What is sandblasting? How did it come about?

What is a sandstorm?

Sandstorms are disastrous weather phenomena in which strong winds blow up a large amount of sand and dust on the ground, making the air very turbid and the horizontal visibility less than 1000m. Sandstorms are disastrous weather unique to arid and desert areas. Its appearance is the result of the interaction of various factors such as strong winds, abundant dust sources and unstable air conditions. Sandstorm disasters are mainly manifested in four aspects: First, the blowing and abrasion of wind and sand flow. The blowing and abrasive effects of moving airflows (sandflows) carrying water and dust make fertile soil barren and damage crops and various facilities. The second is the pressure buried in quicksand. Where a sandstorm passes, the sand flow in the lower part encounters resistance and decelerates, depositing a large amount of sand and dust, burying farmland, pastures, residential areas, industries and mines, railways, highways and other facilities in the form of quicksand. The third is strong wind attack. Sandstorms are fierce, with wind speeds often exceeding 20 to 30m/s. The destructive winds can attack various industrial and agricultural facilities. Fourth, it pollutes the environment. The sandstorm process brings a large amount of dust particles to high altitudes and into the troposphere, polluting the atmospheric environment. In severe cases, it can cause serious harm to humans, animals and plants. The prevention and control of sandstorm disasters is an arduous task. At present, people mainly prevent and control sandstorms by reducing the sources of sand and dust materials, such as renovating desertified land, planting grass and trees to expand vegetation coverage, and establishing an oasis protective forest system. At the same time, a sandstorm monitoring and early warning system will be established to improve monitoring, forecasting and assessment capabilities.

Excerpted from: "ABC of Environmental Protection"