Detection of Dust Storm Pathways in Western Iran Using the HYSPLIT Lagrangian Particle Dispersion Model

In recent years, the phenomenon of dust storms has become a serious global issue, particularly in the Middle East region. Today, the most widespread and damaging environmental crisis in the country is the occurrence of dust storm events, attributed to land use and climate change effects. This study was conducted in western Iran with the aim of detecting the entry paths of dust storm events into Kermanshah province using the HYSPLIT model. Tracking and monitoring the path of dust storms on a wide scale and using methods that are both accurate and fast, but also cost-effective, is of great importance. Therefore, in this study, GDAS data were used to detect and route the movement of dust storms using the Lagrangian dispersion model in the HYSPLIT environment. For this purpose, the dust storm from the 19th to the 21st of May, 2023, in Kermanshah province was selected. Modeling was performed using the backtracking method to determine the movement path of dust particles 6 hours prior to the desired occurrence in the 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000-meter levels. Finally, maps of the path detection and tracking of weather systems and air particles at pressure levels were obtained in both PDF and KML formats. Detection of the movement path of dust particles showed that often the paths pass through the northern and central regions of neighboring countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the results indicated that the source of dust storms in western Iran lies in a region between the border regions of western Iran, northern and central Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.