Identifying Dust Sources Affecting Southwestern Iran (Khuzestan Province) Using Remote Sensing Techniques and HYSPLIT Model

Southwest Iran is most affected by foreign dust sources due to its proximity to the main dust sources of the Middle East region, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. In order to identify foreign dust sources affecting southwestern Iran from 2003 to 2018, dust was retrieved from MODIS images, one day before, on the day and on the next day of the dust event, by selecting the appropriate algorithm. Two conditions were applied for the occurrence of dust: spatially, dust is reported in more than 50% of synoptic stations, and temporarily, the visibility is less than 5000 m and in more than three consecutive synoptic reports. Using the AOD index, for one day before reporting the dust phenomenon in Khuzestan synoptic stations, and tracking the incoming flow path in different atmospheric levels applying HYSPLIT Model, the areas that had a greater role in dust events in southwestern Iran of foreign origin were identified. Examining parts of the area that were identified as areas of dust formation or intensification at least 100 times, using AOD concentrations in the days before the occurrence of dust, Al-Anbar Province in the east, Muthanna in the southeast and Najaf in Iraq, and Al-Hudood and Al-Sharqawiyah in Saudi Arabia had the largest share among different parts of neighboring countries in the production of dust entering southwestern Iran. Identifying the areas that have the greatest impact on the incoming dust of southwestern Iran will inform and help the country's planners and decision-makers adopt appropriate.