Dust transport from non-East Asian sources to the North Pacific

It is generally thought that East Asia dominates the supply of eolian dust to the North Pacific. Here we show the first data-based evidence of dust primarily from non-East Asian sources even during March 2010 when a super dust storm from East Asia struck the western Pacific. Chemical characteristics of aerosol samples collected at a high-mountain site in Taiwan show variable inputs from eolian dust and biomass burning. From backward trajectory analyses, satellite observation and model simulation, dust origins can be traced to the Middle East and North Africa, suggesting an integrated source from the global dust belt. Our global model results demonstrate that dust deposition in the North Pacific is primarily contributed by non-East Asian sources with an eastward decrease along the Westerlies.