Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: While dust activation has declined across most of East Asia over recent decades, springtime dust storms have intensified over the Mongolian Gobi, suggesting a regionally distinct response to climate change. This study focuses on March, the early stage of the dust season, when snow cover and land-atmosphere interactions are particularly sensitive to climatic conditions. Using 24 years (2000-2023) of multi-platform observations and ERA5 reanalysis, we show that increasing surface susceptibility driven by snow loss and soil drying coincides in early spring with persistent baroclinic instability and sustained upper-level thermal winds over this region. These atmospheric conditions, which are absent over neighboring dust source areas, prevent the dynamical weakening typically associated with mid-latitude warming. In contrast, over the Loess Plateau, reduced thermal winds act as a compensating response that suppresses dust mobilization despite surface drying. As a result, the Mongolian Gobi experiences an unmitigated climate penalty, where both land-surface drying and persistent atmospheric circulation jointly amplify dust emissions under ongoing warming. Our findings reveal how regional climate dynamics can fundamentally reshape dust-source activation in early spring across East Asia under a warming climate.
Source: Scientific Reports
Language: English
Subfield: Earth-Surface Processes
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
Award: G5966999601
OpenAlex ID: W7164904533