An updated review of satellite constraints on airborne dust: Current status and future prospects

University of Colorado, Boulder CO 80303, USA

^* Corresponding author: ralph.kahn@lasp.colorado.edu

Abstract

This is a review paper rather than the report on a single line of research, updated from the 2019 Central Asia Dust Conference (CADUC) assessment. Satellites offer a broad range of constraints on dust particle amount, daily and longer-scale 3-d spatial distribution, particle properties, source locations, and transport pathways. Recent advances in dust particle optical modelling have improved the aerosol microphysical property constraints that can be derived from multi-angle remote-sensing data. Dust impacts on health are also being examined recently. Yet, the data contain spatial and temporal gaps, lack detail in some important respects, and interpretation of the remote-sensing retrieval results requires careful consideration of the information content, which can vary greatly with observing conditions. These data are applied most frequently to dust from North African sources and their journey across the Atlantic, but satellite examination of Asian sources and Pacific transports is now also receiving research attention.