Muscat – The University of Nizwa, in partnership with the Environment Authority, NASA and several international research centres, has completed a study on aerosol properties over Birkat al Mouz, focusing on dust dynamics and regional sources.

The research, titled ‘A Preliminary Study of Vertically Integrated Aerosol Properties over the Birkat al Mouz Area’, used precise optical measurements to analyse seasonal dust patterns, radiative effects of aerosols and long-distance dust transport.

Professor Ahmed bin Sulaiman al Harrasi, Vice Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies, Scientific Research and External Relations at the University of Nizwa, said the project was conducted in collaboration with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar and Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority.

Dr Biju Danyadan, atmospheric science researcher and project supervisor, said the team used data collected by the AERONET global network’s sun photometer installed at the University of Nizwa from December 2022 to November 2024. The AERONET network includes more than 500 ground-based remote sensing sites worldwide.

Analyses covered aerosol optical depth, angstrom index, single-scattering albedo, radiative forcing and concentration-weighted trajectory analysis to trace dust origins.

According to Dr Mohammed bin Saif al Kalbani, Director General of Environmental Compliance at the Environment Authority, the study found the highest dust concentrations occurred in summer and the lowest in winter. It identified the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and parts of the Indian subcontinent as key dust sources during summer.

The study also showed that dust cools the Earth’s surface by blocking sunlight while heating upper atmospheric layers by trapping energy, influencing local and regional climates.

Dr Kalbani said the results have practical implications for Oman, including air quality management, public health, agriculture and renewable energy efficiency. He added that the research supports Oman’s environmental policies and the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.