In the middle of March 2021, the strongest sand dust weather in the past decade broke out in the central of East Asia, including most parts of northern China.

The generation of large-scale dust process requires sufficient surface material supply and strong wind, which is closely related to the geographical distribution of desert and Gobi as well as the pathway of strong cold air.

Using high-precision and large-range meteorological data, a research team led by Prof. LIU Benli from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed a new method for estimating the dust lift amounts on the surface ground. 

Related results were published in Journal of Desert Research.

The researchers calculated dust driving conditions on the surface ground and the sand transport conditions during strong wind process, and estimated the dust lift amounts at different hours. 

They obtained the dust contribution rates in Mongolia and northern China on March 14 and 15, 2021. The results showed that, compared with the past 10 years, northern China is less prone to emit dust, while desert areas in central and eastern Mongolia are more prone to raise dust due to significant temperature increase and reduced precipitation. 

It showed that 75% of the dust in the strong dust storm in Beijing on March 15 was raised on March 14 in Mongolia, while 84% of the dust in the followed larger storm on March 16 and 17 was raised from North and Northwest China on March 15. 

Besides, the study also indicated that total dust amounts inside and outside the border were basically the same.