Technogenic dust storms: analysis of dust emission conditions and numerical modeling of atmospheric transport processes and efficiency of preventing measures

Large sand and dust storms, which result from a combination of strong winds and loose dry soil surfaces in arid and semiarid areas, are a big problem and detrimental to human health, agricultural land, infrastructure, and transport (UNEP-WMOUNCCD, 2016). However, this problem is important not only for desert regions. Dusting from technological surfaces, e.g. tailing dumps, still remains a vital issue especially for areas with intensive mining and industrial activities in different geographical regions including Arctic (Baklanov, 1988; Baklanov and Rigina, 1998; Amosov et al., 2014). Based on multi-years measurements and simulations of different dust storm events the intensity and conditions of dust blowing and emissions are analyzed. The study examines the following factors and conditions: wind velocity, humidity and other meteorological parameters, material moister content, size and shape of particles, efficiency of dust catching, height and geometry of tailing dumps, etc., as well as specific measures to reduce dusting, e.g. protecting fences. The study presents also results of numerical simulations of atmospheric flow and dust transport and influence of tailing dumps on potential contamination of the atmospheric environment in different conditions.