An Investigation of Dust Storm Generation in the Southern Great Plains.
Abstract
An investigation of dust storms in the Southern Great Plains was conducted to determine correlations between dust and precipitation, Antecedent Precipitation Index (API), wind, time of occurrence, and dew-point depression. Relationships between blowing dust and characteristics of the Southern Great Plains, agricultural practices, location of source regions, transport mechanisms, and favorable synoptic situations also were considered. Data used in this study consisted of surface observations from 34 Southern Great Plains weather stations during February through May for a 10-yr period (1966-1975). Results of the analyses showed an insignificant correlation of precipitation amounts prior to a dust storm. Also, dew-point depression was weakly correlated to dust generation. A negative correlation existed between API and the number of stations reporting dust. It was found that wind speed and direction were significantly correlated with occurrences of dust. The greatest frequency of occurrences of dust was between 1800 to 0100 GMT (12:00 to 7:00 PM CST). It was determined that the location of a source region was an important factor for generation of dust. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA052064
Entities
People
- Marshall Conrad Pollard
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology