Drought severity and increased dust storm frequency in the Middle East: a case study from the Tigris–Euphrates alluvial plain, central Iraq

Ameri, Ismael Dawood Sulaiman Al; Briant, Rebecca M.; Engels, Stefan

doi:10.1002/wea.3445

Cited by 41 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Reduction of annual precipitation and vegetation health has resulted in changes in land surface cover exposing soil to erosion, likely exacerbating the transportation of dust particles in a drier atmosphere (e.g. Shepherd and others, 2016; Ameri and others, 2019). Between 1979 and 2015, parts of the region have experienced a mean warming trend of up to 0.47°C per decade, though this has not been consistent between coastal and mountain regions (Burger and others, 2018).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Glacier albedo reduction and drought effects in the extratropical Andes, 1986–2020

et al. 2020

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Surface albedo typically dominates the mass balance of mountain glaciers, though long-term trends and patterns of glacier albedo are seldom explored. We calculated broadband shortwave albedo for glaciers in the central Chilean Andes (33–34°S) using end-of-summer Landsat scenes between 1986 and 2020. We found a high inter-annual variability of glacier-wide albedo that is largely a function of the glacier fractional snow-covered area and the total precipitation of the preceding hydrological year (up to 69% of the inter-annual variance explained). Under the 2010–2020 ‘Mega Drought’ period, the mean albedo, regionally averaged ranging from ~0.25–0.5, decreased by −0.05 on average relative to 1986–2009, with the greatest reduction occurring 3500–5000 m a.s.l. In 2020, differences relative to 1986–2009 were −0.14 on average as a result of near-complete absence of late summer snow cover and the driest hydrological year since the Landsat observation period began (~90% reduction of annual precipitation relative to the 1986–2009 period). We found statistically significant, negative trends in glacier ice albedo of up to −0.03 per decade, a trend that would have serious implications for the future water security of the region, because glacier ice melt acts to buffer streamflow shortages under severe drought conditions.

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Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Glacier albedo reduction and drought effects in the extratropical Andes, 1986–2020

et al. 2020

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“…where coarse (c) concentration is defined as PM 10 concentration minus PM 2.5 concentration. X cij represents the indoor (i) coarse (c) concentration of an element X for home j and X fij represents the indoor fine (f) concentration of element X for home j. Coarse elemental concentrations, X cij , were determined by subtracting the elemental concentrations of indoor PM 2.5 from the corresponding ones of indoor PM 10 . The outdoor coarse-to-fine particle ratios for an element X and home j, [C/F] xoj , are estimated as shown below:…”

Section: Coarse-to-fine Particle Ratio Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where X coj represents the outdoor coarse concentration of an element X for home j and X foj represents the outdoor fine concentration of element X for home j. Outdoor coarse elemental concentrations, X cio , are determined by subtracting the elemental concentrations of outdoor PM 2.5 from the corresponding ones of outdoor PM 10 . To examine differences between fine and coarse particles, we selected six terrestrial elements of which their concentrations are known to be considerably higher during dust storm events: Fe, Ca, Si, Al, Ti, and K.…”

Section: Coarse-to-fine Particle Ratio Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kuwait is a Middle Eastern developed country located at the northeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula and surrounded by the Persian Gulf. Because of its geographical location and climate change, it has been affected by droughts and frequent dust storms [10][11][12]. In recent years, regional military conflicts have contributed to more desertification in the area [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dust Events and Indoor Air Quality in Residential Homes in Kuwait

Yuan

Alahmad

Kang

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Kuwait is a developed Middle Eastern country that is impacted by frequent dust storms from regional and/or remote deserts. The effectiveness of keeping homes tightly closed during these events to reduce dust exposures was assessed using indoor and outdoor particle samples at 10 residences within the metropolitan Kuwait City area. Specifically, this study compared indoor and outdoor levels of black carbon and 19 trace elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Sr, and Zr) during dust and non-dust events and found that particle penetration efficiencies were lower during dust storm events (less than 20–30%) than during non-dust storm events (40–60%). Coarse particles had lower penetration efficiency compared to fine particles, which is due to differences in infiltration rates and settling velocities between these two size fractions. Our findings suggest that increasing home insulation could be an effective strategy to reduce indoor exposure to crustal particles from dust storm events in residential houses of Kuwait City.

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“…SDSs from the Middle East and South-West Asia can even travel longer distances due to being made up of fine particles that stem from the Tigris-Euphrates alluvial plain (a vast area covering parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait) (12). Today, the Tigris-Euphrates alluvial plain is the most active dust source in the Middle East and South-West Asia (19), where increasing desertification due to poor land management and multi-year drought have dramatically augmented the number and intensity of dust storms from this source (15).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking ground-satellite observations with HYSPLIT Back trajectory modeling to identify dust sources affecting Western Iran: A case study in Lorestan province

Borna

Sadr

2021

Environ Health Eng Manag

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Background: This study combined ground and satellite observations with the results of HYSPLIT model to identify the origin, transport, and deposition of sand and dust storms (SDSs) affecting Western Iran. Methods: Field-measured dust exposure data were obtained during 2000-2014 to analyze variability of dust concentration and dust intensity at annual, monthly, and daily scales. Remote sensing measurements in this research include the analysis of a total of eight (Level 1B Calibrated Radiances 1 km (MOD021KM)) MODIS tiles selected based on interpreting the results of ground observations to capture the major SDS events occurred between 2000 and 2014. Results: The results, indicating a sharp rise in the number of dusty days from 2008 onwards, were used as a basis to identify the spatial coverage and intensity of SDSs over the central part of the Middle East and the study province using a number of eight MODIS images. According to the back trajectory analysis of Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT), the MODIS-derived SDSs were found to have both national and international sources. The most prevalent and powerful source was likely to initiate from deserts of Syria and Iraq by air masses coming from the Mediterranean Sea and terminate in Western Iran where the Zagros Mountains Chain blocks easterly winds. Conclusion: Despite the evident link between timing of regional SDSs and in situ observations, the contribution of local dust sources in the west of the province should be also investigated to provide insights into the development and spread of SDS events affecting Western Iran, especially Lorestan Province.

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Drought severity and increased dust storm frequency in the Middle East: a case study from the Tigris–Euphrates alluvial plain, central Iraq

Cited by 41 publications

References 36 publications

Glacier albedo reduction and drought effects in the extratropical Andes, 1986–2020

Glacier albedo reduction and drought effects in the extratropical Andes, 1986–2020

Dust Events and Indoor Air Quality in Residential Homes in Kuwait

Linking ground-satellite observations with HYSPLIT Back trajectory modeling to identify dust sources affecting Western Iran: A case study in Lorestan province

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