Dust storms in iraq pdf

Sand and dust storm trajectories from iraq mesopotamian flood. Pdf sand and dust storm events in iraq researchgate. Risk warning and crisis management for dust storm effects. In iraq, the ministry of environment recorded 122 dust storms and 283 dusty days and sources suggest that within the next ten years, iraq could witness 300 dust storms per year. It appears low pressure at the surface in northern iraq sunday initially kicked off the dust storm, said senior meteorologist jonathan erdman. A dust storm, also called sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semiarid regions. Areas that are prone to dust storms can also prevent people from using certain equipment. Dust storms in the region can be grouped into two main categories, i. This is a local or mesoscale event, and at times of extreme drought they can originate in agricultural regions. A comprehensive case study of a frontal mineral dust storm in spring over iraq thaer o. Hassoon department of atmospheric sciences, college of science, university of almustansiriyah, baghdad, iraq. Dust storms are a significant weather phenomenon in the iraq region in winter and spring. May 22, 2011 i took the video, composed and performed the soundtrack with instruments such as. Sand and dust storm trajectories from iraq mesopotamian.

Image from noaa a massive sandstorm over saudi arabia and iraq on october 29. Remote sensing and gis for dust storm studies in iraq. Pdf analysis of synoptic situation for dust storms in iraq. Jan, 2017 the other factor that helped generate the storm, the researchers say, was an unusual wind pattern. The ministry of environment, in iraq recorded 122 dust storms and 283 dusty days, and sources suggest that within the next ten years iraq could witness 300 dusty days and dust storms per year 1. More than 60 people were also injured after the storm swept through several cities on monday. On february 20, 2016, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer modis on nasas aqua satellite captured this naturalcolor image of dust streaming across eastern iraq and western iran. The main causes in the development of sand and dust storms, in iraq are discussed. Dust storms, one type of dust event, are in most cases the result of turbulent wind miller et al. Dust storms damage crops and remove the fertile top soil, which reduces agricultural productivity. Impacts of increased dust concentration and dust storms. A number of iraqis were quoted as saying that this dust storm is the worst they have seen in years. Coamps realtime dust storm forecasting during operation. They are sometimes called the dragon or the dragon storms arabic.

Monitoring dust storms in iraq using satellite data ncbi. Dust storms sweep across iraq as govt solutions falter. Iraq is one of the countries that is often impacted to a large degree by the. The events of sand and dust storms are either regional or local. Many of the dust storms that impact kuwait originate from the north of the country, and transport dust and sand from close neighbors iraq and saudi arabia, but the dust trajectories can also transform dust from iran and egypt cao et al. This is the worst dust storm we have ever had in iraq, said doctor jasib lateef, operations manager at the iraqi health ministry. The base of the hysplit dust module is the pm10 dust storm emission algorithm for desert land use. Turkey does not have hotspots but has significantly contributed to the formation of dust sources in iraq and syria through unrestrained dam. While dust storms are occurring in neighboring countries such as saudi arabia, kuwait and even iran, iraq is one of the most affected countries by the storm. The iraqi government recorded 122 dust storms and 283 dusty days in a. The frequency of the occurrence has increased drastically in the last decade and it is increasing continuously. Much of iraq s fertile lands have been literally blown away as desertification intensifies. According to the new york times and the website terradaily, reduced visibility slowed traffic to a crawl among those determined to brave the storm while many commuters stayed home.

Dust events can be meteorologically categorized into four types depending on visibility, namely. A comprehensive case study of a frontal mineral dust storm. I think better night time satellite imagery would help to forecast shamal dust events better. There is some evidence that dust storms driven by northwest winds have become more common in this region during the past decade due to a longterm drought that has parched key wetlands. Sandstorm blankets iraq, sends hundreds to hospital reuters. Recently however, the frequency of dss and the damage by them have been increasing. An analysis of a dust storm impacting operation iraqi freedom, 2527 march 2003. Iraq, syria, saudi arabia and the uae in the west and south of iran are home to major sources of sand and dust storms, while hotspots in afghanistan contribute to storms formed in the east. Pdf iraq is one of the most affected countries in the middle east concerning the occurrences of sand and dust storms. The time between june 29 to july 8, 2009 is considered one of the worst dust storm periods of all times and many iraq is suffered medical problems as a result. Military on a convoy back to a base called qwest the convoy came to a stop on route tampa not to far from qwest. The frequency of the occurrence has increased drastically in the last decade and. Euphrates alluvial plain extends from center of iraq to west and center of iran and.

Pdf dust storms loads analysesiraq ali moutaz academia. Five people have died after a deadly dust storm hit southern iraq. In meteorology, dust storm is a catastrophic atmospheric phenomenon that strong, violent wind picks up and transport grains of fine particles like dust and silt from the ground, making the air hazy and restricting the horizontal visibility to less than 1 km. Dust is a part of, and a key player in, the earths ecological systems 24. Martin kobler pictured, expressed his support for greenbelts in iraq and proposed the. As with haboobs in the middle east, haboob occurrences in north america are often created by the collapse of a thunderstorm.

