Abstract
Electromagnetic wave propagation in arid and semiarid
regions is influenced by sand and dust storms. This
phenomenon has received considerable interest in recent time with
emphasis on signal attenuation. To this end, electromagnetic waves
equation is proposed in this paper to compute and predict the
attenuation of electromagnetic waves in dust storm, in which the
propagating frequency, the dielectric constant of dust particles
and the visibility during dust storm are accounted for. This was
done based on modification of Mie theory. The proposed model
enables convenient computation of electromagnetic waves
attenuation using visibility, frequency and dust particles’
characteristics such as permittivity and particle radius. Accuracy
of this model, especially when the attenuation is a function of
visibility, is verified and validated by using existing models. It can
be found that attenuation increases when the visibility during dust
storms gets severe.