Effects of Monsoon, Shamal and Levar winds on dust accumulation over the Arabian Sea during summer - The July 2016 case

This study examines the atmospheric circulation patterns that are associated with contrasting wind regimes, desert dust outflows and accumulation of dust over the Arabian Sea in the summer season. The examined period is 11-16 July 2016, when several dust plumes of various intensity and from different sources (Arabian Peninsula, Somalia and Iran), affected the Arabian Sea. During summer, south Asia is under the influence of the southwest monsoon, with main characteristics being the thermal low-pressure system centered over northwest India/Pakistan with secondary lows over south Iran and southeast Arabian Peninsula, and the Arabian ridge combined with the Indian trough in the mid troposphere. Apart from the dominant southwest monsoon flow over the Arabian Sea, strong local winds are developed over the desert areas, such as the northwest Shamal along the east Arabian Peninsula and northern Levar in southeast Iran. These wind regimes initiate several dust outbreaks, while their convergence over the Arabian Sea results in accumulation of large amounts of dust aerosols (AOD > 2.0), as observed by satellite (MODIS, MISR, CALIPSO) observations and reanalysis (MERRA-2). The dust-accumulation area (central/north part of the Arabian Sea) is characterized by weak winds, while the position of the Inter-Tropical Discontinuity (ITD) plays an important role in merging the contrasting dust plumes. The vertical profiles of the monsoon, Shamal and Levar winds are especially important for the dust accumulation, since the low-altitude dust plumes come from the southeastern Arabian Peninsula and Somalia, while those above 3000 m from northern directions (Iran, Pakistan).