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  • Jul. 19, 2025

Arid Land Geography ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (5): 789-800.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.359

• Climatology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Impact of two sandstorms on typical cities in northern China: A case of Lanzhou City and Beijing City

LI Jiachen1,2(), JU Tianzhen1,2(), LI Bingnan3, QIU Yumeng1,2, CAO Yaqun1,2, WANG Jiaqi1,2   

  1. 1. College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
    2. The Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
    3. School of Journalism and Communication, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, Shaanxi, China
  • Received:2024-06-07 Revised:2024-07-31 Online:2025-05-25 Published:2025-05-13
  • Contact: JU Tianzhen E-mail:2022213029@nwnu.edu.cn;sandstorm608@163.com

Abstract:

The complex relationship between dust storms and meteorological factors is the primary driver of particulate matter formation and distribution. These dust storms also significantly affect transportation, agriculture and animal husbandry, and population health. Using the HYSPLIT, wavelet coherence, and random forest models, the transport paths of two strong dust storms in northern China, one from March 10 to 25, 2021 (SD1) and the other from March 16 to 28, 2023 (SD2), were investigated. In addition, the effects of meteorological factors on urban PM10 were investigated. The findings revealed the following. (1) A high aerosol optical thickness (AOD) belt stretching across Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi, and Shandong formed in northern China during these two dust storm events. This phenomenon was primarily attributed to the southward movement of the Mongolian cyclone and the strong westerly wind circulation in Xinjiang. (2) The overall airflow transmission moved from northwest to northeast. Lanzhou was found to be susceptible to Xinjiang cyclones, while Beijing was notably affected by Mongolian cyclones. During SD1, airflow in Lanzhou primarily originated from Qinghai and Xinjiang, with 53.64% of Beijing’s air mass being transmitted to northeast regions of China and extending into northeastern Russia. During SD2, 51.16% of Lanzhou’s airflow stemmed from Inner Mongolia, while 49.41% of Beijing’s airflow moved toward areas such as Shandong and Jiangsu. (3) PM10 variations in SD1 exhibited greater sensitivity to meteorological factors over longer time scales. In contrast, SD2 displayed diverse responses to meteorological factors over shorter time scales. (4) Lanzhou served as the collision zone for the two cyclones, showing unstable pressure and temperature changes. Conversely, Beijing acted as the endpoint for dust storm input, primarily influenced by temperature. These results facilitate a better understanding of dust storm formation mechanisms in northern China and of the interactions between meteorological factors and particulate matter.

Key words: dust storms, Google Earth Engine (GEE), trajectory analysis, wavelet coherence, meteorological normalization