International Sand Storms Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bogey storm

Dust storms carry "small particles, which can be carried higher and further than sandstorms. The height to which the particles rise can vary, with some being recorded at 5000 ft."

Sand storms are generally smaller than dust storms as sand is heavier than dust.

Haboob, probably coming from Sudanese, is now becoming a general term to describe all such occurrences.

Answer: On a fairly regular basis around the globe

They occur somewhere on Earth on at least half the days of each year though not always in the same place. They occur in different parts of the world - sometimes simultaneously and sometimes not.

In the US, for instance, it is generally summertime in the Southwest, while in North Africa, there are a number of events per year.

In Iran, a 12-year study showed that most years there were over 100 days a year when they occurred with one year having over 150 days of dust storms.

Answer: In a swath close to the equator

The Saharan Desert, Chinese Desert, Arabian Desert, Iranian Desert, Death Valley and more are all in that broad swath around the equator, although some storms occur in other areas.

There have, for instance, been reports of dust storms in Illinois though it is further north. The National Weather Service suggested that those particular storms were due to the first plow of the spring season after the snow thaws. When these coincide with 40 mph winds a dust storm is almost inevitable. This means that human activity may be a factor in some dust storms.

Answer: The Great Depression

The Dust Bowl era of American history is generally considered to have coincided with the Great Depression and occurred during the years 1930-6. It affected areas from the Texas panhandle and northern New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma and other states in the area. Some of the sand actually reached the Eastern Seaboard.

John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath" described some of the difficulties of the people living in that area during the Great Depression/Dust Bowl era.

The area's latitude is actually fairly similar to that of the Southwest US which has annual sandstorms, though it is generally considered that the dust storms of the 30's resulted from poor land management that coincided with low rainfall.

The Whiskey Rebellion was in 1794; The Civil War between 1861-65; and WW2 between 1939-45.

Answer: Yes

The deserts of the Arctic regions do not have sand storms mostly because any sand that might be there is usually covered with snow.

Deserts are generally defined as dry areas with less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year.

Answer: Health, travel, economic, environmental

They impact all four of these areas. Health, travel, economic, and environmental dangers, and probably more, are a product of these storms.

Health - allergic reactions, breathing difficulties and asthma attacks
Travel - reduced visibility and engine problems
Economic - harmful to agriculture and livestock
Environmental - holds in toxic fumes. moves dirt to rivers which are not prepared for extra sand causing flooding

Answer: land, air and space

Ilan Rimon, the Israeli astronaut aboard the ill-fated Space Shuttle Columbia (which exploded upon re-entry in 2003), was charged with studying the movement of sand of the Sahara desert in northern Africa. Thomas Pesquet took pictures of a giant sandstorm while he was aboard the International Space Station. Most recently, Sultan Al Neyadi, of the United Arab Emirates, also took pictures of sandstorms, following their movement.

There have also been multiple studies of sandstorms on Mars.

In addition, airplanes, air balloons, and now drones all photograph these events.

Land-based photography of these events is, for me anyway, the most daunting. Showing a cloud of sand moving along the ground faster than you can run, sometimes even drive away, from it seems dangerous.

Answer: No

The storm reduces the driver's visibilty, can create havoc in the engine and can interfere with breathing.

Answer: Mars

Mars records regular sand storms which help us understand Earth-based sand storms as well. In fact, a huge dust storm nearly twice the size of the U.S., covered large parts of the Red Planet in January 2022 and reported by NASA.

The UN released a report in 2023 that stated "Two billion tons of sand and dust, equal in weight to 350 Great Pyramids of Giza, enter the atmosphere every year."

Answer: Saltation

Saltation, having little to do with salt, describes this movement. Merriam-Webster defines the term as "the action or process of leaping or jumping". Perhaps that explains the connection to the movement of such particles.