TY - JOUR
T1 - Spatial and temporal variability of dust flux in Sistan and its response to climate and vegetation controls
AU - Miri, Abbas
AU - Rahdari, Vahid
AU - Baas, Andreas C.W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2025/3/6
Y1 - 2025/3/6
N2 - Airborne dust being advected at ground level displays great spatial and temporal variation due to differences in vegetation cover and soil conditions at the emission source, changes in wind speed, and relative distances to source. This study evaluates the temporal and spatial variations of dust flux and its drivers through a rare 18-month long field monitoring campaign, from June 2022 through October 2023, across five sites downwind of lakebed dust sources (‘Hamouns’) in the Sistan region of Eastern Iran. By examining the relationship between aeolian dust flux and meteorological parameters (precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed) and vegetation cover we were able to identify the impacts of meteorological factors and vegetation cover on regional dust flux variations. Results indicate significant differences between fluxes at the five different sites, and highest correlations with dust storm index (DSI) and number of dust storm days (DSD) recorded at one central meteorological station. Annual variations in regional dust flux are explained by differences in vegetation cover over the lakebed source areas, recorded by NDVI from satellite imagery, between the dusty seasons of 2022 and 2023, while distance from source impacts the regional variations. The mapping of regional dust flux variations allows identifying dust-hazardous areas in Sistan and the most effective mitigation measures. The highest monhtly dust flux was measured in Ghorghori (144.32 g cm-2) and the lowest in Zabol (15.7 g cm-2), suggesting that efforts to stabilize the upwind sources in Ghorghori should be prioritized.
AB - Airborne dust being advected at ground level displays great spatial and temporal variation due to differences in vegetation cover and soil conditions at the emission source, changes in wind speed, and relative distances to source. This study evaluates the temporal and spatial variations of dust flux and its drivers through a rare 18-month long field monitoring campaign, from June 2022 through October 2023, across five sites downwind of lakebed dust sources (‘Hamouns’) in the Sistan region of Eastern Iran. By examining the relationship between aeolian dust flux and meteorological parameters (precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed) and vegetation cover we were able to identify the impacts of meteorological factors and vegetation cover on regional dust flux variations. Results indicate significant differences between fluxes at the five different sites, and highest correlations with dust storm index (DSI) and number of dust storm days (DSD) recorded at one central meteorological station. Annual variations in regional dust flux are explained by differences in vegetation cover over the lakebed source areas, recorded by NDVI from satellite imagery, between the dusty seasons of 2022 and 2023, while distance from source impacts the regional variations. The mapping of regional dust flux variations allows identifying dust-hazardous areas in Sistan and the most effective mitigation measures. The highest monhtly dust flux was measured in Ghorghori (144.32 g cm-2) and the lowest in Zabol (15.7 g cm-2), suggesting that efforts to stabilize the upwind sources in Ghorghori should be prioritized.
KW - Aeolian dust flux
KW - Dust storms
KW - Hamoun lakes
KW - Sistan
KW - Wind erosion
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85219567620&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.catena.2025.108880
DO - 10.1016/j.catena.2025.108880
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85219567620
SN - 0341-8162
VL - 253
JO - CATENA
JF - CATENA
M1 - 108880
ER -