Dust and sandstorms have been a wellknown weather phenomenon since ancient times. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Sand and dust storms sdss are the result of wind erosion by either natural or anthropogenic factors. The images as shown in figure 1, 2 illustrate the severities of dust storms in the dry states, such as middle east and iraq. As for haboobs being able to better forecast where thunderstorms will occur is the only improvement to finding possible areas where haboobs may occur. This methodology is applied to estimate hotspots and trajectories. The aim of this study is to discuss the types of sand and dust storms in iraq.

Camp victory, iraq it gets in the hair, eyes and even the lungs. Analysis of synoptic situation for dust storms in iraq. In iraq, the climate is desert in the center and the south, with mild winters and extremely hot summers, its semidesert in the north, with relatively cold winters, while in the northern mountains, the climate is cold and rainy or snowy in winter and hot and sunny in summer, but with cooler nights due to the high altitude. Climate change impacts in the form of loss of cultivable land to desertification, recurrent droughts and dust storms, and declining agriculture may have affected iraq s fragile environment adamo et al.

It appears low pressure at the surface in northern iraq sunday initially kicked off the dust storm, said senior. A massive dust storm cloud is close to enveloping a military camp as it rolls over al asad, iraq, just before nightfall on april 27, 2005. Much of iraqs fertile lands have been literally blown away as desertification intensifies. Synoptic analysis of 35 july 2009 severe dust storm in iraq ijsrp. Dust storms in iran, northeastern iraq and syria, the persian gulf and southern arabian peninsula are more frequent in summer. Usually these dust storms are created somewhere between syria and iraq and are transported south, but during this period the wind pattern was going east to west, bouzeid said. Sensors free fulltext monitoring dust storms in iraq. Dust storms in 2012 exist over the total area of iraq syria and saudi arabia deserts, while in 2014, dust storms are limited to the eastern part of the arabian peninsula. Dust storm in erbil city as a result of climatic change in. Hundreds of people reported to the hospital for respiratory distress, and the blowing dust interfered with air and land travel for nearly a week. In four of the selected cases, the dust plumes reached the northeastern to eastern part of iran and affected the caspian sea region. Iran, iraq, jordan, the southern part of turkey, saudi arabia, kuwait and syria are the main sources of the dust storms of iran.

Dust storm is a kind of severe environmental issues. To the south of iraq is the great arabian desert, a source of heat and dust. Economic impact and risk assessment of sand and dust storms. For 68% of the shamal dust storms, a high pressure. The mediterranean ocean lies to the west, a source of moisture and moderate temperatures. Evaluation of natural radioactivity in dust storms samples from alnajaf iraq 145 fig. Dust storms can suspend large quantities of sand and cause haze in the boundary layer over local and regional scales. The aim of this study is to discuss the types of sand and dust storms in iraq, their regional and local exten figure 1. Cox said there was a dust storm in northern iraq which was up in the air at 18,000 feet. They can occur at any time but are most frequent in southern spring and summer, when mars is passing closest to the sun and surface temperatures are at their highest. The iraqi government recorded 122 dust storms and 283 dusty days in a single year. Remotely sensing digital methods for dust storms monitoring.

The mesopotamia, or the land between the two rivers euphrates and tigris, which was once. A comprehensive case study of a frontal mineral dust storm in. In this study nineveh province was selected as the study area to investigate the relationship between the increase in such storms and drought expansion. Five killed as giant dust storm sweeps through southern iraq. Some of the most famous dust storms of the dust bowl and similar conditions later were in fact synoptic scale events typically generated by a strong cold. According to many local and international reports, the risk of dust and sandstorms has increased significantly in iraq, creating serious environmental and social problems. Approximately 75% of the territory was covered by a dust storm in 5 july 2009 due to strong and dry northwesterly winds. The storm system, a large severe cyclone, formed over the nile delta and around on 12 march 2020 and over the next days moved northeast over the middle east. An increase in dust and sand storm frequency has been experienced in iraq over recent times and seems likely to increase further under future climate change. The dirt behind iraqs dust storms article the united.

Navys coupled oceanatmospheric mesoscale prediction system coamps with an inline dust aerosol model was conducted for operation iraqi freedom oif in march and april 2003. Sand and dust storms successful story from iraq mgm. Drought severity and increased dust storm frequency in the. Column 1 since ancient times dust and sandstorms were a natural phenomenon usually observed in early spring and a wellknown cause of disasters. The former, however, causes more economic losses and harsh effect on the humans health, as compared with the latter.

A terrible dust storm raged through iraq in the first week of july 2009. Fine particles are transported by saltation and suspension, a process that moves soil from one place and deposits it in another. Introduction a sand andor dust storm sand storm is a meteorological. Baghdad lies in the center of iraq along the tigris river. Impacts of climate and synoptic fluctuations on dust storm. Abstract dust storms are among the most important weather phenomena in middle east. Middle east worst hit by rise in sand and dust storms. The impact of dust and sandstorms in increasing drought areas. Life after death experience nde with steve gardipee, vietnam war story one of the best ndes duration. The rest of 48 dust storms were just spread over iraq and a smaller part of iran.

