The patterns and internal sources of dust in Tehran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Physical Geography Department, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Dust is one of the serious environmental problems of Iranian cities, including Tehran. In recent years, in the Iranian capital city of Tehran, which is close to nearby dry and wastelands, continuous droughts, rainfall, and temperature increases have intensified dust. The aim of this research is to identify the main patterns of dust entering Tehran and to determine the internal sources feeding the imported dust in Tehran.
Materials and methods
Materials used in this research include data from the synoptic stations of the meteorological organization of Iran during 2005-2017, data of Tehran Air Quality Control Company about days of dust occurrences, as well as TM Landsat 5 and OLI Landsat 8 imagery data from 1985 to 2017 (USGS), MODIS level1 Data for all days of the incident, results of the XRF test related to Marble dust collectors installed in Tehran’s regions as destination and finally sampling from areas of the source. To determine the route of dust particles HYSPLIT model of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website (NOAA) was used to estimate changes in vegetation in the surrounding areas using the Google earth Engineering System (GEE).
First, all dust indices that reduce horizontal visibility to less than 1500 meters and are registered in neighboring stations and have non-local origins are counted from 2005 to 2017. Afterwards the BTA method of HYSPILIT model is used to track the air mass entrance to the Tehran Metropolitan during the days before the occurrence. Then the level 1 MODIS images were exposed using the BTD index during all days of the occurrence. It was demonstrated that the passage of flows moves through some forms and basins. The entrance on the way to Tehran is aggravating and increasing effects. These limits include: (sand mines close to Tehran, deserts around Qazvin, Hoze-Sultan and Meghan playa and Ghanbarabad-Alikhan wetlands. in order to examine the effects of these areas, dust sediment was sampled through XRF testing from both locations in Tehran, with the installation of modified MDCO dust marble collector and at dust exit areas, using a sampling of the surface layer. The results confirm the similarities between elements of Tehran samples and exterior origins. In order to examine the changes in the surface form of selected areas using NDVI Index and the supervised classification method using TM and OLI Landsat 5 and 8, the changes in these environments during the years 1985 to 2015 examine and then the role of these changes were evaluated on the intensification and strengthening of dust cores.
 
 
Results and discussion
The findings of the main patterns of the arrival of Tehran showed 5 main patterns that are mainly entering Iran from abroad. Patterns that come to Tehran during the warm season are mainly originated from northeast Syria and Iraq. These streams through the low altitude areas of Zagros and increase their sediment on the way at dry areas and plains around Qazvin and sand mines. Late winter and early spring streams from Saudi Arabia's deserts enter the central plateau of Iran and are fed by landforms such as Meghan pits and salty lands around Hoze-Sultan, Ghanbarabad Lake, and Alikhan Dam wetland. The streams that are mostly western-eastern and are compatible with western wind, move to Iraq and Iran after formation in East Africa and in Saudi Arabia. Also, once they cross some mean surfaces such as lakes and playa and internal dry holes, they are fed again. The results of the research show the role of landforms in the end-basins, including dried surface and sedimentary lakes, in the pattern of dust towards Tehran.
Conclusion
The main patterns of entering Tehran in different seasons, are mainly from abroad. The results show the role of end basins landforms, including dried lakes and sedimentary surfaces, in the pattern of dust to Tehran. The results of the sampling and laboratory analysis show the existence of similarities between chemical compounds of the elements sampled from the mine's surface and those sampled from the Tehran dust collectors.
 

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Persian References:
-Air Quality Control Company, Report Quality Air Annual Tehran, 2010-2015.
-Alijani, B. and Safavi, Y., 2006. Investigation of Geographical Factors in Air Pollution in Tehran, Geographical Research Quarterly, v. 6(38), p. 99-112.
-Bahrami, H., Jalali, M., Bloorni, A. and Azizi, R., 2013. Spatial Modeling of Dust Storms in Khuzestan Province. Ranian Remote Sensing & Gis. V. 5(2).
-Ghahroudy Tali, M., 2012. Plays Intensifying Fine Dust, The First Conference of the Iranian Geomorphological Association, March 2013.
-Iranmanesh, F., Arab Khedri, M. and Akram, M., 2005. Investigation of Dust Origins and Characteristics of Their Spreading in Sistan's Storms, Iran Region, Using Image Processing, Pajouhesh-Va-Sazandegi, v. 18(2), p. 25-33.
-Lashkari, H. and Keykhosravi, G., 2008. Statistical Synoptic Analysis of Dust Storm in Khorasan Razavi Province (1993-2005). Physical Geography Research Quarterly, v. 65, p. 17-33.
-Mofidi, A. and Jafari, S., 2011. The Role of Regional Atmospheric Circulation Over the Middle East On the Occurrence of Summer Dust-Storms in Southwest Iran. Arid Regions Geographic Studies, v. 2(5), p. 17-46.
-Mohammadpour Penchah, M., Memarian, M. and Mirrokni, M., 2014. Modeling and Analysis of Dust Storms of Yazd Province Using Numerical Models, Journal of Geography and Environmental Hazards: v. 3(4), p. 67-83
-Nadaf, K., Yarahmadi, M. and Jafarzadeh, N., 2011. Dust Storms: Environmental And Health Impacts: Journal Of North Khorasan University Of Medical Sciences, v. (45)2, p. 45-56.
