Sandstorms and/or duststorms that are affecting the Korean peninsula occur most frequently in the spring season in the arid and semi-arid area of sand deserts including Badainjaran, Tengger, Mu Us, Hunsandakue and Keoeolchin, Gobi region and Loess Plateau in the Asian continent. The area of Asian dust source regions cover most of northern China and Mongolia. Warning is issued when the hourly averaged dust(PM10) concentration is expected to exceed 800 ㎛/㎥ for over 2hours.
The core of the Burkina Faso Warning Advisory System (WAS) is a universally understood system based on colour-coded maps. Every day, the Barcelona Dust Regional Center is producing two maps with the warning levels for the next two days (D+1 and D+2) in the country’s thirteen regions. This clear, concise information is expected to help planning any activity vulnerable to airborne dust or activate services and procedures aimed at the mitigation of damages caused in public health or any other vulnerable sector, such as the meningococcal meningitis outbreaks that occurs in part of sub-Saharan Africa extending from Senegal to Ethiopia, including the entire territory of Burkina Faso. These outbreaks have a strong seasonal pattern – many studies have linked environmental conditions, such as low humidity and dusty conditions, to the time and place of infections. Researchers believe that inhalation of dust particles in hot dry weather may damage nose and throat mucosa creating favourable conditions for bacterial infection.
The aim of the Compendium is to provide information and guidance on how to assess and address the risks posed by sand and dust storms and plan actions to combat sand and dust storms. The Compendium brings together information and guidance from a wide range of sources. It includes approaches and methodology frameworks on data collection, assessment, monitoring and early warning, impact mitigation and preparedness, and source mapping and anthropogenic source mitigation that are required in the development and implementation of policies related to sand and dust storms at sub-national, national, regional and global levels, taking into account the principles set out in the Policy Advocacy Framework for Sand and Dust Storms, and the cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary nature of the impact that sand and dust storms can cause to societies, economies, and the environment.
