Modelling mineral dust emissions

Abstract

The biogeochemical cycle of mineral dust is of major interest to understand climatic changes. Moreover, these particles can also cause risks for human health and societal activities in regions in the neighbourhoods of arid and semi-arid source areas of dust emission. To estimate and forecast atmospheric dust concentrations and their impacts, the correct description of the spatial and temporal variability of dust emission occurrences and intensities is a prerequisite. The explicit dust emission models provide a physical description of the main processes involved in dust production. They allow describing the spatio-temporal variability of the non-linear phenomenon of dust production if their input parameters (surface and soil features, surface winds) are accurately described. The recent developments, the current limits of these emission models, and some of their applications using relevant surface, soil and meteorological databases to simulate dust emissions are presented here.