The WMO Sand and Dust Storm Warning and Assessment System (SDS-WAS):

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WWRP- The WMO Sand and Dust Storm Warning and Assessment System (SDS-WAS): A Global Consortium Helping Society Reduce Risk Through Research, Assessments and Forecasts Leonard Barrie,

1 WWRP- The WMO Sand and Dust Storm Warning and Assessment System (SDS-WAS): A Global Consortium Helping Society Reduce Risk Through Research, Assessments and Forecasts Leonard Barrie, Director & Slobodan Nickovic, Scientific Officer GAW Research Department World Meteorological Organization Geneva 1st International Conference From Deserts To Monsoons Crete 2-6 June 08 1

2 Operational Global Aerosol Observations Are Coming: So Far Only In Research Mode A best estimate of the global distribution of annual average tropospheric aerosol optical depth (AOD) compiled by combining data from six satellites (operating for limited periods between 1979 and 2004). Observations for a region were selected using ground- based AOD observations as guidance ( courtesy of S. Kinne MPI, Hamburg, Germany ).

disasters) Surface Transport (visibility reduction) Feedbacks on Weather

3 Impacts of Sand and Dust Human Health (Asthma, Throat infections, Meningitis in Africa, Valley Fever in the America s) Aviation (air disasters) Surface Transport (visibility reduction) Feedbacks on Weather and Climate Processes Agriculture (negative & positive impacts) Enhanced Marine Productivity

mainly in western hemisphere Source: Hector &

4 Health Impacts: Valley Fever Valley Fever spores transported by SDS storms Endemic regions: located mainly in western hemisphere Source: Hector & Laniado-Laborin, 2002 Number of Valley Fever cases in Arizona

5 Health Impacts Respiratory-Asthma Heart stress Dust PM 2.5 predicted at Univ. Arizona and student absentees, Lubbock, Texas; Yin et al, 2005

SDS Impacts on Respiratory Health: Africa Mali Acute respiratory infections among children are one of the major causes of mortality in developing countries, especially in Africa (Black et al.

6 SDS Impacts on Respiratory Health: Africa Mali Acute respiratory infections among children are one of the major causes of mortality in developing countries, especially in Africa (Black et al., 2003; Romieu et al., 2002; Smith et al., 1999). No studies on the impact of mineral dust concentrations on human health in West Africa due to the lack of air quality data. P. Ozer et al, Water Air Soil Pollution (2006) 178:79 87

dusty atmospheric conditions, may play an important role (Lapeyssonnie,

7 Meningitis occurrence: Aggravated by dusty weather conditions? Epidemics start during the dry season Low humidity, land cover types and dusty atmospheric conditions, may play an important role (Lapeyssonnie, 1963; Cheesbrough et al., 1995; Greenwood, 1999; Molesworth et al., 2003; Thomson et al., 2006).

Transcontinental Transport of Micro-Organisms 10,000 microbes/(g of soil) 30 percent of the bacteria isolated from airborne soil dust are known pathogens, able to affect plants, animals, or humans

8 Transcontinental Transport of Micro-Organisms 10,000 microbes/(g of soil) 30 percent of the bacteria isolated from airborne soil dust are known pathogens, able to affect plants, animals, or humans (Griffin et al., 2003) Fungal diseases, affecting crops like sugarcane and bananas, have appeared in the Caribbean within a few days after an outbreak in Africa. Bacterial pathogens of rice and beans in the Caribbean air samples, as well as those that cause disease in fruit and a variety of trees, from African air samples. Foot and Mouth Disease virus (endemic to sub- Saharan Africa) may be carried by African dust ; links between dust storms that passed over Great Britain and outbreaks of the disease in livestock. {Kellogg, Griffin, 2005} Endospores of Bacillaceae bacteria isolated from non-saline Japanese soil may be transported by dust events Akinobu Echigo et al., 2003 Sample filter collected during African dust event in the US Virgin Islands Griffin et al., 2003

9 Operational Global Aerosol Observations Are Coming: So Far Only In Research Mode A best estimate of the global distribution of annual average tropospheric aerosol optical depth (AOD) compiled by combining data from six satellites (operating for limited periods between 1979 and 2004). Observations for a region were selected using ground- based AOD observations as guidance ( courtesy of S. Kinne MPI, Hamburg, Germany ).

SDS IMPACTS: Dust and Tropical Storms New evidence suggesting a relationship between Atlantic tropical cyclone activity and African dust outbreaks Evan et al., 2006 JRL.

