Investigation of Dust Phenomenon in Golestan Province, with Emphasis on Aerosol Optical Depth Index and Wind Direction and Speed

In the present study, the phenomenon of dust and the annual and seasonal trends were studied in Golestan province over a period of 18 years (2000-2017). According to the tools and techniques of Remote Sensing and wind dust diagrams, the dust phenomenon was studied. In order to investigate the occurrence of dust, AOD related to MODIS sensor was used. The results show that the highest annual average of AOD (equivalent to 0.321) was indicated in the year 2009 which shows the highest intensity and concentration of dust. Also, in terms of seasonal changes, autumn and winter seasons have a small share of dust concentration. The highest dust concentration in Golestan province is related to summer and especially July. Also, the seasonal wind dust diagrams show that the dust direction is mostly from west and southwest and the role of north winds in dust production is negligible. This result shows that contrary to popular belief that the source of foreign dust in the province is often Turkmenistan, the role of Turkmenistan in the Golestan dust production is small and the dust mass has entered to Iran from the west and from the northern parts of the country to Golestan province.