Guanyu Liu1, Jing Li1*, Zhongjing Jiang1, and Xichen Li2*
1 Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China.
2 International Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences (ICCES), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
*Correspondence to: J. Li (jing-li@pku.edu.cn) and X. Li (lixichen@mail.iap.ac)
Abstract
Dust activities are closely related to local meteorological conditions partly driven by remote ocean variability. Here, we investigate the impact of tropical Pacific, North Atlantic, and Arctic ocean variability on dust activities in the Gobi Desert and North China and attempt to quantify their contributions. Three individual Sea Surface Temperature (SST) forcing experiments were performed to simulate the teleconnection from the three ocean basins. Two random forest regression models were established to link the meteorological variables to boreal Spring Dust Activity Frequency (SDAF). Results show that with SST (sea ice concentration for the Arctic) anomaly, tropical Pacific SST variability results in the most change in SDAF in the Gobi Desert, whereas the North Atlantic SST variability plays a more critical role in North China. Considering the observed SST variability, the tropical Pacific becomes more critical in affecting dust activities in both regions.
Key Points
l The dust activity frequency in the Gobi Desert showed interdecadal variability, whereas it decreased in North China from 1981 to 2021
l Warmer North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature (SST), cooler Niño 1 + 2 SST, and less Arctic sea ice concentration cause more spring dust activities in both regions
l Niño 1 + 2 SST forcing dominates the dust activity in the Gobi Desert, whereas North Atlantic forcing is vital for North China
Citation
Liu, G., Li, J., Jiang, Z., & Li, X. (2022). Impact of sea surface temperature variability at different ocean basins on dust activities in the Gobi Desert and North China. Geophysical Research Letters, 49, e2022GL099821. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL09982
