**5. Conclusions**

Although sand dunes, the Dust Bowl, and forecasting and simulating dust storms may appear as three widely separated topics, they share the common bond of arising from wind-blown sand and dust. Active for millions of years and still quite active at present, this disturbing phenomenon of arid and semi-arid regions wreaks havoc with the soil, disrupts vehicular and airborne transportation, causes multiple vehicular injuries and fatalities, and degrades human respiratory health. While the geological and esthetic prospects of sand dune fields enrich the naturalists' hearts, the opposite is the case for the misery of the Dust Bowl and for the profound difficulties in predicting and simulating these dust storms. Because one quarter of these storms can be attributed to anthropogenic mismanagement of soil surfaces, it appears imperative for the agricultural and soil conservation

#### *Deserts and Desertification*

communities to redouble their efforts at reducing the dust flux from the disturbed portions of the soil surface. Only through such concerted actions will the productivity of the agricultural fields be maintained and will the atmospheric environment be restored to a more benign equilibrium.
