Dust Storm in China

Peshawa Mahmod

Categories Horizontal visibility Weather condition

Dust storm < 1 kmStrong and turbulent wind

Strong Sandstorm < 200m Wind velocity 20 km/s

Very strong sandstorm < 50m

Wind velocity 25 km/s

Strong wind at low level

Thermally unstable atmospheric stratification

Thick dry soil or sand

Natural conditionClimate

Soil and vegetation covers

topography

Human activities

Intensification of soil farming

Over grazing and Overstocking

Road and urban construction and min west

Vegetation cover Erosion

More than 60% Zero erosion

60-20% Medium erosion

Less than 20% High erosion

Source of dust-sand storm in China

- Taklimakan desert (Xinjiang region)

- Gobi Desert

Impact of dust-Sandstorm in China

Decade 1950-1960 1970-1980 1990

Desertification area (Km2)

1560 2100 2460

1-Environmental impact

2- Human impact (example of 5th may 1993)

- 115 Death, 264 injured

- Oxidative damage in lunge, heart and liver

3- Economic impact

70 $ million in 5th may 1993

Ability of human to control weather is very limited

thus the approaches point is to decrease the

density and frequency of dust-sandstorm.

Developing ecological barriers

Using wire fencing system with straw of wheat or reed

Using chemical waste materials

Policy reform to use land

Water use efficiency

An example of ecological barriers in Gansu province of Northwest of China

References Guoguang Zheng (2002), Dust storm; An Extreme Climate Event in China, China Metrological

Administration, Beijing.

Longiun Ci (2001) Disasters of Strong Sandstorms over Large Area and the Spread of

Land Desertification in China,. In: Youlin Yang, Victor Squires and Lu Qi, eds. Global

ala rm: Dust and Sandstorms from the World’s Drylands, Bangkok, pp. 215-226.

Qian Weihong, Xu Tang, Linsheng Quan (2004), Regional Characteristics of dust storm in

China, Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 38 pp. 4895-4907.

United Nation Environmental Program (2005) what is Dust storm. Environmental

Emergencies News, Issue 4 pp.1-4

Wang Xunming, Zhibao Dong, Jiawu Zhang, Lichao Liu (2004), Modern dust storm in china:

an overview, Journal of Arid Environment, vol. 58 pp. 559-547.

Wang Xiaobin, O. Oenema, W.B. Hoogmoed, U.D. Perdok, Dianxiong Cai (2006), Dust storm

Erosion and its impact on soil carbon and nitrogen losses in northern China, CATENA,

Vol. 66 pp. 221-227.

Yang Youlin, Victor Squires and Lu Qi (2001) Global Alarm: Dust and Sandstorms from the

World’s Drylands, Bangkok.

Thank you