Haboobs, dust spouts and Lawrence of Arabia

摘要

In 1917, T. E. Lawrence recorded his experience of the passage of a dust storm, or haboob, while travelling in Hejaz in Arabia. The account was published that year in The Arab Bulletin, an intelligence journal. The description of this encounter is vivid, and it is sufficiently detailed that it allows comparison with more recent scientific investigations of the phenomena described. These storms are still subjects of research, which is aimed at improving representation of their weather- and climate-related effects.