Long-term aerosol optical depth trend over Iran and identification of dominant aerosol types

Yousefi, Robabeh; Wang, Fang; Ge, Quansheng; Shaheen, Abdallah

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137906

Cited by 51 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…Global validation of MERRA-2 AOD against AERONET, noted a high agreement between MERRA-2 and AERONET over the Middle East where correlation coefficient (R) = 0.94 [23]. Our previous work [13] suggested that MODIS and MERRA-2 were in good agreement with AERONET AOD.…”

Section: Aerosols Datamentioning

confidence: 78%

“…In our previous study [13] we demonstrated an obvious change in AOD trends over Iran during the last decade. Klingmüller [24] investigated the reason behind the AOD increased over the Middle East.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…The average root mean square error (RMSE) of MODIS AOD data has been estimated to be about 0.10 overland [2]. In addition, previous studies suggested a strong agreement between MODIS AOD and AERONET AOD [10,13].…”

Section: Aerosols Datamentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Recently, remote sensing data from ground-based and satellite-borne instruments, in combination with reanalysis datasets have become widely used to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of AOD from local to global scales [7,8]. For example, some satellite, ground-based and reanalysis AOD data, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), and the Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2) have been applied in many recent studies [9][10][11][12][13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vast amounts of dust are mobilized in the desert regions of the globe by strong Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 1045 2 of 16 winds, especially in the Sahara, Gobi, and Australian deserts. The distribution patterns of atmospheric hazes from reanalysis and satellite data show that the dust originating from these deserts stands out on a global scale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aerosol Trends during the Dusty Season over Iran

Yousefi

Wang

et al. 2021

Remote Sensing

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This study assessed the aerosol climatology over Iran, based on the monthly data of aerosol optical depth (AOD) derived from the reanalysis-based Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2) and the satellite-based Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). In addition, sea level pressure, wind speed, temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, and soil moisture from the ERA5 reanalysis dataset were applied to investigate the climate-related effects on temporal AOD changes. Our analysis identified positive and negative AOD trends during 2000–2010 and 2010–2018, respectively, which are likely linked to aeolian dust changes. The dust-driven AOD trends were supported by changes in the Ångström exponent (AE) and fine mode fraction (FMF) of aerosols over Iran. During the early period (2000–2010), results of AOD-meteorology correlation analyses suggest reduced soil moisture, leading to increased dust emissions, whereas our results suggest that during the later period (2010–2018) an increase of soil moisture led to decreased AOD levels. Soil moisture appears to be a key factor in dust mobilization in the region, notably in southwestern Iran, being influenced by adjacent mineral dust sources. These phenomena were affected by large-scale sea level pressure transformations and the associated meteorology in the preceding winter seasons. Using a multiple linear regression model, AOD variability was linked to various meteorological factors in different regions. Our results suggest that climatic variations strongly affect the dust cycle, with a strong dependence on wintertime conditions in the region.

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Section: Aerosols Datamentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Aerosols Datamentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aerosol Trends during the Dusty Season over Iran

Yousefi

Wang

et al. 2021

Remote Sensing

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Winter AOD trend changes over the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region

Shaheen

Lelieveld

et al. 2021

Intl Journal of Climatology

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The present study documents the winter aerosol optical depth (AOD) trends over the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region using MERRA‐2 and moderate‐resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) collection 6.1 data. A significant upward AOD trend was identified during the years 2000–2010, whereas the AOD followed a significant downward trend during the years 2010–2017. Our analysis indicates that aeolian dust is the main contributor to AOD changes. The winter AOD changes are related to meteorological factors over the EMME region. During the early period (2000–2010), a significant decrease in sea level pressure induced dry and hot southeasterly winds blowing from the desert regions in the Middle East toward the EMME, which increased the temperature and reduced the relative humidity, thus enhancing evaporation and promoting soil drying. In contrast, during the late period (2010–2017), a significant increase in sea level pressure, accompanied by an increase in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, induced northwesterly winds from higher latitudes, which decreased the temperature and increased the relative humidity, reducing dust mobilization in the EMME, in particular, in Iraq and Egypt. This shows to what extent AOD trends in the EMME region are controlled by changing meteorological weather conditions.

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Can global warming bring more dust?

Zhou

et al. 2023

Clim Dyn

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In the late twentieth century, global mean surface air temperature especially on land is continuously warming. Our analyses show that the global mean of dust increased since 1980, using the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis version 2 for Research and Applications (MERRA-2) reanalysis data. This variation of global dust is mainly contributed by the dust increase outside of dust core areas (i.e. high dust mass concentration region). The causes to result in global dust variations are explored. In dust core areas, surface wind is the primary driving factor for surface dust, both of which show no remarkable trends of increase or decrease since 1980. In areas outside of the core areas, especially in arid and semi-arid areas in North and Middle Asia, surface air temperature warming is the primary impact factor causing the dust increase. An increase in surface air temperature is accompanied by enhancement of atmospheric instability which can trigger more upward motion and bring more dust. All 9 Earth System Models (ESMs) for the Aerosol Chemistry Model Intercomparison Project (AerChemMIP) reproduce the reasonable spatial distribution and seasonal cycle of dust in the present day. But only a few models such as BCC-ESM1 and GFDL-ESM4 simulate the increasing trend of dust similar to MERRA-2. While the primary impact of wind in dust core areas, and surface temperature outside of the core areas, especially in middle to high latitudes in Eurasian continent, are presented in most ESMs.

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Long-term aerosol optical depth trend over Iran and identification of dominant aerosol types

Cited by 51 publications

References 92 publications

Aerosol Trends during the Dusty Season over Iran

Aerosol Trends during the Dusty Season over Iran

Winter AOD trend changes over the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region

Can global warming bring more dust?

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