Work

Relative importance of climate and land use in determining present and future global soil dust emission

Year: 2004

Type: article

Abstract: The current consensus is that up to half of the modern atmospheric dust load originates from anthropogenically‐disturbed soils. Here, we estimate the contribution to the atmospheric dust load from agricultural areas by calibrating a dust‐source model with emission indices derived from dust‐storm observations. Our results indicate that dust from agricultural areas contributes <10% to the global dust load. Analyses of future changes in dust emissions under several climate and land‐use scenarios suggest dust emissions may increase or decrease, but either way the effects of climate change will dominate dust emissions.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2003gl019216

Authors: I. Tegen, M. Werner, S. P. Harrison, K. E. Kohfeld

Institution: Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry

Language: English

Topic: Aeolian processes and effects

Subfield: Earth-Surface Processes

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Life on land

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung