Effect of soil moisture and land cover on dust generation in desert and arid environment

Due to their low precipitation rates, arid regions are major sources of atmospheric dust. In addition to its direct effect on surrounding air quality, excessive presence of airborne dust affects both local and regional environments due to its biogeochemical impact on the ecosystem and its radiative- forcing effect on the climate system. Remote sensing is a valuable tool in detecting, mapping and forecasting such events. Arid and semi-arid regions have their specific and unique characteristics and vulnerability which require special attention in adapting existing remote sensing tools to be applied efficiently. In this study, the combined effect of soil moisture and wind velocity on dust generation has been evaluated in a desert region of UAE. A simple approach for quantitative estimation of dust using historical datasets has also been discussed in this paper.