio Temporal

Dust storms, observed in all seasons, are among the most momentous of Mars’ atmospheric activities. The Entry–Descent–Landing (EDL) activity of a Martian landing mission is influenced by local atmospheric conditions, especially the probability of dust storm activity. Chryse Planitia, featuring many of the largest and most prominent outflow channels and possible mud volcanoes, is an important target site for current and future Mars landing missions. It is of great significance to understand that a Mars landing probe may encounter a dust storm situation during EDL season in the Chryse Planitia. In this study, based on four Martian years, Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Mars Daily Global Maps (MDGMs), 1172 dust storms were identified within Chryse’s 1600 km-radius ring. Secondly, the daily mean dust storm probability was calculated, binned by 1° of solar longitude in the Chryse landing area. The two active periods of dust storm activity are Ls = 177–239° and Ls = 288–4°, with an average daily mean dust storm probability of 9.5% and 4.1%. Dust storm activity frequency is closely interrelated with the seasonal ebb and flow of the north polar ice cap; consequently, most dust storms occur in either the cap’s growth or recession phase. We divided the Chryse landing area into square grids of 0.5° and computed the average probability of dust storm occurrence in each grid, which ranged from 0.19% to 2.42%, with an average of 1.22%. The dust storm activity probability in space was also inhomogeneous—low in the west and south but high in the east and north—which was mainly affected by the origin and the path of dust storm sequences. Based on empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of storms in the Chryse area, 40.5% are cap-edge storms in the northern hemisphere. Finally, we concluded that the preferred time of a Mars landing mission is Ls = 18–65° in the Chryse Planitia, and three preferred landing areas were selected with low dust storm probability.

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Cyclogenesis and density currents in the Middle East and the associated dust activity in September 2015

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-12738 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Diana Francis ◽

Noor AlShamsi ◽

Juan Cuesta ◽

Ayse Gokcen Isik ◽

Cihan Dundar

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Dust Storm ◽

Deep Convection ◽

Arabian Gulf ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Density Currents ◽

Atmospheric Conditions ◽

Blocking High ◽

Subtropical Jet ◽

Upper Level

The first 10 days of September 2015 were marked by an intense dust activity over the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula. This study examines the atmospheric conditions at the origin of the large dust storms during this period. We particularly investigate the atmospheric dynamics leading to the development of a large dry cyclone over Iraq on 31 August 2015 which in turn generated an intense dust storm that affected most of the countries around the Arabian Gulf and lasted for 5 days. We found that the cyclone developed over Northwest Iraq as a transfer to low levels of a cut-off low which had formed two days earlier at upper levels over Turkey. Large dust loads exceeding 250 tons were emitted and moved southeast in a cyclonic shape toward the Arabian sea. The second large dust storm on 6-8 September 2015 occurred over Syria and affected all the coastal countries on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. It was associated with the occurrence of a series of density currents over northeast Syria emanating from deep convection over the mountainous border between Syria and Turkey. The unusual development of deep convection over this area was associated with a blocking high and interaction with orography. Both the cut-off high and the cut-off low occurred during a period characterized by a meandering polar jet and an enhanced subtropical jet causing unstable weather over mid-latitudes which in turn led to highly polluted atmosphere by natural dust in the affected countries. Keywords: Cut-off low; cut-off high; upper-level trough; density current; cyclone; evaporation cooling; desert areas; dust storms; polar jet; subtropical jet.

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Evaluation and Analysis of Dust Storm Activity in Tianwen-1 Landing Area Based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Camera Observations and Mars Daily Global Maps

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs14010008 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 8

Author(s):

Shaojie Qu ◽

Bo Li ◽

Jiang Zhang ◽

Yi Wang ◽

Chenfan Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dust Storm ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Maximum Speed ◽

Mars Rover ◽

Storm Activity ◽

Landing Zone ◽

In Situ Investigation ◽

Imaging Camera ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Resolution Imaging

