Transcript dust storms
LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS ALGERIA PART 2: DUST STORMS Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA ALGERIA ALGERIA NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN ALGERIA FLOODS GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES WINDSTORMS/DUSTSTORMS EARTHQUAKES HIGH BENEFIT/COST FROM BECOMING DISASTER RESILIENT LANDSLIDES ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE DUST STORMS • A dust storm (or sand storm) is a common meteorological phenomenon that is common in. arid and semi-arid regions The Sahara Desert is a key source of dust storms, particularly the Bodele Depression and an area covering the confluence of Muritania, Mali, and Algeria] Saharan dust storms have increased approximately 10fold since the 1950s. DUST STORM OFF ALGERIA:DECEMBER 6, 2003 ALGERIAN DUST STORM • This dust storm, like others, carried Saharan dust across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Southeast United States. PAST NOTABLE REGIONAL DUST STORMS United Arab Emirates--Feb., 2009 Al-Asada, Iraq; April 2005 Egypt, May 13, 2005 DUST STORM: AL-ASAD, IRAQ; APRIL 27, 2005 DUST STORM LEAVING EGYPT: MAY 13, 2005 IMPACTS OF DUST • Dust injects nutrients, such as iron, into marine ecosystems. • Dust also carries bacteria and spores from fungi, which can cause diseases long distances away. IMPACTS OF DUST • Dust storms can cause or worsen breathing problems. • Finally, dust in the atmosphere can also influence weather and global climate change. ECONOMIC IMPACTS • Reduced visibility caused by dust can affect aircraft transportation. ECONOMIC IMPACTS • Dust storms cause soil loss from the dry lands, and the abrasive effect of the storm damages young crop plants. • They preferentially remove organic matter, thereby reducing agricultural productivity.