Recent Extreme Dust Storms in Central Asia Associated with Cold Air Outbreak and Desertification
Xin Xi, Michigan Technological University, xinxi@mtu.edu (Presenter)
Shan Zhou, Michigan Technological University, shanzhou@mtu.edu
Sabur Abdullaev, Physical Technical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, sabur.f.abdullaev@gmail.com
Extreme weather and climate events are among the most pressing societal challenges of our times. During recent years, Central Asia was hit by several extreme dust storms, including a haboob-like salt storm from Aralkum during May 2018, and a record-breaking dust storm in Uzbekistan during November 2021. Both events were associated with hazardous weather conditions (e.g., cold surge, violent winds), and caused persistent high particulate matter concentrations, low visibility, and significant adverse impact on environmental and human health. The extreme dust events in Central Asia and neighboring regions attracted much media attention; Yet there are substantial knowledge and methodological gaps in understanding the physical mechanisms, variability, and predictability of such events. In this presentation we will perform detailed case analysis to elucidate the anomalous atmospheric and hydroclimatic conditions associated with intense dust outbreak in Central Asia, and explore the teleconnection processes underlying the favorable environment for enhanced wind erosion. Our results suggest both extreme dust events were triggered by two compounding factors: cold air outbreak linked to blocking events over the Euro-Atlantic region, and growing-season drought and desertification linked to tropical sea surface temperature anomalies. We will build upon the case studies to develop a coherent, long-term dust-climate record with multiple datasets at different timescales to allow the characterization of multivariate extreme dust events over the midlatitude dryland regions.
Associated Project(s):
Poster Location ID: 1-7
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Poster Session 1
Session Date: Tue (May 9) 5:00-7:00 PM
CCE Program: LCLUC