Dust Storms
2009, a dust storm swept across the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland from 22 to 24 September. The capital, Canberra, experienced the dust storm on 22 September, and on 23 September the storm reached Sydney and Brisbane.
On 23 September, the dust plume measured more than 500 kilometres (310 mi) in width and 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) in length and covered dozens of towns and cities in two states. By 24 September, analysis using MODIS at NASA measured the distance from the northern edge at Cape York to the southern edge of the plume to be 3,450 km.
Air particle concentration levels reached 15,400 micrograms per cubic metre of air. Normal days register up to 20 micrograms and bushfires generate 500 micrograms. This concentration of dust broke records in many towns and cities.The CSIRO estimated that the storm carried some 16 million tonnes of dust from the deserts of Central Australia, and during the peak of the storm, the Australian continent was estimated to be losing 75,000 tonnes of dust per hour off the NSW coast north of Sydney. The dust storm coincided with other extreme weather conditions which affected the cities of Adelaide and Melbourne.
Some of the thousands of tons of dirt and soil lifted in the dust storm were dumped in Sydney Harbour and the Tasman Sea. This increased the nitrogen and phosphate levels in the water significantly. Measurements taken two weeks after the event indicated an explosion of microscopic plant life which can be expected lead to an increase in fish numbersThe dust storm reached Central and North Queensland by the evening of 23 September 2009. However the effect was less serious, with visibility between 4,000 and 7,000 metres. Commercial flights were not disrupted. Affected areas include Townsville, Blackwater, Rockhampton, Mackay, Cairns and the Gulf of Carpentaria (Normanton and Kowanyama)
What caused the dust storm?
The dust is believed to have originated from far-western New South Wales and north-east South Australia. This includes an area known as the 'Corner Country', a dry, remote area of far-western New South Wales. In South Australia the dust may also have come from Lake Eyre Basin or the Woomera area, the latter raising concerns that it was radioactive and dangerous since the area contains the Olympic Dam uranium mine.
According to the New South Wales regional director of the Bureau of Meteorology, Barry Hanstrum, the cause was an "intense north low-pressure area" which "picked up a lot of dust from the very dry interior of the continent". Senior forecaster Ewan Mitchel said winds from a cold frontpicked up dust from north-east South Australia on the 22 September.That night the winds strengthened to 100 km per hour and collected more dust from areas in New South Wales that were drought affected.
EFFECT ON PEOPLE :
· The ambulance service spent days managing a spike in emergency calls from residents suffering respiratory complaints.
· There had been an increase from people with asthma and other lung conditions.
·Dust storms triggered lung or eye irritations, which would be particularly concerning in patients with pre-existing conditions.
BEIJING SAND STORMS
The most severe sand and dust storm since the 1990's attacked northern China on the evening of March 18 and lasted three days.
The first big dust storm of the season shrouded Beijing in orange grit Saturday. Strong winds blowing across the Gobi desert deposited sand across the Chinese capitol.
Visibility was reduced to a few hundred yards in Beijing. Winds gusted to 46 mph. Winds just west of Beijing were clocked at 62 mph.
The dust storm formed on the backside of a storm that was over northeast China. This storm was actually producing heavy snow north of Beijing.
Spring is the most common time of year for dust storms to occur for two reasons. One, powerful storm systems are most likely to occur in the late-winter and early-spring months. Second, the soil has had time to dry out. The strong storms produce powerful winds that sweep across the expansive Gobi Desert in northern China and Mongolia. The winds pick up dust and carry it over long distances.
Winds were at least 40-60 mph across a large portion of northern China and Mongolia Saturday.
Late Saturday, the dust storm arrived in South Korea. The government there issued a "Yellow Dust Alert".
Asian dust has been known to traverse the entire Pacific Ocean and reduce visibility in the Western U.S. This only happens during the most extreme events. It remains to be seen it this particular event will bring dust to the Western U.S.
Beijingers woke up Saturday to find the Chinese capital blanketed in yellow dust, as a sandstorm caused by a severe drought in the north and in Mongolia swept into the city, in a similar manner to Sydney's day of dust last September.
The storm, which earlier buffeted parts of northeastern China, brought strong winds and cut visibility in the capital.
Authorities issued a rare level five pollution warning, signalling hazardous conditions, and urged residents to stay indoors.
Sandstorms frequently hit the arid north of China in the spring, when temperatures start to rise, stirring up clouds of dust that can travel across China, to South Korea and Japan and even as far as the United States. Scientists blame a combination of deforestation and prolonged drought in northern China for the phenomenon.
sand storm had a speed of 100 km per hour and gripped 16 provinces with a total population of 270 million. Experts say, today sand storms in China are six times more frequent that they used to be some 50 years ago – they happen up to 20 times per year now.
In 2001, China had 32 sand and dust storms, which was 2.3 times more than in 2000. Three prominent characteristics of the storms were early occurrence, wide scope of influence, and strong intensity. Storms occurred in Beijing 18 times; fourteen of these were severe. Among them three were violently strong, ten of them were less violent, and five of them were dust storms. The total duration of dust storms totaled 41 days, which accounts for 5.1% of the total days. Historically in Beijing weather, sand and dust storms were mainly wind with sand 74% of the time, dust alone 20% of the time, and sand with dust 5% of the time. It has been 30 years since the last violent sand and dust storm appeared.
