Abstract
Dunhuang, as characterized during spring with considerable strong winds, is one of the regions in China where an average of 14 dust storms per year occurs and passes. Agriculture, economy, human health and global climate are seriously affected by dust storms, which are the largest source of aerosols. Nowadays, satellites and numerical models track the intercontinental transport of dust particles.
To contribute to the data input, parameterization, and verification of a dust outbreak model, meteorological observations have been gathered every spring since 2001. In this region, dust concentration index (DCI) is collected as a measure of dust concentration in the air. Likewise, meteorological parameters are also being measured.
Initial analyses of data from 2001 to 2004 showed that frequency of dust storms varied for each year. During dust storms with corresponding DCI, meteorological parameters exhibited similar patterns. Furthermore, different relationships could be established between DCI, wind speed and friction velocity, the most reliable being that DCI increased exponentially with wind speed (i.e., greater than 6 m/s at 10 m-level).
Further analyses including 2005 data are still needed to be more accurate and confident in establishing parameter relationships as inputs for the dust outbreak model.
