Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Dust Events across the United States over Twenty (20) Years, Insight into Their Meteorological Causes and Conditions

影响美国数百万人的沙尘事件是大气系统的一个重要而复杂的组成部分，也是大气颗粒物(PM)的主要自然贡献者之一。大气沙尘颗粒影响气候、经济、环境，也影响人类福祉和健康。人们对沙尘事件有一个主要的担忧，因为多项气候模型研究表明，随着气候变化的进展，美国各地预计会有更多的沙尘事件。美国的沙尘事件可以有不同的强度(扬尘和沙尘暴)和类型(天气和对流)，但它们的分布(空间、时间或类型)和影响在美国各地尚不清楚。因此，需要更好地了解尘埃事件、时空分布、引发尘埃事件的气象条件以及在尘埃事件期间测量到的气象条件。该项目将包括几项更广泛的影响活动，包括招募本科生和研究生，重点是从代表性较低的少数群体中招募学生，本科生的动手活动，作为德克萨斯理工大学气候中心的一部分的一般公开讲座，以及作为北美沙尘联盟(DANA)社区的一部分，与科学界共享从该项目中检索到的信息和数据库。该项目将创建第一个全国性的沙尘事件数据库，其中将包括过去20年来发生在美国各地的扬尘事件和沙尘暴。沙尘事件的识别将使用遍布美国各地的气象站进行。不同的工具(包括PM、卫星图像、改进、AERONET等的更改)将被用来确认这些尘埃事件。使用包括天气压力地图、卫星图像和雷达图像在内的多种工具，将识别导致每个沙尘事件的气象条件。将沙尘事件期间的气象测量和条件与引发沙尘事件的气象测量和条件以及包括干旱和气候指数在内的更大气候学尺度的变化进行比较，将提供有关沙尘事件的时空变化、常见类型和引起沙尘事件的气象条件的详细情况，从而增进我们对沙尘事件的基本知识。通过该项目创建的数据库可以增进对沙尘事件对气候的潜在影响(例如，辐射、云微物理和降水过程)以及对空气质量和人类健康的影响的了解。它还可以用于更好的预测方法，并可以作为国家尘埃警报系统的基础。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Dust events, which impact millions across the US, are an important and complex constituent of the atmospheric system and are one of the main natural contributors to atmospheric Particulate Matter (PM). Atmospheric dust particles affect the climate, economy, and environment, as well as human well-being and health. There is a major concern regarding dust events, as multiple climate model studies indicate that as climate change progresses, more dust events are expected across the US. Dust events in the US can be of varying intensities (blowing dust vs. dust storm) and types (synoptic vs. convective), but their distributions (spatial, temporal, or type) and impacts across the US are unclear. Therefore, there is a need to better understand dust events, spatial and temporal distributions, the meteorological conditions that initiate them, and those measured during them. The project will include several broader impact activities including the recruitment of undergraduates and graduate students with a focus on recruitment of students from underrepresented minorities groups, hands-on activity for undergraduate students, general public lectures as part of the Texas Tech Climate Center, as well as sharing the information and database retrieved from this project with the scientific community as part of the Dust Alliance for North America (DANA) community.The project will create the first national wide dust event database that will include blowing dust events as well as dust storms that occur across the US for the last 20 years. Identification of dust events will be made using meteorological stations spread across the US. Different tools (including changes in PM, satellite images, IMPROVE, AERONET, etc.) will be used to confirm these dust events. Using multiple tools including weather pressure maps, satellite images, and radar images, each dust event will be identified for the meteorological conditions that caused it. Comparison between the meteorological measurements and conditions during and those that initiate dust events as well as changes in larger climatology scales including drought and climatological indices will advance our fundamental knowledge of dust events by providing a detailed view of their spatial and temporal changes, the common types, and the meteorological conditions that cause them. The database created from this project could improve the understanding of the potential impact of dust events on climate (e.g., radiation, cloud microphysics, and precipitation processes) and impact on air quality and human health. It could also be used for better prediction methods and may serve as the basis for a national alert dust system.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.