Dust storms in Iran – Distribution, causes, frequencies and impacts

• Provides a new analysis of the distribution of dust storms in Iran. • Analyses the synoptic situations that give rise to them. • Identifies their marked seasonality and year to year trends. • Shows their human health and economic implications. The occurrence of dust storms in Iran has been a source of interest for centuries, but their study has increased dramatically over the last two decades. This paper reviews recent work on the distribution of dust storms in Iran. We show that the dust events that affect Iran come from sources within the country and also from outside Iran's boundaries. The location of major sources within Iran are identified in high-resolution maps and satellite images. Many of these sources have not been previously identified. This paper discusses the transport pathways of this material, the synoptic conditions associated with dust storms and dust haze, recent changes in dust storm frequencies and their causes, and the consequences of dust storms, particularly with respect to health, for Iranian society. Economic consequences include adverse impacts on solar power generation, crops, productivity of the manufacturing industry, and damage to agricultural land, buildings and infrastructure.