Microparticle content records of the Dunde ice core and dust storms in northwestern China

Dust storms are important atmospheric phenomenon in central Asia, particularly in the regions bordering deserts, arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms occur quite often in northwestern China. There are some research results about past dust storm events using historical archives in China. However, the archives used cover limited time and area. Microparticle concentrations in the Dunde ice cap, Qilian mountain of northwestern China, represent a continuous record of past dust storms. Comparison between dust rain frequency reconstructed from historical archives and the ice core record from the Dunde ice cap demonstrate that the microparticle record in the Dunde ice core is a good indicator of dust storms in northwest China. According to the ice core records, we can reconstruct the dust storm chronology for historical time. During the past 700 years, the dust content fluctuated with time, and lower frequency variations existed. Although the linear trend increased over the past 700 years, dust content was decreasing since the early 1700s. During the Little Ice Age, it was slightly higher corresponding to the cold period.