10 SDS IMPACTS: Dust and Tropical Storms New evidence suggesting a relationship between Atlantic tropical cyclone activity and African dust outbreaks Evan et al., 2006 JRL. Increased % of dust cover in the Eastern Atlantic has a decreased number of tropical cyclones. A hypothesis: Cyclogenesis and hurricane development is reduced in the presence of sand and dust aerosol.

11 Saharan dust, rich in nitrogen, iron and phosphorus, helps to fertilize the huge plankton blooms that occur in the tropical eastern Atlantic. MODIS satellite true colour image of dust storm over tropical North Atlantic Ocean, March 2004.

(1997-2004) 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 month Hohenpeissenberg

12 6 SDS IMPACTS: Dust Transports Regularily North of the Alps weak events 5 strong events Average number concentration of Saharan dust events ( ) month Hohenpeissenberg Saharan dust observations. Monthly number of events (Schafranek, 2006)

13 RADIATION-DUST INTERACTIONS Direct Radiative Forcing Can desert dust explain the outgoing longwave radiation anomaly in the UK Met Office operational weather forecast model over the Sahara? Haywood, et al., JGR 2003

14 Dust Feedback On Radiation Can Improve Weather Forecasts In A Regional Model {Nickovic, 2004} No aerosol Feedback With aerosol feedback Through negative feedback on winds dust kills dust. Carlos et al., 2006 Ground cools down by ~5 C during strong SDS and air aloft warms slightly

15 Sand size distribution is important in accurately simulating sand influence on solar radiation (i.e prediction of AOD) 4-bin model 8-bin model Observed AOD Carlos et al., 2006

A WMO Sand and Dust Storm SDS Warning System Beijing Roof CMA March 20 2002 WWRP Sand and Dust Storm Project Initiated in 2005 ~45 WMO Members are

DUST Annual Mean Aerosol Optical Depth Impacts on: human health, long range disease transmission, aviation, agriculture, Programmes in WMO exist to link

16 A WMO Sand and Dust Storm SDS Warning System Beijing Roof CMA March WWRP Sand and Dust Storm Project Initiated in 2005 ~45 WMO Members are involved ~12 research or operational forecasts are available 2006 Shanghai SDS group resolved to focus on global coordination led by WMO. DUST Annual Mean Aerosol Optical Depth Impacts on: human health, long range disease transmission, aviation, agriculture, Programmes in WMO exist to link a Sand and Dust Storm Warning System with stakeholders (e.g. GAW, WWW, WCP, Space, DPM) Barcelona November 2007: A WMO-GEO International Experts Meeting on SDS Implementation

17 METEOFRANCE UK MET OFFICE ECMWF U of Athens, Greece METU, Turkey BSC, Spain MRI, Japan US Navy, USA Tel Aviv U, Israel KMA, S. Korea CMA, China U of Arizona, USA Operational Research Dust Forecasting Centres

18 Cloud Cover and Dust Forecast Barcelona/INM Spain one of many coordinated through The SDS-WAS Regional Centre for North Africa/ Middle East and Europe Courtesy Carlos Pèrez

19 OBSERVATIONS: Satellites, Aircraft and Surface Networks Forecast 18 UTC, 7 May hr forecast NASA A-Train AERONET-LT Other Total count = 90 CALIPSO Aerosol Lidar GAW/AERONET Aerosol Remote Sensing Stations

Impacts on Cities, Agriculture, Transport WWRP- GAW A Chinese farmer walks amid a heavy sand storm in Minqin County, northwest of China's Gansu Province.

20 Impacts on Cities, Agriculture, Transport WWRP- GAW A Chinese farmer walks amid a heavy sand storm in Minqin County, northwest of China's Gansu Province. Sand covered about one-eighth of China from April 14 to 18 and about 330,000 tons of sand fell in Beijing 1st on International Sunday Conference night. From Deserts To Monsoons Crete 2-6 June 08 20

21 SDS information issuing and early warning by CUACE/Dust ; ;

22 WMO/GEO Expert Meeting on an International Sand and Dust Storm Warning System 7-9 November 2007, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) Barcelona, Spain

23 Jost Heintzenberg, Ina Tegen, Irina Sokolik

24 Thank You Australia

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Sand and Dust Storm Warning System (SDSWS): An Effective Aid in Reducing Adverse Effects on Health

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Sand and Dust Storm Warning System (SDSWS): An Effective Aid in Reducing Adverse Effects on Health Slobodan Nickovic Leonard Barrie World Meteorological Organization,