On 23 September, the dust plume measured more than 500 kilometres (310 mi) in width and 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) in length and covered dozens of towns and cities in two states. By 24 September, analysis using MODIS at NASA measured the distance from the northern edge at Cape York to the southern edge of the plume to be 3,450 km.
Air particle concentration levels reached 15,400 micrograms per cubic metre of air. Normal days register up to 20 micrograms and bushfires generate 500 micrograms. This concentration of dust broke records in many towns and cities.The CSIRO estimated that the storm carried some 16 million tonnes of dust from the deserts of Central Australia, and during the peak of the storm, the Australian continent was estimated to be losing 75,000 tonnes of dust per hour off the NSW coast north of Sydney. The dust storm coincided with other extreme weather conditions which affected the cities of Adelaide and Melbourne.
Some of the thousands of tons of dirt and soil lifted in the dust storm were dumped in Sydney Harbour and the Tasman Sea. This increased the nitrogen and phosphate levels in the water significantly. Measurements taken two weeks after the event indicated an explosion of microscopic plant life which can be expected lead to an increase in fish numbersThe dust storm reached Central and North Queensland by the evening of 23 September 2009. However the effect was less serious, with visibility between 4,000 and 7,000 metres. Commercial flights were not disrupted. Affected areas include Townsville, Blackwater, Rockhampton, Mackay, Cairns and the Gulf of Carpentaria (Normanton and Kowanyama)
What caused the dust storm?
The dust is believed to have originated from far-western New South Wales and north-east South Australia. This includes an area known as the 'Corner Country', a dry, remote area of far-western New South Wales. In South Australia the dust may also have come from Lake Eyre Basin or the Woomera area, the latter raising concerns that it was radioactive and dangerous since the area contains the Olympic Dam uranium mine.
According to the New South Wales regional director of the Bureau of Meteorology, Barry Hanstrum, the cause was an "intense north low-pressure area" which "picked up a lot of dust from the very dry interior of the continent". Senior forecaster Ewan Mitchel said winds from a cold frontpicked up dust from north-east South Australia on the 22 September.That night the winds strengthened to 100 km per hour and collected more dust from areas in New South Wales that were drought affected.
EFFECT ON PEOPLE :
· The ambulance service spent days managing a spike in emergency calls from residents suffering respiratory complaints.
· There had been an increase from people with asthma and other lung conditions.
·Dust storms triggered lung or eye irritations, which would be particularly concerning in patients with pre-existing conditions.
BEIJING SAND STORMS
The most severe sand and dust storm since the 1990's attacked northern China on the evening of March 18 and lasted three days.
The first big dust storm of the season shrouded Beijing in orange grit Saturday. Strong winds blowing across the Gobi desert deposited sand across the Chinese capitol.
Visibility was reduced to a few hundred yards in Beijing. Winds gusted to 46 mph. Winds just west of Beijing were clocked at 62 mph.
The dust storm formed on the backside of a storm that was over northeast China. This storm was actually producing heavy snow north of Beijing.
Spring is the most common time of year for dust storms to occur for two reasons. One, powerful storm systems are most likely to occur in the late-winter and early-spring months. Second, the soil has had time to dry out. The strong storms produce powerful winds that sweep across the expansive Gobi Desert in northern China and Mongolia. The winds pick up dust and carry it over long distances.
Winds were at least 40-60 mph across a large portion of northern China and Mongolia Saturday.
Late Saturday, the dust storm arrived in South Korea. The government there issued a "Yellow Dust Alert".
Asian dust has been known to traverse the entire Pacific Ocean and reduce visibility in the Western U.S. This only happens during the most extreme events. It remains to be seen it this particular event will bring dust to the Western U.S.
Beijingers woke up Saturday to find the Chinese capital blanketed in yellow dust, as a sandstorm caused by a severe drought in the north and in Mongolia swept into the city, in a similar manner to Sydney's day of dust last September.
The storm, which earlier buffeted parts of northeastern China, brought strong winds and cut visibility in the capital.
Authorities issued a rare level five pollution warning, signalling hazardous conditions, and urged residents to stay indoors.
Sandstorms frequently hit the arid north of China in the spring, when temperatures start to rise, stirring up clouds of dust that can travel across China, to South Korea and Japan and even as far as the United States. Scientists blame a combination of deforestation and prolonged drought in northern China for the phenomenon.
sand storm had a speed of 100 km per hour and gripped 16 provinces with a total population of 270 million. Experts say, today sand storms in China are six times more frequent that they used to be some 50 years ago – they happen up to 20 times per year now.
In 2001, China had 32 sand and dust storms, which was 2.3 times more than in 2000. Three prominent characteristics of the storms were early occurrence, wide scope of influence, and strong intensity. Storms occurred in Beijing 18 times; fourteen of these were severe. Among them three were violently strong, ten of them were less violent, and five of them were dust storms. The total duration of dust storms totaled 41 days, which accounts for 5.1% of the total days. Historically in Beijing weather, sand and dust storms were mainly wind with sand 74% of the time, dust alone 20% of the time, and sand with dust 5% of the time. It has been 30 years since the last violent sand and dust storm appeared.