A Huge Dust Storm Influenced Air Quality on 16 May 2022 in Baghdad City, Iraq; Tracked Using Remote Sensing Techniques and Meteorological Data

Abstract

Abstract Intense weather events can impact air quality in Iraq. Atmospheric pollution has stand out as an important hazard factor influencing the well-being of the people and health in the latest years. In May 2022, various parts of Iraq experienced an intense dust storm, causing extensive air quality deterioration. Massive dust storms passed over much of Middle East and Iraq, including Baghdad city in May 2022 and reduced the visibility range to below 100 m for some hours producing severe environmental, social and health impacts. Using remote sensing and surface meteorological station data, we examine the synoptic surface weather conditions, characteristics transport and sources of dust, and related influences on air quality through this dust event above Baghdad on 16 May 2022. The concentrations of PM2.5 (<2.5 μm) and PM10 (<10 μm) have took by chosen ambient air pollution observing station in Iraq and remote sensing data. The maximum values of PM2.5 (498 μg/m3) were observed in the capital city of Baghdad by US Embassy, Iraq, while concentrations of PM10 in Baghdad ranged from 1000-5000 μg/m3, this means higher the standard air quality concentrations in Iraq (50 μg/m3) hourly. The backward pathways of air masses refer to the possible dust source areas created by Saharan and Desert regions of Syria and then crossed over northwest Iraq. It then travelled towards central and southern Iraq. The pathways of dust event was agreed with the satellite images from CALIPSO and MODIS platforms and the satellite of NAPPS model revealed that the rose of dust event to higher than 8 kilometres in the dust storm. Many cities of Iraq exposed the extreme dust activity because of the north-west winds (Shamal wind) created via air pressure lows and air cold masses above northwest Iraq. NAAPS Aerosol Model show the high concentrations of dust and dust plume travelled over the Syrian - Iraqi borders before progressively moving through the northwest, central, east, and south regions of Iraq before reaching the north shore of the Arabian Gulf.