Effectual radar satellite monitoring of the initial stages of sandstorm formation and progress in the Sahara Desert
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36023/ujrs.2025.12.4.289Keywords:
radar remote sensing, desert sandstorm monitoring, stages of sandstorm research, complex radar monitoringAbstract
The article is devoted to the elaboration and possibilities of using the method of stage-by-stage satellite radar monitoring of aeolian processes as sources of sandstorms in the process of their growth. The method is based on an experimental study of the effect of anomalous narrow-directional backscattering of radio waves (ANDBR) from an electrically conductive layer formed under the action of the wind, bordering the surface of the barchan. The causes of the formation of such a layer are described, taking into account the physics of the interaction of negatively charged particles when they collide with the surface and with each other in the air. A modified model of combined facet backscattering (MMCFB) by leeward slopes of barchans and ripples located on windward and leeward slopes of barchans is proposed. It should be noted that the angles of these slopes, being the angles of repose of sand, remain constant under radar irradiation at any wavelength. As a result, a comprehensive monitoring of sandstorm characteristics is proposed, during all stages of their passage, using the processing of data from groups of radar satellites operating at the same or different wavelengths. For such type of monitoring, the overall range of surface irradiation angles is also not significant and such fast-passing processes as erosion, evaporation, etc. are excluded from consideration. The obtained data after statistical processing can be compared with field measurement data. The manifestations of the first stages of sandstorm occurrence in fragments of radar images have been confirmed and explained. Prospects for studying the development of storms at the next stages are proposed.
Contributions of Authors: Conceptualization, O.Ya. Matveev. and S. A. Velichko; methodology, O.Ya. Matveev. S. A. Velichko. V. N. Tsymbal and V. K. Ivanov; formal analysis, O.Ya. Matveev, S. A. Velichko and D. M. Bychkov; investigation, O.Ya. Matveev, S. A. Velichko, D. M. Bychkov and O. M. Stadnyk; data processing, O.Ya. Matveev, S. A. Velichko, D. M. Bychkov and O. M. Stadnyk; writing—original draft preparation: O.Ya. Matveev and S. A. Velichko; writing—review and editing O.Ya. Matveev. S. A. Velichko, V. N. Tsymbal, V. K. Ivanov, D. M. Bychkov and O. M. Stadnyk; visualization, O.Ya. Matveev and D. M. Bychkov. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This research received no external funding.
Data Availability Statement: Not applicable.
Acknowledgments: The authors express their sincere gratitude to Earth Observing System Data Analytics (eosda.com) for providing free digital radar images of the Envisat SAR within the framework of the ESA project id:13193. We are also grateful to reviewers and editors for their valuable comments, recommendations, and attention to the work.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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