A TRAJECTORY MODEL FOR DUST AND SALT TRANSPORT FROM THE ARALKUM REGION, INCORPORATING SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY

This article presents an improved two-dimensional trajectory model, ARALDUST, developed for the numerical simulation and assessment of the long-range, transboundary transport of polydisperse dust-salt aerosols originating from the desiccated Aral Sea bed (the Aralkum Desert). The model accounts for meteorological parameters, wind speed dynamics, and the influence of meso- and macro-scale surface topography—including the Tian Shan and Pamir-Alay mountain systems—on particle deposition trajectories and the vertical momentum of airflows. Unlike grid-based models, the Lagrangian approach employed in ARALDUST minimizes numerical diffusion, enabling highly accurate calculations of the spatiotemporal trajectories of particles and the sedimentation volumes of various size fractions, all while requiring minimal computational resources.