-Naserpour, S., Shahriari, A. and Zeaiean, P., 2015. Sources of Dust Storms in South West Iran Using Satellite Images and Weather Maps. Physical Geography Research Quarterly, v. 47(1), p. 4-5.
-Raeispour, K., 2006. Statistical Analysis of Dust Phenomenon in Khuzestan Province, Msc Thesis, University of Sistan and Baluchestan.
-Rasouli, A.K., Sari Sarraf, B. and Mohammadi, G.H., 2011. Long Term Trend Analysis of Observed Dusty Days in the West of Iran, Applying Non-Parametric Statistics. Journal of Physical Geography, v. 4(11), p. 1-16.
-Saligheh, M., 2015. Climate Change and Climate Hazards in Tehran, Journal of Spatial Analysis Environmental Hazarts, v. 2(3), p. 15-32.
-Soleimany, A., Asgari, H., Dadolahi-Sohrab, A., Elmizadeh, H. and Khazaei, S.H., 2015. Evaluation of Optical Depth from Modis Satellite Imagery in the Persian Gulf, Journal of Marine Sciences and Technology, v. 4(14), p. 75-83.
Mohamadi moradian, J., Hosseinzadeh, S., 2015. The Study of Desert Dust in Mashhad Metropolis Using Satellite Images and Synoptic Datasets (2009 - 2013), Journal of Geography and Environmental Hazards, 4(2), p. 35-57
English References:
-Al Sarraf, H., 2010. Relationship between the land/sea breeze circulations and the air pollution dispersion over the coastal area of Kuwait, Master of Science thesis, Creighton University.
-Boloorani, A.D., Nabavi, S.O., Bahrami, H.A., Mirzapour, F., Kavosi, M., Abasi, E. and Azizi, R., 2014. Investigation of dust storms entering Western Iran using remotely sensed data and synoptic analysis: Journal of environmental health science & engineering, v. 12(1).
-Cao, H., Amiraslani, F., Liu, J. and Zhou, N., 2015. Identification of dust storm source areas in West Asia using multiple environmental datasets. Journal of Science of the Total Environment, p. 224-235.
-Draxler, R.R. and Hess, G.D., 1998. An Overview of the HYSPLIT_4 Modelling System for Trajectories, Dispersion on and Deposition: Australian Meteorological Magazine, v. 47, p. 295-308.
-El-Askary, H.M., Sarkar, S., Kafatos, M. and El-Ghazawi, T.A., 2003. A Multisensory Approach to Dust Storm Monitoring Over the Nile Delta, Published IEEE, v. 41(10).
-Ganor, E., 1975. Atmospheric dust in Israel: Sedimentological and meteorological analysis of dust deposition. Ph.D. Thesis, Dissertation the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
-Goudie, A.S., 1983. Dust storms in space and time, Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, v. 7(4), p. 502-530.
-Goudie, A.S. and Middleton, N.J., 2006. Desert Dust in the Global System: Springer nature, 287 p.
-Goudie, A.S. and Middleton, N.J., 2005. Saharan dust storms: nature and consequences: Earth-Science, Reviews, v. 67, p. 219-315.
-Indoitu, R., Orlovsky, L. and Orlovsky, N., 2012. Dust storms in Central Asia: Spatial and temporal variations, Journal of Arid Environments, v. 85, p. 62-70.
10.1016/j.jaridenv.2012.03.018.
-Li, X., Ge, L., Dong, Y. and Chang, H.C., 2010. Estimating the greatest dust storm in eastern Australia with MODIS satellite images. International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), p. 1039-1042.
-Rashki, A., Eriksson, P.G., Rautenbach, C.J., Kaskaoutis, D.G., Grote, W. and Dykstra, J., 2013. Assessment of chemical and mineralogical characteristics of airborne dust in the Sistan region, Iran: Chemosphere, v. 90(2), p. 227-236.
-Rashki, A., Kaskaoutis, D.G., Gouide, A.S. and Kahn, R.A., 2013. Dryness of ephemeral lakes and cosequences for dust activity: The case of the Hamoun drainage basin, Southeastern Iran. Journal of Science of the Total Environment, v. 163, p. 422-441.
-Savtchenko, A., Ouzounov, D., Ahmad, S., Acker, J., Leptoukh, G., Koziana, J. and Nickless, D., 2004. Terra and Aqua MODIS products available from NASA GES DAAC: Advances in Space Research, v. 34, p. 710-714.
-Wang, X., Zhibao, D., Caixia, Z., Guangqiang, Q. and Wanyin, l., 2009. Characterization of the composition of dust fallout and identification of dust sources in arid and semiarid North China, Geomorphology, v. 112, p. 144-157
-Wang, Y., Stein, A., Draxler, R., Rosa, D. and Zhang, X., 2011. Global sand and dust storms in 2008: Observation and HYSPLIT model verification: Atmospheric Environment, v. 45(35), p. 6381-6389.
-Xuan, J., Sokolik, I.N., Hao, J., Guo, F., Mao, H. and Yang, G., 2004. Identification and characterization of atmospheric mineral dust in East Asia: Journal of Atmospheric Environments, v. 38(36), p. 6239-6252.
-Zhang, B., Tsunekawa, A. and Tsubo, M., 2015. Identification of Dust Hot Spots from Multi-Resolution Remotely Sensed Data in Eastern China and Mongolia. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics