Dust Source Areas and Their Plume Extent Derived From Satellite Data Fields

In this study, prominent dust source areas are identified along with their plume extent using high temporal frequency satellite observations. Hourly dust plume observations of the Dust Belt from geostationary-orbit satellites are analyzed for the 2017-12-2022-11 period. To identify dust source areas and their extents, we back-track plumes to their source, assessing source areas in terms of emission frequency, contribution, and plume extent patterns. This method advances over traditional source allocation techniques that rely on polar-orbiting satellites based on a few daily passes and meteorological wind fields for backtracking. Our findings indicate that Boreal summer is the most intense season for most sources, except in the Southern Sahara, which experiences winterly winds. Our analysis also reveals significant contributions from regions within the Sahara that experience expansive but infrequent dust storms, highlighting the importance of considering both frequency and magnitude in understanding dust emissions. This study focuses on the role of mineral dust, a significant climate constituent originating mainly from arid regions. Identifying where dust comes from and where it goes is essential for understanding how it affects the climate. To do so, we employ high temporal frequency satellite data to backtrack dust plumes to their sources, revealing key dust-emitting regions and their seasonal variations. We also quantify each source area's frequency and magnitude of emissions and the spatial distribution of emanating dust plumes. Our findings show that summer is the peak season for most areas, except for the strongest dust sources, located in Southern Sahara, which peak in winter driven by seasonal winds. Additionally, some Saharan source areas exhibit severe storms but have been under-emphasized because they were measured by the frequency of their storms. High-temporal-resolution images from geostationary-orbit satellites enable precise back-tracking of dust source areas Dust source areas are analyzed in terms of their emission frequency, contribution to the regional atmosphere, and corresponding plume extent Summer is the peak dust emission season for most sources in West Asia and Sahara and ephemeral lake beds are active during the dry season