The dust is blown from the Saddlebag Glacier located in the southwestern Alaska every late autumn.
Fig. 1 shows the dust storm observed by the TANSO-CAI from November 9 to November 18, 2017. Fig. 2 shows wind speed and direction simulated by the WRF (Weather Research & Forecasting) model on November 13. These images show that the dust was blown off to ocean along the strong offshore wind.
It is thought that this dust was originated from the scraped ground rock, which located in contact with the moving glacier ice. Researchers are investigating the role of dust storms in promoting phytoplankton blooms.
※The TANSO-CAI image was composed of band2 (674nm) in red, band3 (870nm) in green and band1 (380nm) in blue.
Fig 1. The TANSO-CAI image of dust storm. The red mark shows the location of the Saddlebag Glacier.
Fig 2. The results of wind speed and direction for each pressure level of November 13 simulated by WRF.
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