Agrotermos

Preferred term

dust storms

An unusual and frequently severe weather condition characterized by strong winds and dust-laden air over an extensive area. Prerequisite to a dust storm is a period of drought over an area of normally arable land, thus providing the very fine particles of dust which distinguish it from the more common sandstorm of desert regions. Sand and dust storms (SDS) are natural atmospheric events generated in arid and semiarid regions, usually caused by strong near-surface winds associated with thunderstorms and frontal synoptic conditions. During these weather-driven extreme events, large amounts of particles of a broad range of sizes are uplifted from the soil. Sand and dust distinguish the size of the particles involved in SDS – “sand” refers to coarse particles (with diameters of > 60 micrometres (mm)) and “dust” refers to finer particles (with diameters of < 60 mm, including silt and clay).

storms

eolian dust

The term sand storm is used most often in the context of desert sand storms, especially in the Sahara, or places where sand is a more prevalent soil type than dirt or rock, when, in addition to fine particles obscuring visibility, a considerable amount of larger sand particles are blown closer to the surface. Whereas the term dust storm is more likely to be used when finer particles are blown long distances, especially when the dust storm affects urban areas.

French

Created

2018-03-19T14:57:07Z

Last modified

2021-05-24T17:34:42Z

void:inDataset

http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/void.ttl#Agrovoc

Notation

912310e8

tempêtes de poussiere

Spanish

Created

2025-02-11T21:15:42Z

void:inDataset

http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/void.ttl#Agrovoc

Notation

912310e8

Tormenta de polvo

URI

http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_912310e8

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Created 3/19/18, 2:52 PM, last modified 11/25/25, 3:16 PM