Geoinformation for Disaster and Risk Management - ISPRS

Suggested Practices for Forecasting
Dust Storms and
Intervening Their Health Effects
Stanley A. Morain and Amelia M. Budge
Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico, New
Mexico, USA
Importance of atmospheric contaminants in
Rhealth
Respiratory health is exacerbated by exposures to
microscopic particles and by microorganisms bound
to them. Repeated exposures lead to chronic
conditions such as asthma, while chance exposures
to particles carrying viruses and bacteria lead to
infectious and contagious diseases (Figure 1). Since
the 1970s, health concerns shifted from coarse
particles (10µm micrometers) to fine particles
(2.5µm), and in the past few years have shifted
toward particles in the 0.1µm range. There is ample
evidence in developed economies that inhalable
particulates result in costly health effects for families
and societies; stress healthcare infrastructures; and,
adversely affect local and national productivity.
These trends are a compelling argument for having
reliable forecast systems for dust and its movement
through the environment.
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