South winds blowing on the eastern edge of a disturbance on Morocco drag dust raised in the Sahel to the Iberian Peninsula

There are various climate risks that are caused or influenced by climate change. They are known to have a wide range of physical, economic, environmental and social impacts. Apart from damages to the physical environment, many climate risks (climate variability, extreme events and climate-related…

League of Arab States, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and UN Environment organized the Regional Training Workshop on Sand and Dust Storms in the Arab Region in Cairo, Egypt from 10 to 12 February 2018. The workshop was hosted by the…

This editorial represents a clarion call for the aeolian research community to provide increased scientific input to theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and an in-vitation to apply for ISAR funding to organize a…

Climate change can both directly and indirectly drive human migration. Despite this, strong understanding of the system of determinants of migration and their interactions, remains a knowledge gap resulting in large uncertainties and ill-informed interventions

Mineral dust aerosols are an essential component of climate over West Africa, however, little work has been performed to investigate their contributions to potential climate change. A set of regional climate model experiments with and without mineral dust processes and land cover changes is…

Sand and Dust Storms (SDS) are extreme meteorological phenomena that generate significant amounts of airborne mineral dust particles. SDS play a significant role in different aspects of weather, climate and atmospheric chemistry and represent a serious hazard for life, health, property, environment…

In March this year, an unusual sand and dust storm nicknamed ‘Mars on Earth or Orange Snow[1]’ transported and deposited dust that transformed European landscapes into a surreal orange-tinted scenery. An even more drastic dust storm swept over India recently and left behind a trail of casualties.[2]…

The report — Mechanized: Transforming Africa’s Agriculture Value Chains—summarizes the findings of a systematic analysis of what countries at the forefront of progress in mechanization have done right. It analyzes which policy decisions were taken and which interventions were implemented to…

The Senior Officials of the UN have agreed at EMG SOM 24 in the margins of UNGA to form a Coalition to Combat Sand and Dust Storms. Major tasks of this coalition will include raising awareness, convening stakeholders and raising the proper amount of funds to help combat this phenomenon. A few other…

Authors have written a convincing paper establishing the association between prenatal timing and exposure to sand and dust storms and children's cognitive functioning in China. This research is undoubtedly important, given that an estimated 150 parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat…

Reorienting land degradation towards sustainable land management: Linking sustainable livelihoods with ecosystem services in rangeland systems

Dust and sand storms(DSS) occurrences often have an adverse impact on organisms’ life styles and their environment, not only in the source region but also in the downwind regions.

The papers present original research on land (soil and vegetation) degradation and desertification in drylands (and related subjects) using spectroscopy and remote sensing tools and techniques.

Water resource management needs to be improved to meet the growing demand for drinking water and for water used in the agricultural and energy sectors.

In this paper, we assess the causes and extent of land degradation around the world, followed by an outline of the various challenges in implementing a global Zero Net Land Degradation (ZNLD) policy.

The Germanwatch Global Climate Risk Index is an analysis based on one of the most reliable data sets available on the impacts of extreme weather events and associated socio-economic data. The Germanwatch Climate Risk Index 2017 is the 12th edition of the annual analysis. Its aim is to contextualize…

Large sand and dust storms, which result from a combination of strong winds and loose dry soil surfaces in arid and semiarid areas, are detrimental to human health, agricultural land, infrastructure, and transport. Every year, an estimated 2,000 million tons of dust is emitted into the atmosphere.…

As a WMO, Regional Specialized Meteorological Center with activity specialization on Atmospheric Sand and Dust Forecast, it provides daily operational dust forecasts for Northern Africa (north of equator), Middle East and Europe.

A storm of dust so fierce that it obscured seven Middle Eastern nations from satellite observation has been blamed on climate change. In August and part of September 2015, a wall of dust driven by a cyclone cloaked parts of Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian…

The Barcelona Dust Forecast Center is the first center specialized on dust forecast recognized by WMO. It operationally distributes dust forecasts for Northern Africa, Middle East and Europe.

Environment conditions lead to high vigilance for meningitis cases in the Sahel, from Eastern Mali to Chad

WMO AIRBORNE DUST BULLETIN No. 1 | March 2017 Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System

The World Meteorological Organization has issued its first annual Airborne Dust Bulletin, giving an overview of atmospheric dust levels and geographical distribution in 2016. The report is part of efforts to improve observations and warnings of sand and dust storms, which pose serious risks to the…