Monitoring dust storms in drylands using GIS (Case study: Dust storm in Iran, July 2009)

Dust storms are natural events that occur widely around the world in arid regions. They are a product of mass transportation of soil particles by wind and typically a form of dry deposition. Many researches has been made in the development of integrated dust storm monitoring and modeling systems by use of satellite image data, GIS and advanced numerical models. Iran has experienced a noticeable dust storm recently and this adds to its problems in air pollution. Wind-blown dust caused by sandstorms in neighboring Iraq affects major of activities in Tehran for days. Surrounding of the City by Alborz Mountains, relatively low wind velocities, and low precipitation are the main reasons that incredibly increase the effects of this natural disaster in Tehran. This paper presents a Geospatial Information System (GIS) based methodology to monitor the status of airborne particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm (PM-10) emissions. Dust storm in Tehran, Iran is studied and its source and forming procedure and its impacts on urban management are illustrated. Temporal (Time series) data used here are gathered by Air Quality Control Company (AQCC) and from eight stations distributed throughout Tehran. First attempt is focused on identification of the main natural sources causing this phenomenon. Then the conceptual model for monitoring this hazard will be presented. In conclusion, the benefits of GIS in understanding and monitoring of hazard throughout the scope will be discussed.

Keywords:

PM-10 , GIS , Disaster monitoring , Tehran air pollution , Dust storm