Dust Hotspot in the Gobi Desert: A Field Survey in April 2019

The Gobi Desert is a dominant source of dust on the Asian continent. In this study, we analysed the characteristics of a typical Mongolian dust storm and identified a prominent dust hotspot in the Gobi Desert. During a field survey from Ulaanbaatar (the capital of Mongolia) to Dalanzadgad in the Gobi Desert, we encountered a typical dust storm on 28 April 2019, exhibiting a distinct dust wall. The head of the dust storm crossed the road several kilometres ahead of our vehicle. The head of the storm had a height of 600 m, and its structure suggested that the dust storm was induced by a gravity current. We entered the front of the dust storm and measured a maximum wind speed of 18.2 m/s and a visibility of less than 10 m. The normalized dust number concentration at 7 μm was 59 cm−3. Moreover, Himawari-8 Dust RGB imagery showed that the dust storm occurred in an orographic convergence zone. This zone connects two valleys that are sandwiched between three mountains in the Gobi Desert: the Khangai, Altai, and Gurvan Saikhan Mountains. Our results suggest that this zone is a remarkable dust hotspot in the Gobi Desert.