A Study of Pressure Gradient during the Activity of 120-Day Winds of Sistan and its Relationship with Dust and Wind Speed in Helmand Basin, Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Desert Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands (RIFR), Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

2 Zanjan University, Zanjan, Iran

Abstract

120-day wind of Sistan is a regional wind current that blows on average from June to September. This wind, which is accompanied by dust, has carved its role on the face of the Sistan region due to its continuity and speed. This study aimed to investigate the pressure gradient during the activity of 120-day winds and its relationship with dust  and wind speed in Helmand Endorheic basin. For this purpose, the dust and wind speed data of 11 synoptic stations were daily extracted from the Iran Meteorological Organization since 1986 for Helmand basin. After making a complete database, the frequency of dusty days and wind speed during the activity of 120-day winds of Sistan was extracted. Atmospheric pressure data corresponding to the duration of the activity of 120-day winds was extracted from the National Center of Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR) databases with a spatial resolution of 2.5° × 2.5°. Following the extraction of pressure gradient via Pearson correlation coefficient, the relationship between the speed and dust of the basin, and the pressure gradient was investigated. The study of wind speed showed that strong winds during the activity of 120-day winds had an increasing trend. The results also revealed that the pressure gradient had a direct relationship with wind speed and dust storms in Helmand basin. In addition, the speed and dusts of the mid-eastern part of the basin were mostly influenced by the pressure gradient.
 

Keywords


Reference 
 
Alijani B, Raispour K. 2011. Statistical and Synoptic Analysis of Dust Storms in Southeastern of Iran (Case Study: Sistan Region). Geographical Studies of Dry Areas, 5; 107-132. Alizadeh A. 2009. Principles of Applied Hydrology, Astan Quds Razavi Publications, Mashhad, Iran. Anaxos, Inc. 2008. UXL encyclopedia of weather and natural disasters. Arnes CD. 2012. New Meteorology Introduction to Air, Climate and Environment. Translated by Mohammad Reza Babaei. Aizeh Publications, Tehran, Iran. Brazel AJ, Nickling WG. 1986. The relationship of weather types to dust storm generation in arizona (1965-1980). Journal of Climatology, 6; 255-275. Diaz-Hernandez JL, Sanchez-Navas A. 2016. Saharan dust outbreaks and iberulite episodes, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos, 121; 7064–7078.  Gandmakar A. 2009a. Synoptic study of wind energy in Sistan region (Zabol station). Geographical space, 27; 161-180. Gandmakar A. 2009b. Wind potential energy assessment in Iran. Geography and Environmental Planning, 36; 85-100. Gandmakar A. 2010. Investigation of air patterns governing Sistan wind using cluster analysis. Geographical Landscape, 12; 101-116. Ghaemi H. 2007. General Meteorology, Samat publications, Tehran, Iran. Hosseinzadeh, S, 1997. 120-Day Winds of Sistan, Geographical Research, 47; 103-127 Jalali N, Iranmanesh F, Davoodi MH. 2017. Identifying the Origin and Areas Affected by Dust Storms in Southwestern of Iran Using MODIS Images. Journal of Watershed Engineering and Management, 9(3); 318-331. Kaykhosravi Gh, Haseli M. 2017. Trajectory simulation of some examples of severe dust storms in Kermanshah province from the perspective of HYSPILT model. Natural Geography Quarterly, 10 (37); 59-82. Kellogg PJ, Goetz K, Monson SJ. 2016. Dust impact signals on the wind spacecraft. J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 121; 966–991. Khosravi M. 2010. Study of vertical distribution of dust caused by storms in the Middle East using NAAPS model Case: Sistan Iran, 4th International Congress of Geographers of the Islamic World, Sistan and Baluchestan University, Zahedan, Iran. Littmann T. 1991. Dust Storm Frequency in Asia: Climatic Control and Variability. International Journal of Climatology, 11; 393-412. Meloni D, Junkermann W, di Sarra A, Cacciani M, De Silvestri L, Di Iorio T, Estellés V, Gómez-Amo JL, Pace G, Sferlazzo DM. 2015. Altitude-resolved shortwave and longwave radiative effects of 
DESERT2022, 27(1): 55-68                                                                                                                                                    68   
 
desert dust in the Mediterranean during the GAMARF campaign: Indications of a net daily cooling in the dust layer, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos, 120; 3386–3407. Miri A, Moghaddamnia A, Pahlavanravi A, Panjehkeh N. 2010. Dust storm frequency after the 1999 drought in the Sistan region, Iran. Clim Res 41; 83–90. Mofidi A, Kamali S. 2012. Investigation and analysis of the structure of dust storms in Sistan plain using the regional climate model RegCM4; Case Study: July 30, 2001, The First National Desert Conference, Karaj, Iran. Pokharel AK, Kaplan ML, Fiedler. 2017. Subtropical dust storms and downslope wind events. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 122(10); 191- 205. Prakash, Jish P, Stenchikov G, Kalenderski S, Osipov S, Bangalath H. 2015. The impact of dust storms on the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea. Atmos. Chem. Phys, 15; 199–222. Raigani B, Kheirandish Z, Kermani F, Mohammadimiab M, Torabinia A. 2016. Identification of actual foci of dust production using remote sensing data and airflow simulation Case: Alborz Province. Journal of Desert Management, 8; 15-26. Refahi H. 2009. Wind Erosion and its Control, University of Tehran Press, Tehran, Iran. Saliqeh M. 2010. Joint Effects of Thermal Interaction of Atmospheric Systems in Islamic Countries: A Case Study: 120 Days of Sistan Winds, 4th International Congress of Geographers of the Islamic World, Zahedan. Iran. Shahriari A, Mohammadi M. 2015. A Study of the Time Series of Dust Phenomena in Sistan and Baluchestan Province Using Nonparametric Statistical Methods. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Research, 22(4); 253-260. Tavousi T, Safarzaei N, Raispour K. 2010. Statistical Analysis of Dusty Days in Sistan during the period (1976-2005), 4th International Congress of Geographers of the Islamic World, Zahedan. Iran. Tavousi T, Saliqeh M, Safarzaei N. 2012. Investigation of wind vector parameters and its role in dust storms in Sistan, Iran. Geography and environmental stability, 2; 19-30. Wang X, Schwan J, Hsu HW, Grün E, Horányi M. 2016. Dust charging and transport on airless planetary bodies. Geophys. Res. Lett., 43’ 6103–6110. Zeinali B. 2016. A study of the trend of changes in the frequency of days associated with dust storms in the western half of Iran. Journal of Natural Environment Hazards, 5(7); 87- 99. Zomordian MJ. 2002.Geomorphology of Iran. 4th ed., Ferdowsi University Press, Mashhad, Iran.