REMOTE SENSING AND GIS MONITORING OF WIND EROSION AND DUST EMISSION IN CENTRAL ASIA

Wind erosion and associated dust emission are major drivers of land degradation in arid and semi-arid regions of Central Asia, affecting soil condition, agricultural landscapes, ecosystems, and air quality. The aim of this review is to critically assess current remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) approaches for monitoring wind erosion, identifying dust-source areas, and characterizing atmospheric dust emissions in Central Asia. The review synthesizes peer-reviewed studies addressing optical and radar satellite observations, unmanned aerial vehicles, GIS analysis, wind-erosion models, aerosol products, meteorological observations, and ground-based measurements. Particular attention is given to the integration of remote sensing with the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ), the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS), Google Earth Engine workflows, and atmospheric transport models. The reviewed evidence indicates that optical data are most effective for characterizing vegetation cover, exposed soil, land-cover dynamics, and surface moisture; SAR/InSAR provides complementary information on structural and temporal surface changes; and aerosol products such as AOD and AAI/UVAI describe the atmospheric phase of dust events. However, differences in spatial and temporal resolution, model parameterization, and validation procedures constrain direct comparison among studies. An integrated framework combining remote sensing, GIS, erosion modelling, meteorological observations, UAV surveys, and ground-based aerosol measurements is therefore the most promising direction for operational monitoring of wind erosion and dust emission in Central Asia.

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