The first Mars exploration mission from China (Tianwen-1) was launched on 23 July 2020 with the goal of “orbiting, landing, and roving”. The occurrence of dust storm activities is an important criterion of assessing atmospheric risk for the Tianwen-1 landing process. Dust storm activities from Mars Year (MY) 24 to MY32 in southern Utopia Planitia were identified. Most dust storms only appeared in one Mars Daily Global Map (MDGM), with a lifetime of less than or equal to solar longitude (Ls) = 0.5°. Only if the lifetime of a dust storm is greater than or equal to Ls = 1° can it reach the primary landing ellipse. From Ls = 0–50°, dust storms are mostly in the diffusion stage with a maximum speed of movement of 2479 km/Ls. Then, the speed gradually decreases to the minimum value of 368 km/Ls when the dust storm is in the dissipation stage. If a dust storm moves at an average speed of 750 km/Ls, the safe landing zone is a circle within a radius of 750 km centered on the primary landing ellipse. From March to May 2021, eight dust storms were identified in the Moderate Resolution Imaging Camera (MoRIC) mosaics. Because there was no dust storm activity in MoRIC mosaic on 13 May 2021, we concluded that there would be no dust storm in the primary landing ellipse on 15 May (MY36, Ls = 45.1°). Therefore, the landing time of the Tianwen-1 probe was finally determined as 15 May, which successfully landed in the south of the Utopia Planitia, and the in-situ investigation was carried out by the Zhurong Mars rover.

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Cyclogenesis and Density Currents in the Middle East and the Associated Dust Activity in September 2015

Geosciences ◽

10.3390/geosciences9090376 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 376 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Diana Francis ◽

Noor Alshamsi ◽

Juan Cuesta ◽

Ayse Gokcen Isik ◽

Cihan Dundar

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Dust Storm ◽

Deep Convection ◽

Arabian Gulf ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Density Currents ◽

Atmospheric Conditions ◽

Blocking High ◽

Polluted Atmosphere ◽

Low Levels

The first 10 days of September 2015 were marked by intense dust activity over the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula. This study examines the atmospheric conditions at the origin of the large dust storms during this period. We particularly investigate the atmospheric dynamics leading to the development of a large dry cyclone over Iraq on 31 August 2015 which in turn generated an intense dust storm that affected most of the countries around the Arabian Gulf and lasted for 5 days. We found that the cyclone developed over Northwest Iraq as a transfer to low levels of a cut-off low which had formed two days earlier at upper levels over Turkey. Large dust loads exceeding 250 tons were emitted and moved southeast in a cyclonic shape toward the Arabian sea. The second large dust storm on 6-8 September 2015 occurred over Syria and affected all the coastal countries on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. It was associated with the occurrence of a series of density currents over northeast Syria emanating from deep convection over the mountainous border between Syria and Turkey. The unusual development of deep convection over this area was associated with a blocking high and interaction with orography. Both the cut-off high and the cut-off low occurred during a period characterized by a meandering polar jet and an enhanced subtropical jet causing unstable weather over mid-latitudes which in turn led to highly polluted atmosphere by natural dust in the affected countries.

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Dust storm activity in Tianwen-1 mission’s tentative landing area (Chryse) ： MGS-MOC observations from Mars year 24-28

10.21203/rs.3.rs-41993/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bo Li ◽

