Implication of wind characteristics for assessing dust events in northeastern Iran

This study examines how wind characteristics can associate with dust events in Northeastern Iran's Khorasan Razavi province, an area frequently affected by dust storms. Ten synoptic stations provided daily wind and dust data from 2014 to 2023, which were analyzed to explore seasonal and spatial patterns. All wind characteristics and dust event data were extracted from diurnal SYNOP codes and contributed to the GIS-based database. Then, data were interpolated to produce regionalization maps in GIS and to estimate temporal statistics and correlation coefficients in SPSS. Findings reveal that prevailing north and northwest winds are closely linked to dust storms across all stations and seasons, with the Sarakhs region identified as the main dust hotspot, especially during spring and summer when wind speeds peak. In Mashhad, dust events are also linked to southerly winds during autumn and winter. The study highlights that understanding wind direction and speed enhances the estimation of dust storms and supports strategies to mitigate their negative impacts. Practical recommendations include early warning systems in high-risk areas like Sarakhs based on wind-speed thresholds, land restoration in dust-prone wind sectors, and adjusting air quality alerts in Mashhad according to seasonal wind trends. These measures aim to protect public health and regional ecosystems from the adverse effects of dust storms.