Dust storms are atmospheric phenomena in which strong winds entrain and transport large quantities of loose, fine-grained mineral particles (primarily silt- and clay-sized) from arid or semi-arid surfaces into the boundary layer and sometimes higher troposphere. They are driven by pressure gradients associated with synoptic systems, convective outflows, or frontal passages, and are characterized by reduced visibility, intense horizontal fluxes of particulate matter, and strong size-selective sorting. Research on dust storms examines their emission thresholds, aerodynamic entrainment mechanisms (saltation and suspension), radiative and microphysical impacts on climate, nutrient and contaminant redistribution, and implications for atmospheric chemistry and human and ecosystem health.
In recent years, residents of Spain, France and the UK have looked up to see an eerie sight: deep orange sunrises and skies thick with a yellowish haze. These hazy skies often deposit "blood rain," rust-colored precipitation ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 29, 2026
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The technology used to predict sand and dust storm (SDS) severity has for decades systematically overestimated when and where sediment is transported across Earth's surface, a new study shows. Existing models, which draw ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 24, 2026
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When Saharan dust reaches the UK and Europe, as a huge country-sized cloud did over the past few days, it can transform the sky. Tiny particles drifting in the atmosphere scatter blue light while allowing reds and oranges ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 9, 2026
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Most people can imagine why a shrinking Great Salt Lake would mean unhealthy dust storms for the Wasatch Front, or why refilling the lake through water conservation could reduce dust exposure. Now, there is a data-based modeling ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 16, 2026
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Mars, often depicted as a barren red planet, is far from lifeless. With its thin atmosphere and dusty surface, it is an energetic and electrically charged environment where dust storms and dust devils continually reshape ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 8, 2026
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Martian winds can have quite an impact. ESA's Mars Express has spotted them whipping up sand grains and acting as a cosmic sandblaster, carving out intriguing grooves near Mars's equator.
Planetary Sciences
Jan 7, 2026
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Deep in Iraq's southern desert, bulldozers and earthmovers spread layers of moist clay over sand dunes as part of a broader effort to fight increasingly frequent sandstorms.
Environment
Dec 28, 2025
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Dust storms regularly affect northern China, including its capital, Beijing. In recent years, Chinese scientists and officials have traced the source of the dust storms to its neighbor Mongolia.
Environment
Dec 17, 2025
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Mars is a dusty planet dominated by vast, dry deserts, with no easily accessible sources of liquid water. Much like on Earth, dust is lifted from Mars's surface by wind and rotating air columns, transported through the atmosphere, ...
Space Exploration
Dec 17, 2025
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35
Sometimes you get a small electric shock from touching your car door handle on a dry summer's day.
Planetary Sciences
Dec 8, 2025
0
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