Dust under the radar: Rethinking how to evaluate the impact of dust events on air quality in the United States.

Dust is an important and complex constituent of the atmospheric system, having significant impacts on the environment, climate, air quality, and human health. Although dust events are common across many regions of the U.S., their impacts are not often prioritized in air quality mitigation strategies. We argue that there are at least three factors that result in dust receiving less attention, and these factors limit our understanding of the impacts of dust events on its many social and environmental impacts, including its impact on air quality and human health. These factors include (1) sparse monitoring stations with irregular spatial distribution in dust-influenced regions, (2) inconsistency with dust definitions and sampling methods, and (3) sampling frequency and schedules, which can lead to missed dust events or underestimation of dust particle concentrations. Without addressing these three factors, it is challenging to characterize the full impacts of dust events on air quality in the U.S.