Abstract
Using available satellite observations and Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version-2 (MERRA2) datasets for the period 1980-2016, this study reveals a summertime dust amplification over the Arabian Peninsula (AP) during about past two decades. Our results demonstrate a significant positive trend in summertime dust loading over the AP since the year 2002, with a maximum increase of 21% over the southern Red Sea. The increased summertime dust over the southern AP is attributed to the intensification of the remote dust transport from the Sahara Desert through Sudan by a strengthened Tokar Gap westerly jet, and a general increased gustiness in the AP. Furthermore, increased both air and soil temperature and reduction in the soil moisture along with increased sensible heat flux led to increased local dryness in the AP, and played a significant role in enhancing wind-induced localized dust emissions therein. The associated changes in the AP include an enhancement of net radiative fluxes, particularly the long wave radiative flux.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 13220-13229 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres |
| Volume | 124 |
| Issue number | 23 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 19 2019 |
Bibliographical note
KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): REP/1/3268-01-01
Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the King Abdulla University of Science and Technology (KAUST) under the Virtual Red Sea Initiative (Grant # REP/1/3268-01-01),the General Commission for Survey (under award number RGC/3/1612-01-0) and the Saudi ARAMCO-KAUST Marine Environmental Observatory(SAKMEO)at KAUST.All the data we used in this manuscript are publicly available. MERRA2 dataset was downloaded from https://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/and ERA-interimdataset from https://apps.ecmwf.int/.MODIS, MISR and SeaWIFS satellite data products of AOD were downloaded from https://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov/giovanni/. The authors would like to thank three anonymous reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments.