Types, Indications and Impact Evaluation of Sand and Dust Storms Trajectories in the Arabian Gulf

Ali Al-Dousari, Domenico Doronzo and Modi Ahmed
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Ali Al-Dousari: Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), P.O. Box: 24885, Safat, Kuwait City 13109, Kuwait
Domenico Doronzo: Institute of Earth Sciences “Jaume Almera”, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Barcelona 08028, Spain
Modi Ahmed: Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), P.O. Box: 24885, Safat, Kuwait City 13109, Kuwait

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: Dust is a common weather phenomenon in the Arabian Gulf, which has severely affected economy and health. Sand and dust storms (SDS) trajectories in the Arabian Gulf were temporally and spatially monitored from March 2000 to March 2017. Eight major SDS trajectories were detected from satellite images. The dust storms trajectories were categorized according to shape and size into three main types with 12 subtypes in the region. The annual transported dust amount into the Arabian Gulf was estimated by 89.1 million metric tons, which is about 10,330 metric tons per cubic kilometer of water volume. In comparison to other seas and oceans, the amount of dust deposited into the Arabian Gulf water body volume is the highest. Dust deposited in the coastal regions within the Arabian Gulf are originated from Mesopotamian Flood Plain (MFP), Ahwaz (HZ), Ahwar (HR) and Baluchistan Desert (BSH) and characterized by physical parameters and composition. Such physical characterization of the trajectories of SDS, and of the properties of particles transported in the Arabian Gulf can be helpful to assess and mitigate the environmental impact of future similar events.

Keywords: aeolian; dust; aerosol; sand storm; dust storm; trajectories; Arabian Gulf (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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