Detection of Dust Storm Origins in the Middle East by Remotely Sensed Data

Dust storms are one of the most common natural phenomena in the arid and semiarid regions. Long periods of drought and inappropriate land management practices, by removing soil moisture and vegetation cover, can make these region more susceptible to the occurrence dust storms. Over the last few years in the Middle East, the intensity and frequency of this phenomenon have increased, interrupting daily economic and social routines. The purpose of this study was to identify the sources of dust in the Middle East during the time period from 2003 to 2017 using the differential index of dust detection and MODIS satellite images in the period 2003 to 2017. The final steps involved detecting possible driving forces and consequences of dust storms in the region. The results showed that the origin of dust storms incoming to the west, northwest, and southwest of Iran is from Syria, Iraq, and parts of Saudi Arabia, which is also the main source of dust in northern Iraq and the border between Iraq and Syria. The results also showed that satellite images, by providing wide-angle view of surface features and acquiring daily images, would be a helpful tool to identify the origins of dust storms and detect their spatial pattern.