Remote sensing of dust source characteristics and emission controls on a large playa

Playas are ephemeral, endorheic lake systems that are common arid regions which have been identified as both regionally and globally significant sources of mineral dust. Emissions of dust from large playas can therefore impact significantly on regional climate through a range of land/atmosphere interactions. Nevertheless our understanding of spatial and temporal controls on dust emission from these environments at scales relevant to climate models, are poorly understood. Etosha Pan is a large playa situated in semi-arid northern Namibia. It sits in a basin 1000 m amsl, has a surface area of approximately 5000 km2. This playa has been identified as one of the largest sources of mineral dust in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, to uncover sub-basin scale controls on mineral dust emissions, multiple time-series of remote sensing data (2004-2014) for this playa are presented. These depict:(a) mineral aerosol …