Dust Investigation by MERRA-2 Model in Iran: (during 2007- 2017)

Different regions of Iran are affected by internal or external dust sources. Satellite data can be ‎used to examine the temporal and spatial distribution and detected the source of dust. The aim ‎of this study was to analyze the concentration of surface dust, dust in air column and aerosol ‎optical depth (AOD) using MERRA-2 model and Aqua satellite data in Iran. Data were prepared ‎between 2007 and 2017 and the figures were plotted by Grads and OriginPro software. The ‎research findings showed three cross-border dust source including western, eastern and ‎northeastern Iran and two internal area in the desert plain and southeastern Iran. The dust ‎source located in southeastern Iraq and Kuwait have the highest concentration of surface dust. ‎In Abadan, the highest concentration of surface dust with 552 (μg⁄m^3 ) in summer, dust in ‎air column 709 (mg⁄m^2 ) in spring and the AOD of MERRA-2 with 0.58 in the spring took ‎placed. The correlation coefficient between surface dust and air column dust was obtained in ‎internal area including Tabas, Kahnooj, Khor Biabank and Nikshahr with 0.94 and 0.93, 0.89 and ‎‎0.89, which can indicate the effect of local conditions on development. Time series of air ‎column dust in three stations of Bushehr, Abadan and Ahvaz shows the highest decreasing line ‎trend with -0.05 and -0.035, which shows the decrease in the effect of dust external dust ‎sources.In the monthly distribution, the years 2008 and 2012 were determined by the most ‎severe and widespread dust in Iran. The maximum dust values was obtained in April and July ‎‎2008, May 2012 and July 2016 in Ahvaz.‎