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Sand and dust storms (SDS) are the most devastating weather phenomena in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, impacting human health, the environment and various socioeconomic sectors. Thus, the National Center for Meteorology in Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and WMO, conducted a regional workshop on sand and dust storm in Arabian Peninsula in Jeddah on 1-2 June to build awareness and gain a better understanding of the impacts.

The workshop discussed the physical processes in the dust cycle and the effects of airborne dust on health, transportation, social and economic sectors. It looked at the role of research studies in defining solutions and methods to reduce the negative effects of sand and dust storms. The participants reviewed the mandate and the national, regional and international strategic goals of the GCC node of the SDS Warning Advisory and Assessment System (SDS-WAS), assessing the importance of its early warnings. They also compared notes on ground and satellite observation and prediction technologies for sand and dust storms.

It is important to note that the event did not only attract region’s experts from GCC countries, the League of Arab States and the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST). WMO, the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre and Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), which host the WMO SDS-WAS Regional Centre for Northern Africa-Middle East-Europe (NAMEE), and WMO Regional Specialized Meteorological for Sand and Dust Storm Forecasting in Asia were represented. Also participating were European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the UN Coalition on Sand and Dust Storms, UN-Habitat  and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

The participants urged for enhanced collaboration and partnerships in research, forecasting, monitoring, impacts, and more as key action items in the GCC region with the aim of improving understanding and knowledge on complex SDS processes and their multi-faceted impacts. Improved Numerical Weather Prediction systems for SDS forecasting would also benefit the GCC region and the Middle East: better forecasts are needed to mitigate the risks associated with SDS impacts on all sectors of society and the economy and improve early warning systems. Towards that goal, advances in dust and aerosol capabilities would also be required. Capacity building is thus paramount to enhance knowledge of the complex SDS physics, to improve understanding of SDS model capabilities and limitations, and to make more effective use of the observational data.

The workshop agreed that a better exchange of SDS related data and information was needed between GCC members. An effective and permanent data exchange mechanism is required in the region for near real-time data access/exchange and delivery from all observation stations with dust monitoring capabilities and numerical weather prediction model outputs.

More applied research on SDS is needed in the GCC region. Common research activities between NMHSs, and in collaboration with universities and other research organizations as well as the nodes of WMO SDS-WAS would make a significant difference in developing science-based, high-quality SDS-WAS products and services.