title: Investigation of dust storms entering Western Iran using remotely sensed data and synoptic analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One of the natural phenomena which have had considerable impacts on various regions of the world, including Iran, is "dust storm". In recent years, this phenomenon has taken on new dimensions in Iran and has changed from a local problem to a national issue. This study is an attempt to investigate the formation of the dust storms crossing the Western Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  To find the sources of the dust storms entering Iran, first we examine three determined dust paths in the region and their temporal activities, using MODIS satellite images. Then, four regions were identified as dust sources through soil, land cover and wind data. Finally, atmospheric analyses are implemented to find synoptic patterns inducing dust storms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Source 1 has covered the region between the eastern banks of Euphrates and western banks of Tigris. Source 2 is in desert area of western and south-western Iraq. Finally source 3 is bounded in eastern and south-eastern deserts of Saudi Arabia called Rub-Al-Khali desert, or Empty Quarter. Moreover, south-eastern part of Iraq (source 4) was also determined as a secondary source which thickens the dust masses originating from the above mentioned sources. The study of synoptic circulations suggests that the dust storms originating from source 1 are formed due to the intense pressure gradient between the low-pressure system of Zagros and a high-pressure cell formed on Mediterranean Sea. The dust events in sources 2 and 3 are outcomes of the atmospheric circulations dominant in the cold period of the year in mid-latitudes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Remote Sensing & GIS & Geoinformatics Research Institute (GRI), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Boloorani
authors.affiliation: Geoinformatics Research Institute (GRI), University of Tehran and Department of Geography and Regional Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Seyed O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Nabavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hosain A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Bahrami
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Sadra Institute of Higher Education, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Fardin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mirzapour
authors.affiliation: Geoinformatics Research Institute (GRI), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Musa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kavosi
authors.affiliation: Geoinformatics Research Institute (GRI), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Esmail
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abasi
authors.affiliation: Geoinformatics Research Institute (GRI), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Rasoul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Azizi
keywords: Dust detection; Dust source; Dust storm; Remote sensing; Synoptic climatology