Forecasting Dust Emissions from Regional to Global Scale Using Satellite Data

The FENGSHA dust emission model, based on field and wind tunnel measurements of sediment flux for various wind conditions, soil, and land types, has been implemented into the NOAA Next Generation Global Prediction System (NGGPS) and is currently used for the NOAA National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC). FENGSHA has been updated to use the satellite surface albedo algorithm developed by Chappel and Webb (2017). The new algorithm improves prediction of the soil wind stress by redefining the drag partition and eliminating inconsistencies inherent in using the boundary layer friction velocity and z0/h. The threshold friction velocity is also transformed in a similar way that allows for a dynamic surface threshold velocity independent of soil particle size. Results will be shown comparing the performance of the original FENGSHA dust model with the new version.