Similar quasiperiodic year-to-year variations of dust dry deposition (DDD) with a two–three-year period were found over Israel and north-east Africa. This phenomenon of quasiperiodic interannual variations of DDD has not been discussed in previous publications. Moreover, similar seasonal variations of DDD were found over both Israel and north-east Africa, characterized by significant dust deposition in spring and a decrease in DDD from spring to autumn. These findings indicate the existence of the same causal factors for interannual and seasonal variations of DDD over the two regions, such as similar surface winds created by Mediterranean cyclones.

Daily runs of the Dust REgional Atmospheric Model (DREAM) at Tel Aviv University from 2006 to 2019 were used to investigate the main features of the spatio-temporal distribution of dust dry deposition in the eastern Mediterranean, with a focus on Israel. DREAM showed that, on average, during the 14-year study period, in the winter, spring, and summer months, the spatial distribution of monthly-accumulated DDD over Israel was non-uniform with the maximum of DDD over southern Israel. In the autumn months, DREAM showed an increase in DDD over northern Israel, resulting in an almost uniform DDD pattern. The knowledge of DDD spatio-temporal distribution is helpful for understanding the negative effects of DDD on the performance of solar panels and on insulator flashover in the Israel power electric network.

Satellite and ground-based measurements show that the eastern Mediterranean is a crossroad for various species of air pollution [1]. These species include desert dust from the Sahara Desert as well as from deserts in the Middle East, anthropogenic aerosols from Europe, and marine sea-salt aerosols generated by winds at the Mediterranean Sea surface. Large amounts of air pollutants create a severely polluted environment over coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean.

Desert dust is the major pollutant over Israel and surrounding areas, influencing air quality and visibility [2,3,4]. Semi-arid and desert regions, characterized by low cloudiness, are the most attractive locations for solar energy production. Dust deposition on solar panels deteriorates the performance of such panels leading to significant losses in the generated power [5,6]. In addition, dust dry deposition on insulators could cause insulator flashover leading to electricity outages. Such insulator flashovers in the Israel power electric network are discussed by Volpov and Kishcha [7]. Because of the above-mentioned dust-related problems, the investigation of interannual and seasonal variations, as well as spatial distribution of dust dry deposition, is important. Dust dry deposition also has beneficial effects on soil properties as it is a source of nutrients, such as potassium, phosphorous, iron, sulfur, ammonia, and organic matter [8].
However, little is known about the specific features of spatio-temporal distribution of dust dry deposition (DDD) over Israel and surrounding areas.