Overlooked impacts of Mongolian cyclones on Taklamakan dust activity

Mongolian cyclones are known for high-impact spring dust events in East Asia, typically linked to dust emissions from the Gobi Desert. This study shows that Mongolian cyclones are also favorable for the development of mesoscale processes and subsequent dust activity in the Taklamakan Desert. Using three automated detection algorithms for key meteorological processes and three independent dust aerosol datasets, we present the first process-based climatology of the potential impacts of Mongolian cyclones on Taklamakan dust activity for spring 2001–2021. We find that cold-air intrusions in the wake of Mongolian cyclones, though occurring during only 5% of the spring hours of 2001–2021, contribute 15%–25% of the Taklamakan dust emissions by enhancing surface winds. Cold-air intrusions further favor the formation of anomalously strong nocturnal low-level jets, explaining 10%–15% of total spring dust emissions in the Taklamakan Desert. Lifted dust is later exported from the Taklamakan Desert and likely contributes substantially to transgressions of boundaries for air quality standards in western China. Our findings reveal that the influence of Mongolian cyclones on dust activity extends far beyond their direct impact regions, remotely modulating mesoscale processes and dust mobilization in the Taklamakan Desert, with important implications for air-quality assessments in western China. • Mongolian cyclone-related cold-air intrusions cause 15–25% of Taklamakan dust. • Cold-air intrusions enhance nocturnal low-level jets, leading to dust emissions. • Mongolian cyclones favor poor air quality in western China.