DUST STORM OFF ALGERIA:DECEMBER 6, 2003

LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS

ALGERIAPART 2: DUST STORMS

ALGERIA

ALGERIA

NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN ALGERIA

NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN ALGERIA

FLOODS

WINDSTORMS/DUSTSTORMS

EARTHQUAKES

LANDSLIDES

ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

HIGH BENEFIT/COST FROM BECOMING DISASTER RESILIENT

HIGH BENEFIT/COST FROM BECOMING DISASTER RESILIENT

GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES

GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES

DUST STORMS

• A dust storm (or sand storm) is a common meteorological phenomenon that is common in. arid and semi-arid regions

The Sahara Desert is a key source of dust storms, particularly the Bodele Depression and an area

covering the confluence of Muritania, Mali, and Algeria]

Saharan dust storms have increased approximately 10-

fold since the 1950s.

DUST STORM OFF ALGERIA:DECEMBER 6, 2003

ALGERIAN DUST STORM

• This dust storm, like others, carried Saharan dust across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Southeast United States.

PAST NOTABLE REGIONAL DUST STORMS

United Arab Emirates--Feb., 2009Al-Asada, Iraq; April 2005

Egypt, May 13, 2005

DUST STORM: AL-ASAD, IRAQ; APRIL 27, 2005

DUST STORM LEAVING EGYPT: MAY 13, 2005

IMPACTS OF DUST

• Dust injects nutrients, such as iron, into marine ecosystems.

• Dust also carries bacteria and spores from fungi, which can cause diseases long distances away.

IMPACTS OF DUST

• Dust storms can cause or worsen breathing problems.

• Finally, dust in the atmosphere can also influence weather and global climate change.

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

• Reduced visibility caused by dust can affect aircraft transportation.

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

• Dust storms cause soil loss from the dry lands, and the abrasive effect of the storm damages young crop plants.

• They preferentially remove organic matter, thereby reducing agricultural productivity.