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Abstract:
| During dust storms, normally considered to be natural hazards, the dust aerosol is loaded into the atmosphere. The present study addresses a dust storm event and its transport, occurred from 27 October-5 November 2017 with the strongest intensity on 28-30 October, using the satellite-borne sensors, namely the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aqua, NOAA/ESRL Physical Science Division (PSD) maps and weather underground data to investigate the spatial and temporal variations of Aerosol Optical Depths (AOD) over Iraq. The satellite observations shows the transport of AOD from Syria desert to Northern and central of Iraq and from Northern Peninsula Arabian desert to Southern and central regions due to the Sharki and Shamal winds activities. The highest winds were on 27-30 October and 3-4 November and highest AOD occurred in 30 October, particularly over Baghdad and Al Salman was 2.3 and 2.26, respectively. The impact of the dust storm on the central and Southern regions was more pronounced. The sharp reduction in horizontal visibility, associated with strong wind gust in the vicinity of leading edge of the front was very low (<3.4 km at Mosul and 2 km at Baghdad and Basrah). This study sheds new light on the processes responsible for dust transport and emission over Iraq in connection with winds strong events. Enhanced information for these processes is a key to developing the dust forecast in this region. |