Dust storms are pervasive across much of inland California (see map) and have many adverse effects on the state's communities and economy:

• Health: Negative health impacts from dust range from traffic accidents due to poor visibility to respiratory disease caused by direct exposure to the airborne particles. In California these health impacts from dust storms are disproportionately born by vulnerable groups.
• Water Resources: Dust storms during the winter season can result in dust cover of snow covered surfaces, limiting water storage capacity by accelerating springtime runoff of mountain snowpack.
• Energy: Dust deposition onto solar energy panels (soiling) can degrade their performance by 50%.
• Agriculture: Dust reduces agricultural productivity by reducing soil fertility, abrading crops, and limiting photosynthesis.
• Weather and Climate: The presence of airborne dust can affect the transfers of sunlight and infrared radiation in the atmosphere, as well as the properties of water clouds.

Dust storms in California are expected to increase in frequency and severity as the climate changes. Thus, it is highly likely that dust impacts will grow more pervasive and severe with time.

In order to address these negative impacts of dust storms in California, UC Dust has identified the following near-term goals, which focus on the Imperial and Coachella Valleys:

Goal 1: Develop an Early Warning System (EWS) for dust storms. An early warning system for dust storms can be designed to provide timely alerts to affected community members, businesses, emergency services, and healthcare facilities. Our goal is to provide a crucial 30-minute window for proactive measures to be taken, helping to mitigate the impact of an approaching dust storm.

Goal 2: Create a reliable 3-day dust forecast. The EPA provides forecasts of PM10 for a small number of communities impacted by dust storms, which unfortunately have little to no skill. Our goal is to generate reliable forecasts of dust that can give more precise and actionable information on dust storms in the state.

We aim to achieve these goals by developing the science underlying the dust EWS and forecast, generating robust products for the state, and working with end-users in the community to ensure these forecast products have the greatest impact.