A Multidecadal Assessment of Haze Development and Fluctuations in Visibility for Arabian Peninsula

Abstract Deteriorating visibility (VR) is an exacerbating problem in the Arabian Peninsula (AP) under the prevailing natural and anthropogenic causes. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the long-term (1975–2023) trends of visibility fluctuations and development of haze for six countries including Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Iraq (IRQ), Qatar (QTR), Kuwait (KWT), United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman (OMN). To comprehend the time-based patterns of visibility across the ME, we utilized the Mann Kendall (MK) and Modified Mann Kendall (MMK) trend estimators in both space and time. The daily visibility of QTR exhibits significant variations from 1975 to 2023, with the lowest and greatest values representing the dynamic character of visibility in the region. Oman’s daily visibility have revealed complex pattern with frequent occurrence of close to zero visibility starting from 1975. Visibility in KWT was 0.5 km in 1994, indicating a period of exceptionally poor visibility whereas the daily mean visibility for KSA was approximately 0.6 km. The UAE data shows strong seasonal spikes in visibility, with peaks of about 2 km. IRQ air quality was severely misty on days when visibility was approximately 0.4 km. Among the six countries, visibility in KWT is improving at 0.06 km/year, while visibility in IRQ is decreasing rapidly at the rate of -0.26 km/year. Keeping in account the overall trends over the decades to assess current visibility conditions, Visibility in KWT and QTR is improving at the fastest trend of + 0.15 and + 0.05 km/year respectively as compared to OMN, IRQ, UAE and KSA. Policymakers in the region can work on regional environmental policies to further improve the regional atmospheric visibility.