Project Summary
Dust emissions and sandstorms are international desertification problems. They cause damage to drylands, including those in Mongolia and China, and Japan is affected by Asian dust. The goal of this project is to assess the dust effects on human health and environments, to elucidate the dust emission and sandstorm mechanisms, and to develop mitigation techniques.
Outline
Dust Emission Group
1- Gain a deeper understanding of the aerodynamic and physical influences on grassland vegetation during wind erosion and dust emission processes
2- Conduct vegetation modeling of seasonal growth and decay and of the impact of grazing
3- Scale known relationships upwards to create a regional model
4- Quantify the critical parameters affecting dust emissions by using remote-sensing techniques
5- Conduct integrated wind-erosion modeling that incorporates a grassland aeolian database and a vegetation model
Effect Assessment Group
1. Study the effects of dust on human health
*Effects in Japan (allergy, microorganisms)
*Effects in source areas (long-term effects of Asian dust storms in Mongolia)
2. Analyze the effects of dust on human activity
*Chronic effects of dust on animals
*Livestock poisoning related to desertification in Mongolia
3. Evaluate the effects of dust on ecosystems (with the DSS Control Group)
4. Study the effects of dust on agriculture and livestock farming in dust source areas
*Effect of dust on agriculture and livestock farming
*Effect of climate change (drought) on agriculture and livestock farming
Dust and Sandstorm(DSS) Control Group
1. Review measures to reduce wind erosion and evaluate the effects of measures (with the Dust Emission Group)
2. Develop sustainable measures to control dust and sandstorms
*Evaluate the restoration of original vegetation
*Develop effective planting technologies for native plant species
3. Assess the effect of dust on natural ecosystems (with the Effect Assessment Group)
http://www.alrc.tottori-u.ac.jp/asiandust/en/org_summary.html
