Global report: The amount of dust in the atmosphere will decrease in 2023

2024-07-13 2024-07-13T13:42:38Z

Arab Weather - The World Meteorological Organization reported, on Friday, that the amount of dust in the atmosphere decreased slightly in 2023, but warned that environmental mismanagement increases the risk of sand and dust storms.

About 2,000 million tons of dust enter the atmosphere annually, “obscuring skies and harming air quality” in areas separated by thousands of kilometers, and affecting economies, ecosystems, weather and climate, according to warnings from the United Nations organization.

The reason for the decrease in the amount of dust in the atmosphere in 2023

In 2023, the average surface dust concentration was slightly lower; than in 2022, mainly due to lower dust emissions in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, northern India, central Australia, the Iranian Plateau and northwestern China, according to the report.

However, the organization explained in its report issued on the occasion of the World Day against Sand and Dust Storms on July 12, that “the annual average concentrations of surface dust over western Central Asia, central-north China and southern Mongolia were higher in 2023 compared to 2022.”

The organization noted that the most violent sandstorm in 2023 was the one that swept Mongolia and northern China in March, where violent winds and dust led to the sky discoloring a disturbing orange, causing a “massive deterioration in air quality” in some areas exceeding “9,000 micrograms.” per cubic metre.

The organization stressed that “sand and dust storms have major impacts on the environment, economy, and health,” and that “mismanagement of land and water exacerbates the problem.” The Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, Celeste Saulo, stated that “scientific data indicate that human activities affect sand and dust storms,” noting that rising temperatures, drought, and increased evaporation lead to a decrease in soil moisture.

But the agency stressed that "the news is not all bad," as the accuracy of monitoring and forecasting has improved in recent years, and transporting sand across the oceans has had some positive aspects.