Sources of heavy dust fall in Beijing, China on April 16, 1998

Abstract

The dust storm of April 14-17, 1998 in China was mainly associated with the frontal systems and the Mongolia cyclonic depression, which caused heavy dust fall at Beijing on April 16. In nearly fifteen hours, approximately 38.3 g/m 2 of dust fell on Beijing. This dust storm was of strong intensity, long duration, and with a wide coverage; it not only affected southern Mongolia and the central and southeastern China, but also the North Pacific Ocean. The source areas of the dust storm were from the Gobi areas of southern Mongolia and the Gobi and desert areas of Inner Mongolia, China. This dust storm is a good example of long-range transport and deposition of airborne materials, which provides a useful analogue for studying the dust sources and deposition in the geological record.