Characterization of 21 years of dust events across four West Texas regions

Abstract

Dust events are caused by strong winds that lift dust particles into the air. Due to surrounding deserts and agriculture, West Texas experiences many dust events. This study examines dust events that occurred between 2000 and 2020 across four locations: Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland, and El Paso. A total of 1,834 dust events were identified across the four locations with an average of 22 dust events annually. 227 dust events were observed in Amarillo, 609 in Lubbock, 545 in Midland, and 453 dust events were observed in El Paso. A slight increasing trend of dust events over time was observed for Amarillo, Lubbock, and Midland while El Paso showed a decreasing trend. Most dust events occurred during the spring to early summer months and they lasted an hour or less. Many dust events occurred during times of drought and periods of La Niña. Separation of the dust events based on the meteorological disturbance that caused them (convective vs. synoptic) showed that synoptic disturbances contribute to >60 % of the dust events, while convective disturbances were responsible for most of the remaining. Synoptic disturbances were predominately in spring while convective disturbances were common in the early summer months. A comparison of meteorological parameters measured during each disturbance shows that synoptic dust events were associated with lower temperatures, dew point, and relative humidity, but with higher wind speeds and gusts.