Recent Extreme Dust Storms in Central Asia Associated with Cold Air Outbreak and Drought

Extreme weather and climate events are among the most pressing societal challenges of our times. During recent years, Central Asia was hit by several extreme dust storms, including a haboob-like salt storm from the dried-up Aral Sea during May 2018, and a record-breaking dust storm in Uzbekistan during November 2021. Both events were associated with hazardous weather conditions and caused persistent high particulate concentrations, low visibility, and adverse impacts on environmental and human health. The extreme dust events in Central Asia and neighboring regions attracted much media attention; yet there are substantial knowledge and methodological gaps in understanding the physical mechanisms, variability, and predictability of such events. In this presentation we will perform detailed case analysis to elucidate the anomalous atmospheric and hydroclimatic conditions associated with the extreme dust outbreak in Central Asia, and explore the teleconnection processes underlying the favorable environment for enhanced wind erosion. Our results suggest that the extreme dust events were triggered by two compounding factors: cold air outbreak linked to blocking events over the Euro-Atlantic region, and growing-season drought and desertification linked to tropical sea surface temperature anomalies.