In western iraq and syria, jordan, lebanon, northern israel. The effect of dust storms on some meteorological elements. Dust from storms can be carried by winds hundreds to thousands of miles and can reach elevations of 10,000 feet. Primary sources of pm in southwest asia include dust storms, vehicle exhaust, construction sites, farming, and emissions from local industries. According to news reports, many iraqis considered the storm to be the worst in living memory. The researchers were focused on the spatial distribution and the load analysis of the storms 1,2. Synoptic systems, associated with the two categories, are distinguished and the frequency of the patterns is identified. Two severe dust storms occurred over iraq on february 22, 2010, and on december 10, 2011 were analyzed. Iraq is one of the most affected countries in the middle east concerning the occurrences of sand and dust storms.

Types, indications and impact evaluation of sand and dust. The former, however, is more frequent than the latter. Pdf monitoring dust storms in iraq using satellite data. Dust storms are formally defined by the world meteorological organization wmo as the result of surface winds raising large quantities of dust into the air and reducing visibility at eye level to less than m 1. Sand and dust storms sds are considered to be most common phenomena in the arabian gulf regions 1. Jul 02, 2016 dust sources, regardless of size or strength, can usually be associated with topographical lows located in arid regions with annual rainfall under 200 250 mm. Dust storms can occur when strong winds fill the air with small dust particles less than 60 microns clouding the air over a large area. Much of this dust is propagated out of the region by the upper. The results showed that dust storms form when a lowpressure. Sand and dust storms can cause respiratory problems for people who are exposed, particularly those who have lung disease. Synoptic analysis of dust storms in the middle east.

Nov 16, 2004 the dust storm that enveloped baghdad for three days was not unusual. Currently, dust storms sometimes occur at a rate of over 100 times annually, but could occur. Particulate matter pollution in iraq and afghanistan. Sudan, iraq, saudi arabia and the persian gulf, are the regions that reported the greatest occurrence of dust storms. Analysis are based on satellite images, aerosols index and synoptic weather maps. Within the next ten years, iraq could witness 300 dust events per. The city of baghdad ground to a halt on august 8, 2005, under a cloud of suffocating dust. The analysis of the modis satellite images shows that the dust storms from the tigris. Dust storm, geological map, dust material, susceptible land, wind erosion, rainfall, iran, iraq, 1. Due to the results, dust storms started on may 17th and june 7th because.

Pdf dust storms can suspend large quantities of sand and cause haze in the boundary layer over local and regional scales. During spring and summer months in iraq the winds are mainly from the north northwest, therefore areas in the middle to southern portions of iraq, such as balad and baghdad have visibilities reduced to less than 1600 meters by these dust events approximately 5% of the time. A large number of people are turning up at emergency rooms at. This study analyses the relationship between local climate and the occurrence of dust storms in central iraq, and concludes that dust emission variability is governed primarily by wind speed. Proceeding of the 1st conference on dust storms and their environmental effects, 1718 oct. Identification of dust storm sources in iraq using space. Speaking at a ministerial meeting on sand and dust storms in the region, organized by the united nations environment programme unep in nairobi, kenya, on 21 february, the special representative of the united nations secretarygeneral srsg for iraq, mr. Although particulate matter pm emissions from natural and manmade sources are found worldwide, pm levels in southwest asia are naturally higher. As an example, in early july 2018, arizona experienced strong winds resulting in the first big dust storm of the 2018 monsoon season. Though dust storms are not uncommon in the middle east. Swi, especially the khuzestan province, is known for frequent dust storms.

Dust sources, regardless of size or strength, can usually be associated with topographical lows located in arid regions with annual rainfall under 200 250 mm. Evaluation of natural radioactivity in dust storms samples. It piles up quickly on everything in sight, and it can even have an effect on daytoday operations. Subsequent discussion focuses on synoptic charts for monthly means and anomalies compared to 30year period 19812010 at sea level pressure, near surface levels 850 hpa. Kuwaits meteorological data has shown increasing trends for dust storms, rising dust, and suspended dust since 1992 onward. Pdf sand and dust storm events in iraq nadhir alansari and varoujan sissakian academia. Dust storm simulation over iran using hysplit springerlink. Irans dust storms, particulates sources the media express. Iraq is one of the countries that is often impacted to a large degree by the occurrences of dust storms. The dust storm that enveloped baghdad for three days was not unusual. You can receive climatologically data from the 14th weather squadron, formally known as the air force combat climatology center. Triggered by a cold front, winds of 30 to 50 mph, locally stronger, brought visibility to near zero as thick clouds of dust lofted over eastern syria and jordan into northern and central iraq. This study analyses the dust storm trends in a single.

What is a dust storm and what are the symptoms following exposure. Nasa top story dust and fire in southern iraq march. Extra time cleaning and protecting equipment is necessary. Sand and dust storms further threaten cropland and productivity by causing soil loss, decreasing soil fertility, and removing organic matter.