Information about sandstorms, sources of sandstorms

Since the night of the 8th, sandstorms have occurred again in northern China, and the raging yellow wind has brought inconvenience to people's lives.

What are blowing sand, sandstorms and floating dust? **According to experts from the Meteorological Observatory, both sand blowing and sandstorms are caused by local or nearby dust blown by the wind. The common feature is a noticeable decrease in visibility, and the sky appears cloudy and yellow.

Most of the two occur when cold air passes or when thunderstorms and squall lines are affected, and both are prone to occur in the north in spring. The difference is that the wind is strong in the blowing sand, and the visibility affected is between 1 km and 10 km; Whereas, the sandstorm is very windy, and the visibility is less than 1 km. The floating dust is formed due to the dust storm or sand in the distant or local area, dust and other fine particles floating in the air, commonly known as "falling yellow sand", when the distant object is earthy yellow, the sun is pale or light yellow, the visibility is less than 10 kilometers, and it roughly appears before and after the passage of cold air.

The sandstorm that occurred on April 6 is classified as a sandstorm. On the morning of April 7, the sandstorm was followed by a floating dust weather.

We should reduce pollution or plant more trees, which will prevent sandstorms. Speaking of hazards, sandstorms can overwhelm houses and cause serious injuries. Sandstorms are caused by air pollution!!

The causes of sandstorms are strong winds, strong thermal instability, and sand sources as the dynamic and material basis of tung re-rounding, respectively. Favorable weather conditions for the generation of high winds or strong winds, favorable distribution of sand and dust sources and favorable air instability conditions are the main reasons for the formation of sand and dust storms or strong sand and dust storms. Strong wind is the driving force of sandstorms, and the sources of sand and dust are the material basis of sandstorms, and unstable thermal conditions are conducive to the increase of wind and the development of strong convection, so as to entrain more sand and dust and roll higher.

Sandstorms mostly occur in inland desert areas, mainly in the Sahara Desert, and the central and western parts of North America and Australia are also one of the sources of sandstorms. Dust storms are conducive to the weather situation of high winds or strong winds, and favorable distribution of sand and dust sources and favorable air instability conditions are the main reasons for the formation of sand and dust storms or strong dust storms.

Sandstorm is a general term for sandstorms and dust storms, which are a sign of desertification. It refers to a disastrous weather phenomenon in which strong winds roll up a large amount of sand and dust from the ground, making the horizontal visibility less than 1 km, and having the characteristics of suddenness and short duration. Sandstorms refer to sandstorms formed by strong winds blowing large amounts of sand particles into near-surface formations, while dust storms are storms formed by winds that sweep large amounts of dust and other fine particles into the upper air.

On March 15, 2021, according to the latest satellite monitoring from the National Satellite Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration, sand and dust weather occurred in Inner Mongolia, northern North China, the western part of Northeast China, and the eastern part of Northwest China due to the influence of strong winds behind the frontal cyclonic cloud system.

Sandstorm weather is a strong disastrous weather in northwest China and northern China, which can cause house collapse, traffic and power supply obstruction or interruption, fire, human and animal pollution, damage to the natural environment, destroy crop growth, and cause serious losses and great harm to national economic construction and people's lives and property safety. The hazards of sandstorms are mainly in the following aspects:

1. Deterioration of the ecological environment.

When there is a sandstorm, the sand and gravel and floating dust wrapped in the wind are everywhere, and the air in all the areas passed through is turbid, the nose is foggy, and the number of respiratory diseases and other diseases increases. For example, during the severe sandstorm that occurred in Jinchang City on May 5, 1993, the observed outdoor air dust content was 1,016 millimeters cubic centimeters, and the indoor air was 80 millimeters cubic centimeters, which exceeded the national standard for air dust content in living areas by 40 times.

2. Production and life are affected.

The large amount of sand and dust carried by sandstorm weather covers the sun and shades the sun, and the weather is gloomy, resulting in a decrease in solar radiation, and poor visibility for a few hours to more than ten hours, which is easy to make people feel dull and reduce the efficiency of work and study. In severe cases, it can cause a large number of livestock to suffer from respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, and in severe cases, it will lead to the death of a large number of "spring shortage" livestock, and scrape away the fertile soil, seeds and seedlings of farmland. Dust storms can also aggravate the wind erosion and desertification of the surface soil, covering the leaf surface of plants with thick sand and dust, affecting normal photosynthesis and reducing crop yields.

3. Loss of life and property.

On May 5, 1993, a strong sandstorm occurred in Jinchang, Weiwu, Minqin, ** and other cities in Gansu Province, affecting 10,000 acres of farmland and losing 10,000 trees, causing direct economic losses of 100 million yuan, killing 50 people and seriously injuring 153 people. On April 12, 2000, Yongchang, Jinchang, Weiwu, Minqin and other cities suffered severe sandstorms, and according to incomplete statistics, the direct economic losses of Jinchang and Weiwu alone amounted to 15.34 million yuan.

4. Traffic safety (traffic accidents such as airplanes and automobiles).

Sandstorms often affect traffic safety, causing planes to fail to take off or land normally, and causing glass breakage, suspension or derailment of cars and train cars.