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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH,
VOL. 110,
D21207,
12 PP., 2005
doi:10.1029/2005JD005994
Extensive dust outbreaks following the morning inversion breakup in the Taklimakan Desert
Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Japan
Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Japan
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Frontier Research Center for Global Change, JAMSTEC, Yokohama, Japan
Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Japan
Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
Meteorological Satellite and Observation System Research Department, Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
Atmospheric Environment and Applied Meteorology Research Department, Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan
Extensive dust outbreaks occurred on the late morning of 26 March 2004 in the Taklimakan Desert. An image by the satellite AQUA shows the dust outbreaks as an enormous dust storm extending as far as 1000 km in the direction of east and west across the desert. A ground-based lidar was successful in observing the dust storm. Values of the backscattering ratio from near the ground surface to an altitude of 6 km above sea level rapidly increased as soon as the dust storm covered the lidar observation site. Numerical experiments including a diffusion experiment revealed that strong westerly winds appeared at the surface level following the morning inversion breakup and then induced the dust outbreaks. The nocturnal inversion layer prevented the strong westerly winds from spreading to the surface level until the breakup. Notable nocturnal inversion is considered to be easily formed in the Taklimakan Desert because of its deep basin topography which can accumulate cold air masses. These results show the stability of the planetary boundary layer to be an extremely important factor in dust outbreaks especially in basin deserts, in addition to the intensity of surface winds. This implies that the occurrence frequency of dust storms in the desert has a diurnal cycle.
Received 17 March 2005; accepted 18 August 2005; published 9 November 2005.
Citation: (2005), Extensive dust outbreaks following the morning inversion breakup in the Taklimakan Desert, J. Geophys. Res., 110, D21207, doi:10.1029/2005JD005994.
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