Dust in the Arctic: feedbacks and interactions between climate change, aeolian dust and ecosystems

Dust in the Arctic is an emerging topic related to climate and environmental impacts. The United Nations (UN) General Assembles and the UN Coalition to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have reiterated that the global frequency, intensity, and duration of Sand and Dust Storms (SDS) have increased in the last decade and that SDS have natural and human causes that can be exacerbated by desertification, land degradation, drought, biodiversity loss, and climate change. UNCCD and FAO have also highlighted that emerging SDS source areas have been associated with the warming of the Arctic and high latitude regions, the seasonal or permanent drying of inland waters and river deltas, or are following large-scale deforestation and wildfires, or even the ploughing of a single field. Loss of snow cover, retreat of glaciers, and increase in drought intensity due to climate change can lead to surface conditions that increase the likelihood of creation, continuation and expansion of SDS source areas.

Climatic feedback mechanisms and ecosystem impacts related to dust in the Arctic include direct radiative forcing (absorption and scattering), indirect radiative forcing (via clouds and cryosphere), semi-direct effects of dust on meteorological parameters, effects on atmospheric chemistry, as well as impacts on terrestrial, marine, freshwater, and cryosphere ecosystems. Here we give an overview of our recent understanding on dust emissions and their long-range transport routes, deposition, and ecosystem effects in the Arctic as presented in Meinander et al. (2025), part of the series of review papers of the Arctic Council Working Group AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program) and CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna), where the target audience is the scientific community focusing on the Arctic. Additional audiences include policy advisers and other staff in environmental-related ministries.

We conclude that the multiple mechanisms related to dust emissions, transport and deposition both cool and warm the climate system, with an uncertain net effect. Dust plays a significant role in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, e.g., by providing nutrients, and with impacts on the availability of light and water. Due to Arctic warming, HLD dust emissions can be expected to increase. The contributions of LLD and HLD complicates the interpretation of how much different sources contribute to the dust loadings and corresponding temporal and spatial deposition patterns. Another challenge is that low latitude dust source emissions of road and agricultural dust is barely characterized.

Reference:

Meinander O, Uppstu A, Dagsson-Waldhauserova P, Groot Zwaaftink C, Juncher Jørgensen C, Baklanov A, Kristensson A, Massling A and Sofiev M (2025). Dust in the arctic: a brief review of feedbacks and interactions between climate change, aeolian dust and ecosystems. Front. Environ. Sci. Sec. Interdisciplinary Climate Studies, Volume 13 – 2025. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1536395. CAFF-special issue.