According to the international research team behind the study, existing models are outdated and have little relation to reality on the ground.
“When the dust emission model was developed, there were few continuously changing global datasets available and simplifying assumptions were made for its implementation,” they write in a paper in JGR Atmospheres. I’m writing this. These simplifications include the assumption that there is no vegetation on the Earth’s surface, that most of the dust is emitted from North Africa and the Middle East, and that there are numerous dry, loose deposits on the surface. It included things to do.
In fact, researchers have discovered that the truth is quite different. Using daily satellite observations of dust sources every 500 meters around the globe to calculate annual corrected dust emissions from 2001 to 2020, the team found that also found that far less dust was released to the ground.
A new analysis published in the journal Science of the Total Environment shows that Earth’s main dust sources shift throughout the year between the deserts of East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and the scrublands of Australia and North America. It was also discovered that That change is hidden in the current model. .
Atmospheric dust affects both climate and human health, even in areas far from its source. Overall, the researchers wrote in the JGR Atmospheres study, the old model differed by up to two orders of magnitude from satellite observations.
“Current models only tell part of the story,” said Adrian Chappell, a professor of climate change impacts at Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and lead author of both papers. stated in a news release.
Researchers warn that using outdated models risks slowing scientific progress and improving climate change projections. They suggest that the field adopt new, more sensitive models to enhance continued research.