1 Journal of Atmospheric Science Research | Volume 02 | Issue 02 | April 2019 Distributed under creative commons license 4.0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30564/jasr.v2i2.352 Journal of Atmospheric Science Research https://ojs.bilpublishing.com/index.php/jasr ARTICLE Main Characteristics of Dust Storm sand Their Radiative Impacts: With a Focuson Tajikistan Sabur.F.Abdullaev 1* Irina.N.Sokolik 2 1. Physical-Technical institute Academy of Sciences of Republic of Tajikistan, Ayni str.299/1, Dushanbe,ZIP-734063, Ta- jikistan 2. School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 311 Ferst Drive Atlanta, GA 30332- 0340, USA ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history Received: 11 November 2018 Accepted: 6 April 2019 Published Online: 12 April 2019 Dust storms are commonly occurring phenomena in Tajikistan. The known aridity of the region is a major factor in promoting numerous dust storms. They have many diverse impacts on the environment and the climate of the region. The classifcation of dust storms and synoptic conditions related to their formation in Central Asia are discussed in the content of their diverse impact. We address dust optical properties that are representative of the region. Dust storms signifcantly reduce visibly and pose a human health threads. They also cause a signifcant impact on the radiative regime. As a result, dust storms may cause a decrease in tem- perature during daytime of up to 16 о С and an increase in temperature during night time from up to 7 о С compared to a clear day. Keywords: Dust storms Dust haze Temperature effect of aerosol Aerosol optical thickness Desert zone Arid zone Dust aerosol *Corresponding Author: Sabur.F.Abdullaev, Physical-Technical institute Academy of Sciences of Republic of Tajikistan, Ayni str.299/1, Dushanbe,ZIP-734063, Tajikistan; Email: sabur.f.abdullaev@gmail.com 1. Introduction T ajikistan is situated in the global dust belt on the way of transport routes of dust from some major dust sources like the Aralkum desert of the desic- cating Aral Sea, the Kyzyl-Kum and Karakum deserts east of the Caspian Sea, the Iranian Dasht-e-Kavir and Dasht- e-Lut deserts and the deserts in Afghanistan, Sahara and Taklamakan desert [1-4] (Figure 1). Therefore, Tajikistan is frequently affected by severe dust events every year (from April untill November) and is a net accumulator of dust. Tajikistan is a country with a dry climate and benefts from its water resources in the mountainous Pamir region, which are stored in a large part in glaciers. Furthermore, Central Asia and especially Tajikistan are highly affect- ed by climate change. For example, the dramatic glacier shrinking took place in the last decades, which has also an effect on the water resources of Tajikistan and the whole Central Asian area. Since the trans-regionally important rivers as Amu Darya and Syr Darya are fed by glacier melt water, which were originally feeding the Aral Sea, which now became itself a strong dust source [1-4] . On the other hand, deposited dust itself can accelerate glacier