Study on Origin of Dust and its Relationship With Climatic Elements in Ilam Province

Background Aims: Atmospheric phenomena can directly influence the occurrence of dust events. The western and southwestern parts of Iran are considered dust hotspots. This study aimed to examine and determine the origin of dust particles in Ilam province and its relationship with climatic components in the period 2012-2018. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-applied study, satellite images were obtained from the data transmitted from the Landsat TM satellite. In addition, HYSPLIT model was used to search for dust sources at an altitude of 1500 m or less (dust occurrence altitude class). Using SPSS 18 and OriginPro 2018, time series of data and linear regression equations were analyzed to determine the relationship between particulate matter and climate indicators. Results: The results for the origin of particulate matter in Ilam province indicated that out of a total of 165 daily dust events that occurred in this province from 2012 to 2017, 69 (daily) dust events (42%) originated from Iraq, 36 (22%) from Syria, 29 (17%) from Saudi Arabia, 16 (10%) from the Persian Gulf, and 15 (9%) from Jordan. The results of multiple regression analysis based on the influence coefficient of the absolute value of the standardized coefficients indicated that temperature with an influence coefficient of 0.370 was identified as a significant factor related to the particulate matter. In the correlation analysis, the variables of temperature, humidity, dew point, and cloudiness showed a significant correlation with particulate matter at the level of 0.03. Conclusion: Considering the relationships between dust phenomena and climatic factors, they can be used to predict dust phenomenon.