Peiwen Yao ◽

Jiang Zhang ◽

Zongyu Yue ◽

Chenfan Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dust Storm ◽

Dust Storms ◽

The Arctic ◽

Atmospheric Conditions ◽

Polar Ice ◽

Storm Activity ◽

Mars Atmosphere ◽

Ice Cap ◽

Activity Frequency ◽

Temporal And Spatial

Abstract Dust storms, observed in all seasons, are among the most momentous Mars atmosphere activities. The Entry-Descent-Landing (EDL) activity of a Martian landing mission is influenced by local atmospheric conditions, especially the dust storm activity probability. It is of great significance to know well the dust storm situation that China's first Mars mission (Tianwen-1) may encounter in EDL season in the Chryse landing area, one of the tentative landing areas. Firstly, based on four Martian years’ Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Mars Daily Global Maps (MDGMs), 1172 dust storms were identified within Chryse’s 1600 km radius ring with their shape parameters extracted, including center, range and area. Secondly, the daily mean dust storm probability was calculated binned by 1° of solar longitude in the Chryse landing area during EDL season. Dust storm activity frequency was closely interrelated with the seasonal ebb and flow of the arctic polar ice cap, consequently, most of dust storms occurring in either the cap’s grow or the recession phase. The dust storm activity in the Chryse landing area mainly came from the northern polar cap region, Acidalia and Chryse, with some contribution from the southern hemisphere (Argyre and Bosporos) northward. Thirdly, we divided the Chryse landing area into many square grids of 0.5° and computed the average occurrence probability of dust storm in each grid during EDL season. The dust storm activity probability in space was also in-homogeneous, low in the west and south but high in the east and north, which was mainly affected by the origin and the path of dust storm sequence. Finally, according to the temporal and spatial probability of dust storm activity in the Chryse landing area during EDL season, we held that the preferred landing time of the Tianwen-1 mission in 2021 was in Ls=18°-65° and three preferred landing areas were selected with low dust storm probability.

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Dust Transport from Inland Australia and Its Impact on Air Quality and Health on the Eastern Coast of Australia during the February 2019 Dust Storm

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12020141 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 141

Author(s):

Emilie Aragnou ◽

Sean Watt ◽

Hiep Nguyen Duc ◽

Cassandra Cheeseman ◽

Matthew Riley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Dust Storm ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

The State ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Eastern Coast ◽

Storm Event ◽

South Wales ◽

Dust Storm Event

Dust storms originating from Central Australia and western New South Wales frequently cause high particle concentrations at many sites across New South Wales, both inland and along the coast. This study focussed on a dust storm event in February 2019 which affected air quality across the state as detected at many ambient monitoring stations in the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) air quality monitoring network. The WRF-Chem (Weather Research and Forecast Model—Chemistry) model is used to study the formation, dispersion and transport of dust across the state of New South Wales (NSW, Australia). Wildfires also happened in northern NSW at the same time of the dust storm in February 2019, and their emissions are taken into account in the WRF-Chem model by using Fire Inventory from NCAR (FINN) as emission input. The model performance is evaluated and is shown to predict fairly accurate the PM2.5 and PM10 concentration as compared to observation. The predicted PM2.5 concentration over New South Wales during 5 days from 11 to 15 February 2019 is then used to estimate the impact of the February 2019 dust storm event on three health endpoints, namely mortality, respiratory and cardiac disease hospitalisation rates. The results show that even though as the daily average of PM2.5 over some parts of the state, especially in western and north western NSW near the centre of the dust storm and wild fires, are very high (over 900 µg/m3), the population exposure is low due to the sparse population. Generally, the health impact is similar in order of magnitude to that caused by biomass burning events from wildfires or from hazardous reduction burnings (HRBs) near populous centres such as in Sydney in May 2016. One notable difference is the higher respiratory disease hospitalisation for this dust event (161) compared to the fire event (24).

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Effects of Dust Storms and Climatological Factors on Mortality and Morbidity of Cardiovascular Diseases Admitted to ED

Emergency Medicine International ◽

10.1155/2018/3758506 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Behcet Al ◽

Mustafa Bogan ◽

Suat Zengin ◽

Mustafa Sabak ◽

Seval Kul ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Chest Pain ◽

Cardiovascular Diseases ◽

Dust Storm ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Inpatient Hospitalization ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Coronary Syndrome

Objective. This study was designed to investigate the effects of Desert Dust Storms and Climatological Factors on Mortality and Morbidity of Cardiovascular Diseases admitted to emergency department in Gaziantep. Method. Hospital records, obtained between September 01, 2009 and January 31, 2014, from four state hospitals in Gaziantep, Turkey, were compared to meteorological and climatological data. Statistical analysis was performed by Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) for windows version 24.0. Results. 168,467 patients were included in this study. 83% of the patients had chest pain and 17% of patients had cardiac failure (CF). An increase in inpatient hospitalization due to CF was observed and corresponded to the duration of dust storms measured by number of days. However, there was no significant increase in emergency department (ED) presentations. There was no significant association of cardiac related mortality and coinciding presence of a dust storm or higher recorded temperature. The association of increases in temperature levels and the presence of dust storms with “acute coronary syndrome- (ACS-) related emergency service presentations, inpatient hospitalization, and mortality” were statistically significant. The relationship between the increase in PM10 levels due to causes unrelated to dust storms and the outpatient application, admission, and mortality due to heart failure was not significant. The increase in particle matter 10 (PM) levels due to causes outside the dust storm caused a significant increase in outpatient application, hospitalization, and mortality originated from ACS. Conclusion. Increased number of dust storms resulted in a higher prevalence of mortality due to ACS while mortality due to heart failure remained unchanged. Admission, hospitalization, and mortality due to chest pain both dependent and independent of ACS were increased by the presence of dust storms, PM10 elevation, and maximum temperature.

