A Comprehensive Review of Dust Events: Characteristics, Climate Feedbacks, and Public Health Risks

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Dust events are global meteorological disasters, affecting approximately 330 million people across 151 countries, from sub-Saharan Africa to northern China and Australia, with profound impacts on ecosystems, human health, and socioeconomics. The WMO airborne dust bulletin 2023 indicates that, dust concentrations in the most severely affected regions worldwide exceeded long-term averages, causing significant impacts on the global environment, economy, and public health.

Recent Findings

In recent years, as climate change has led to an increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, research on the interactions between dust aerosols and the climate system, as well as their impacts on human health, has gradually become a hot topic. Studies have revealed the critical role of direct radiative feedback from East Asian dust in exacerbating dust-related air pollution in northern China. Other research highlights the combined effects of Arctic Sea ice anomalies, La Niña events, and a warmer northwestern Atlantic in creating loose, dry surface conditions across Mongolia, along with the formation of the strongest Mongolian cyclone in the past decade, which provided favorable dynamical disturbances and transport conditions for dust events. Furthermore, dust events have been shown to significantly increase the mortality risk from respiratory diseases, particularly chronic lower respiratory diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Circulatory disease mortality risks, including ischemic stroke and hypertensive heart disease, have also risen. These findings underscore the importance of further exploring the interactions between dust aerosols and regional climate, as well as their multidimensional impacts on human health.

Summary

Dust events, as a global arid meteorological disaster, affect vast regions worldwide. In China, the severe spring dust storm of 2021 caused significant adverse impacts and economic losses across many northern cities. To enhance global awareness of dust events, strengthen international cooperation, and mitigate their impacts, the United Nations (UN) has designated 2025–2034 as the "UN Decade for Combating Sand and Dust Storms". Implementing effective dust control policies, building climate-resilient health systems, and enhancing efforts in risk mitigation, prevention, response, and recovery can significantly reduce health risks. This review aims to summarize recent advances in research on the impacts of dust on climate and human health. It contributes to expanding our understanding of the climatic effects of dust aerosols and provides crucial scientific evidence for addressing climate change and developing strategies to mitigate health risks associated with dust exposure.