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<p>Arid West Asia (AWA) is a critical hub of the Silk Road and one of the primary dust source regions in the Northern Hemisphere. Dust storms in AWA emitting substantial dust particles into the atmosphere, significantly influencing air quality, climate change and marine productivity. However, the variability of dust storm activity in this region during the Holocene, particularly its links to vegetation and hydroclimatic changes, remains debated, hindering our understanding of the interconnected dynamics between climate change and surface environments. This study reconstructs dust storm variations in AWA over the past 9000 years using geochemical analyses (trace elements, Sr-Nd isotopes) from a well-dated, high-resolution sediment core from the Almalou Peatland, located on the western Iranian Plateau. Our results reveal a decline in dust storm frequency from the early to mid-Holocene, a minimum occurrence during the mid-Holocene, and a significant increase in the late Holocene. Provenance analysis indicates that the primary dust sources were the arid regions of Mesopotamia, located upwind of the study area. A comparison with proxy records and paleoclimate models suggests an inverse relationship between dust storm activity and regional hydroclimatic and vegetation changes, along with a positive correlation with wind speeds. The concentration of dust storms during the wetter month of May highlights wind speed as a more critical driving factor. Moreover, given the dominant influence of the subtropical high on hydroclimatic conditions and wind speeds in AWA, we propose that this system is the key regulator of regional dust storm dynamics. Our findings provide new insights into the drivers of dust storm activity in AWA and hold implications for developing targeted dust storm management strategies.</p>

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Dust storm variation in arid West Asia regulated by subtropical high during the Holocene

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年3月4日

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  • Shengqian Chen,
  • Zhitong Chen,
  • Shuai Ma,
  • Jianhui Chen,
  • Aifeng Zhou,
  • Duo Wu,
  • Farhad Khormali,
  • Juzhi Hou,
  • Fahu Chen

摘要

Arid West Asia (AWA) is a critical hub of the Silk Road and one of the primary dust source regions in the Northern Hemisphere. Dust storms in AWA emitting substantial dust particles into the atmosphere, significantly influencing air quality, climate change and marine productivity. However, the variability of dust storm activity in this region during the Holocene, particularly its links to vegetation and hydroclimatic changes, remains debated, hindering our understanding of the interconnected dynamics between climate change and surface environments. This study reconstructs dust storm variations in AWA over the past 9000 years using geochemical analyses (trace elements, Sr-Nd isotopes) from a well-dated, high-resolution sediment core from the Almalou Peatland, located on the western Iranian Plateau. Our results reveal a decline in dust storm frequency from the early to mid-Holocene, a minimum occurrence during the mid-Holocene, and a significant increase in the late Holocene. Provenance analysis indicates that the primary dust sources were the arid regions of Mesopotamia, located upwind of the study area. A comparison with proxy records and paleoclimate models suggests an inverse relationship between dust storm activity and regional hydroclimatic and vegetation changes, along with a positive correlation with wind speeds. The concentration of dust storms during the wetter month of May highlights wind speed as a more critical driving factor. Moreover, given the dominant influence of the subtropical high on hydroclimatic conditions and wind speeds in AWA, we propose that this system is the key regulator of regional dust storm dynamics. Our findings provide new insights into the drivers of dust storm activity in AWA and hold implications for developing targeted dust storm management strategies.