A Success Story in Controlling Sand and Dust Storms Hotspots in the Middle East
Using 30 years of satellite observations, two sand and dust storms (SDS) source locations (hotspots) were detected on the southern side of the Mesopotamian Flood Plain. Around 40 million people in the region are affected by the two hotspots, including populations in Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/8/1335 |
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| author | Ali Al-Dousari Ali Omar Ali Al-Hemoud Abdulaziz Aba Majid Alrashedi Mohamad Alrawi Alireza Rashki Peter Petrov Modi Ahmed Noor Al-Dousari Omar Baloshi Meshael Jarba Ala Esmail Abeer Alsaleh Teena William |
| author_facet | Ali Al-Dousari Ali Omar Ali Al-Hemoud Abdulaziz Aba Majid Alrashedi Mohamad Alrawi Alireza Rashki Peter Petrov Modi Ahmed Noor Al-Dousari Omar Baloshi Meshael Jarba Ala Esmail Abeer Alsaleh Teena William |
| author_sort | Ali Al-Dousari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Using 30 years of satellite observations, two sand and dust storms (SDS) source locations (hotspots) were detected on the southern side of the Mesopotamian Flood Plain. Around 40 million people in the region are affected by the two hotspots, including populations in Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Emirates. Both hotspots encompass roughly 8212 km<sup>2</sup> and contribute 11% to 85% in 2005 and 2021, respectively, of the total SDS in the region. Dust physical (particle surface area and size percentages) and chemical (mineralogy, major and trace elements, and radionuclides) properties show close similarities between source and downwind samples during SDS originated solely from the two hotspots. Deposited dust size particles show a finning trend towards the north in the Middle East compared to the south. A comprehensive assessment of the chemical and physical properties of soil and dust samples was conducted as an essential step in developing and implementing a mitigation plan in order to establish a success story in reducing SDS, improving air quality, and benefiting the gulf countries and neighboring regions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:42:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f00a7b0bb9114ebb82bb4be3984a6cc3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:42:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-f00a7b0bb9114ebb82bb4be3984a6cc32023-12-03T13:19:48ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-08-01138133510.3390/atmos13081335A Success Story in Controlling Sand and Dust Storms Hotspots in the Middle EastAli Al-Dousari0Ali Omar1Ali Al-Hemoud2Abdulaziz Aba3Majid Alrashedi4Mohamad Alrawi5Alireza Rashki6Peter Petrov7Modi Ahmed8Noor Al-Dousari9Omar Baloshi10Meshael Jarba11Ala Esmail12Abeer Alsaleh13Teena William14Environment & Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitNASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681-2199, USAEnvironment & Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitEnvironment & Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitEnergy& Building Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitGeography Department, Aswan University, Aswan P.O. Box 81528, EgyptDesert and Arid Zones Management Department, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad P.O. Box 91775-1111, IranEnvironment & Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitEnvironment & Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitEnvironment & Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitEnvironment & Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitEnvironment & Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitEnergy& Building Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitEnvironment & Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitEnvironment & Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City P.O. Box 24885, KuwaitUsing 30 years of satellite observations, two sand and dust storms (SDS) source locations (hotspots) were detected on the southern side of the Mesopotamian Flood Plain. Around 40 million people in the region are affected by the two hotspots, including populations in Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Emirates. Both hotspots encompass roughly 8212 km<sup>2</sup> and contribute 11% to 85% in 2005 and 2021, respectively, of the total SDS in the region. Dust physical (particle surface area and size percentages) and chemical (mineralogy, major and trace elements, and radionuclides) properties show close similarities between source and downwind samples during SDS originated solely from the two hotspots. Deposited dust size particles show a finning trend towards the north in the Middle East compared to the south. A comprehensive assessment of the chemical and physical properties of soil and dust samples was conducted as an essential step in developing and implementing a mitigation plan in order to establish a success story in reducing SDS, improving air quality, and benefiting the gulf countries and neighboring regions.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/8/1335climate changedustsand and dust stormshotspotIraqIran |
| spellingShingle | Ali Al-Dousari Ali Omar Ali Al-Hemoud Abdulaziz Aba Majid Alrashedi Mohamad Alrawi Alireza Rashki Peter Petrov Modi Ahmed Noor Al-Dousari Omar Baloshi Meshael Jarba Ala Esmail Abeer Alsaleh Teena William A Success Story in Controlling Sand and Dust Storms Hotspots in the Middle East Atmosphere climate change dust sand and dust storms hotspot Iraq Iran |
| title | A Success Story in Controlling Sand and Dust Storms Hotspots in the Middle East |
| title_full | A Success Story in Controlling Sand and Dust Storms Hotspots in the Middle East |
| title_fullStr | A Success Story in Controlling Sand and Dust Storms Hotspots in the Middle East |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Success Story in Controlling Sand and Dust Storms Hotspots in the Middle East |
| title_short | A Success Story in Controlling Sand and Dust Storms Hotspots in the Middle East |
| title_sort | success story in controlling sand and dust storms hotspots in the middle east |
| topic | climate change dust sand and dust storms hotspot Iraq Iran |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/8/1335 |
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