Dust storms across Central East Asia have shown a sharp rebound in recent years after two decades of decline. A research team from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has revealed that Mongolia has become a major source of dust emissions in the region.
By applying the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS), the team estimated hourly dust emissions for 136 large dust events that occurred between 2000 and 2023. The analysis covered major dust-producing areas across northern China and Mongolia, integrating high-resolution data on wind speed, soil texture, vegetation cover, and soil moisture.
Results show that both the frequency and intensity of dust storms decreased steadily from the early 2000s to 2020. However, this trend reversed sharply afterward. Total dust emissions increased more than sevenfold, from 5.7 million tons in 2020 to 40.3 million tons in 2023, while the number of large dust events rose from three to five per year. Mongolia’s contribution to these events climbed from 43% in the early 2000s to 53% in recent years, reaching 62% in 2022 and 64% during a major regional dust storm in April 2023. The study identifies that stronger surface winds, vegetation degradation, and reduced soil moisture as the dominant factors behind this rebound. Wind speed accounted for about 46% of the total influence, followed by vegetation loss (19%) and soil drying (9%). Intensified Mongolian cyclones and prolonged droughts over the Gobi Desert have enhanced soil erosion and dust mobilization, while ecological restoration projects in northern China have helped reduce local emissions.
These findings highlight a shift in the dominant dust source areas of Central East Asia and underscore the importance of cross-border collaboration for monitoring and early warning. The authors suggest that coordinated observation networks between China and Mongolia are essential for tracking event-scale dust fluxes and mitigating transboundary environmental impacts.
The study, titled “Source shifting and contributions to Central East Asia dust events during 2000-2023,” provides a new perspective for understanding the changes of dust activity in East Asia. The results were recently published in Science China Earth Sciences.
See the article:
Xing Y, Liu B, Wagner L E, Qu J. 2025. Source shifting and contributions to Central East Asia dust events during 2000–2023. Science China Earth Sciences, 68(11): 3804–3816, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-024-1706-5
Science China Earth Sciences
Data/statistical analysis