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A Comparison of Aphelion Cloud Belt Phase Functions Before and After the Mars Year 34 Global Dust Storm

10.5194/epsc2021-372 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alex Innanen ◽

Brittney Cooper ◽

Charissa Campbell ◽

Scott Guzewich ◽

Jacob Kloos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dust Storm ◽

Phase Function ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Ice Crystal ◽

Ice Clouds ◽

Water Ice ◽

Ice Cloud ◽

Sky Survey ◽

Scattering Phase ◽

Scattering Phase Function

1. INTRODUCTIONThe Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is located in Gale Crater (4.5&#176;S, 137.4&#176;E), and has been performing cloud observations for the entirety of its mission, since its landing in 2012 [eg. 1,2,3]. One such observation is the Phase Function Sky Survey (PFSS), developed by Cooper et al [3] and instituted in Mars Year (MY) 34 to determine the scattering phase function of Martian water-ice clouds. The clouds of interest form during the Aphelion Cloud Belt (ACB) season (Ls=50&#176;-150&#176;), a period of time during which there is an increase in the formation of water-ice clouds around the Martian equator [4]. The PFSS observation was also performed during the MY 35 ACB season and the current MY 36 ACB season.Following the MY 34 ACB season, Mars experienced a global dust storm which lasted from Ls~188&#176; to Ls~250&#176; of that Mars year [5]. Global dust storms are planet-encircling storms which occur every few Mars years and can significantly impact the atmosphere leading to increased dust aerosol sizes [6], an increase in middle atmosphere water vapour [7], and the formation of unseasonal water-ice clouds [8]. While the decrease in visibility during the global dust storm itself made cloud observation difficult, comparing the scattering phase function prior to and following the global dust storm can help to understand the long-term impacts of global dust storms on water-ice clouds.2. METHODSThe PFSS consists of 9 cloud movies of three frames each, taken using MSL&#8217;s navigation cameras, at a variety of pointings in order to observe a large range of scattering angles. The goal of the PFSS is to characterise the scattering properties of water-ice clouds and to determine ice crystal geometry.&#160; In each movie, clouds are identified using mean frame subtraction, and the phase function is computed using the formula derived by Cooper et al [3]. An average phase function can then be computed for the entirety of the ACB season.<img src="https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gnp.eda718c85da062913791261/sdaolpUECMynit/1202CSPE&app=m&a=0&c=67584351a5c2fde95856e0760f04bbf3&ct=x&pn=gnp.elif&d=1" alt="Figure 1 &#8211; Temporal Distribution of Phase Function Sky Survey Observations for Mars Years 34 and 35" width="800" height="681">Figure 1 shows the temporal distributions of PFSS observations taken during MYs 34 and 35. We aim to capture both morning and afternoon observations in order to study any diurnal variability in water-ice clouds.3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThere were a total of 26 PFSS observations taken in MY 35 between Ls~50&#176;-160&#176;, evenly distributed between AM and PM observations. Typically, times further from local noon (i.e. earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon) show stronger cloud features, and run less risk of being obscured by the presence of the sun. In all movies in which clouds are detected, a phase function can be calculated, and an average phase function determined for the whole ACB season. &#160;Future work will look at the water-ice cloud scattering properties for the MY 36 ACB season, allowing us to get more information about the interannual variability of the ACB and to further constrain the ice crystal habit. The PFSS observations will not only assist in our understanding of the long-term atmospheric impacts of global dust storms but also add to a more complete image of time-varying water-ice cloud properties.

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