Seasonal variations in dust concentration and dust emission observed over Horqin Sandy Land area in China from December 2010 to November 2011

Hourly mean dust concentration observations and meteorological measurements obtained from a sandstorm monitoring station in Horqin Sandy Land area in China from December 2010 to November 2011 were used to investigate the seasonal variations in dust concentration and dust emission flux as well as their relationship with meteorological parameters and soil condition. Based on 14 local dust emission events in spring 2011, the friction velocity (u*) and free convective velocity (w*) were calculated, and their correlation with dust emission flux was used to evaluate the dynamic and thermal impact on dust emission by turbulence. Results indicated that dust events occur in every season with peak dust activity in spring. The maximum dust concentration is 1654.1 μg m−3 and dust emission flux is 98.4 μg m−2 s−1. Freezing of soil in winter effectively decreases soil erodibility and suppresses dust emission. However, soil moisture does not show a significant impact on dust emission in this semi-arid Horqin Sandy Land area. Both friction velocity and free convective velocity could reflect the trend in dust emission flux, but both with obvious underestimation. The thermal impact on dust emission by turbulence is found to be far less than its dynamic impact.

► Seasonal variations in dust concentration and dust emission flux. ► Effects of meteorological and soil conditions on dust emission. ► Evaluation on dynamic and thermal impact of turbulence on dust emission flux.