Numerical Simulation of Tehran Dust Storm on 2 June 2014: A Case Study of Agricultural Abandoned Lands as Emission Sources

Bibliographic Details
Title: Numerical Simulation of Tehran Dust Storm on 2 June 2014: A Case Study of Agricultural Abandoned Lands as Emission Sources
Authors: Ana Vukovic Vimic, Bojan Cvetkovic, Theodore M. Giannaros, Reza Shahbazi, Saviz Sehat Kashani, Jose Prieto, Vassiliki Kotroni, Konstantinos Lagouvardos, Goran Pejanovic, Slavko Petkovic, Slobodan Nickovic, Mirjam Vujadinovic Mandic, Sara Basart, Ali Darvishi Boloorani, Enric Terradellas
Source: Atmosphere, Vol 12, Iss 8, p 1054 (2021)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2021.
Publication Year: 2021
Collection: LCC:Meteorology. Climatology
Subject Terms: dust storm, dust source mask, Tehran, forecast, agriculture, early warning, Meteorology. Climatology, QC851-999
More Details: On 2 June 2014, at about 13 UTC, a dust storm arrived in Tehran as a severe hazard that caused injures, deaths, failures in power supply, and traffic disruption. Such an extreme event is not considered as common for the Tehran area, which has raised the question of the dust storm’s origin and the need for increasing citizens’ preparedness during such events. The analysis of the observational data and numerical simulations using coupled dust-atmospheric models showed that intensive convective activity occurred over the south and southwest of Tehran, which produced cold downdrafts and, consequently, high-velocity surface winds. Different dust source masks were used as an input for model hindcasts of the event (forecasts of the past event) to show the capability of the numerical models to perform high-quality forecasts in such events and to expand the knowledge on the storm’s formation and progression. In addition to the proven capability of the models, if engaged in operational use to contribute to the establishment of an early warning system for dust storms, another conclusion appeared as a highlight of this research: abandoned agricultural areas south of Tehran were responsible for over 50% of the airborne dust concentration within the dust storm that surged through Tehran. Such a dust source in the numerical simulation produced a PM10 surface dust concentration of several thousand μm/m3, which classifies it as a dust source hot-spot. The produced evidence indivisibly links issues of land degradation, extreme weather, environmental protection, and health and safety.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2073-4433
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/8/1054; https://doaj.org/toc/2073-4433
DOI: 10.3390/atmos12081054
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/b4aa55d4878246f982e404f3f886cf3d
Accession Number: edsdoj.b4aa55d4878246f982e404f3f886cf3d
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:20734433
DOI:10.3390/atmos12081054
Published in:Atmosphere
Language:English