DUSHANBE, October 5, 2011, Asia-Plus -- A heavy curtain of dust lays over major part of Tajikistan on October 5 and weather forecasters expect the weather to clear up only by October 8.

“The dust storm will stop on Friday after short precipitation,” said Ms. Sabzina Sijotshoyeva, a specialist with Hydromet of Tajikistan, “Partly cloudy without precipitation will be during weekends.”

A dust/sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions.  Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dust from a dry surface.  Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil erosion from one place and deposition in another.  The Sahara and drylands around the Arabian Peninsula are the main terrestrial sources of airborne dust, with some contributions from Iran, Pakistan and India into the Arabian Sea, and China''s significant storms deposit dust in the Pacific.

It has been argued that recently, poor management of the Earth''s drylands, such as neglecting the fallow system, are increasing dust storms from desert margins and changing both the local and global climate, and also impacting local economies.