Sand-dust storms in China: temporal-spatial distribution and tracks of source lands

1 IntroductionSand-dust storms include both sand storms and dust storms[1]. When the visibility in local areas is greater than or equal to 50 m but less than 200 m, they are called severe sand-dust storms. When extremely severe sand-dust storm, the most severest type of sand-dust storm, occurs, the local instantaneous maximum wind speed can be greater than 25 m/s and a local visibility be less than 50 m or even descend to 0 m[2].Sand-dust storm is a critical environmental problem and is also a…

Sand-dust storms in China: temporal-spatial distribution and tracks of source lands

Sand-dust storm is a special natural disaster that frequently occurs in deserts and their surrounding areas. With the data published on Surface Meteorological Monthly Bulletin and Surface Chart during 1971-1996, the temporal-spatial distribution and annual variation of sand-dust storms are analyzed on the basis of the case study of atmospheric processes. Furthermore, the tracks and source areas of sand-dust storms are determined with the aid of GIS. The results show that except some parts of Qinghai Province and Inner Mongolia as well as Beijing, sand-dust storms decrease apparently in time and space in recent decades in China. Sand-dust storms occur most frequently in spring, especially in April. According to their source areas, sand-dust storms are classified into two types, i.e., the inner-source and outer-source sand-dust storms. Most of the outer-source sand-dust storms move along the north and west tracks. The north-track outer-source sand-dust storms always intrude into China across the Sino-Mongolian border from Hami, a city in the eastern part of Xinjiang, to Xilin Gol, a league in Inner Mongolia, while the west-track ones intrude into China from both southern and northern Xinjiang. The source lands of inner-source sand-dust storms concentrate in the Taklimakan Desert and its surrounding areas in southern Xinjiang, southern part of the Junggar Basin in north of Xinjiang, the Hexi Corridor in western Gansu Province, the dry deserts of Inner Mongolia and the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai.