Reducing highway accidents with a satellite-aided dust storm forecasting system

Abstract:

Dust storms affect transportation through high winds, reduced visibility, and deposition of sand and fine soil powder on the road surface, posing imminent risks to motorists’ safety in arid/semiarid regions. An earlier study by the National Weather Service reported that highway accidents caused by dust storms are the third largest cause of weather fatalities in Arizona, where 157 people were killed on highways between 1955 and 2011. In New Mexico, Interstate 10 crossing Lordsburg Playa has been the site of at least 41 dust-related fatalities. At the national level, however, it remains unclear what the death toll of dust storms is in the United States. This study presents the first national analysis of highway fatalities caused by dust storms in the United States. Using police reports from the Department of Transportation Fatality Analysis Report System (FARS), we found that dust storms killed from 13 to 33 people each year during 2007-2017. These numbers are much higher than that reported by the National Hazard Statistics. To help mitigate this highway safety risk, we have been developing and testing a satellite-aided dust forecasting system that provides early warnings to reduce dust-related highway accidents. The forecasting system utilizes near-real-time observations from satellites to improve representations of dust sources and lateral cover for dust emissions, and to validate model prediction of the timing and locations of dust plumes. Finally, we will discuss the progress of utilizing citizen science platforms to collect dust observations and to disseminate early warning information.