It’s Getting Dusty in Here
In 2009, south-east Australia’s skies were painted red by millions of dust particles. Glowing red skies are rare along Australian coastlines. So, when they do happen, you definitely don’t miss it. This was the result of one of the worst dust storms in 7 decades, with visibility reduced to 100m (UCS 2011).
Dust storms are a natural part of this dry continent. They are most likely to occur in summer when soil is dry and exposed. In these conditions, hot, dry winds can blow dust into the atmosphere to create dust storms that last for hundreds to thousands of kilometres (Health Direct 2021; Murray-Atfield & Testa 2019). These high winds are typically associated with storm systems, cold fronts, or a passing low-pressure trough (Levy, 2020).
Drought conditions exacerbate these storms.
Drought reduces vegetation cover, and dries and loosens topsoil which lowers the wind speed required to lift particles into the air (Murray-Atfield & Testa 2019). As a drought progresses, dust storms become more frequent, begin earlier in the season, and more of these events reach the eastern coastline (Basford 2020).
Within the next few decades, droughts in Australia are predicted to occur 20-40% more often as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change. This change is likely to increase the number and intensity of dust storms across the continent (UCS 2011).
As more dust storms reach the highly populated eastern seaboard, breathing problems (e.g. asthma attacks) are likely to increase as people inhale these small dust particles into their lungs (Health Direct 2021). Dust storms can also disrupt electricity generation, tourism, farming, travel, and electricity generation. Hence, these events can be a major disruption to society and the economy (UCS 2011).
To reduce the future risk of this natural hazard to our society and economy, management and adaptation plans should be put in place now. This may include high accuracy forecasting of dust lift off, reducing outdoor activities during dust storms, adequately equipping our hospital systems, and ensuring appropriate PPE is available onsite.
The dust storms may be inevitable, but how we deal with them isn’t.
References:
Basford, Sarah. 2020. “How Dust Storms Work And Why Australia Will Keep Getting Them” Accessed 18 June, 2021. https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2020/01/how-dust-storms-work-and-why-australia-will-keep-getting-them/
Health Direct. 2021. “Dust storms” Accessed 18 June, 2021. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/dust-storms
Levy, Robert. 2020. “Major Dust Storm Sweeps Across Australia” Accessed 18 June, 2021. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146146/major-dust-storm-sweeps-across-australia
Murray-Atfield, Yara; Testa, Christopher. 2019. “Dust storms are being made worse by Australia’s drought. Here’s how they work” Accessed 18 June, 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-22/dust-storms-and-drought-in-australia-explained/11728260
Union of Concerned Scientists. 2011. “Sydney, Australia” Accessed 18 June, 2021. https://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-locations/sydney-australia.html
Author: Sienna Blanckensee | Aug 27, 2021
