Aeolian Dust Transportation on Fine Days over the Slopes in Mountainous Areas around the Taklimakan Desert, China

Abstract

To observe aeolian dust in high mountainous areas, two sets of automatic weather station including visibility meters have been installed on the slopes of the Tianshan Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains. The two observation sites are at a height of about 2500 m above sea level, and those slopes face to the Taklimakan Desert. The aeolian dust climbs the slopes with anabatic wind in daytime. Horizontal mass transportation of dust over the slopes on a fine day was estimated using the data set of visibility and wind speed, and its daily and seasonal variations were analyzed. Before this analysis, visibility was converted to dust concentration via a relationship determined by visibility meter and an optical panicle counter in a laboratory. It has been recognized that the mass transportation over the slopes reflects activity of the dust outbreak at the foot areas.