Emerging Themes of Global Dust Research: Linking Physical Processes to Human Health, Safety, and Welfare

Abstract Dust and dust storms are known to negatively affect human health, safety, and welfare. Most dust‐related studies have previously focused on the physical processes of dust initiation, transport, and deposition at various temporal and spatial scales. In recent years, more scholars have attempted to link the physical processes of dust to human health, safety, and welfare. The idea for this special collection, named “Dust and dust storms, from physical processes to human health, safety, and welfare” was proposed by members of the Dust Alliance for North America (DANA), a partnership of scientists and practitioners with the purpose of accelerating the transition of dust‐related research into service. Papers in this special issue covered a wide range of topics, including the physical processes of dust particles and dust events, and their subsequent impacts on human health, transportation safety, and welfare, with various temporal and spatial scales. These papers were jointly published in three American Geophysical Union (AGU) journals, namely, GeoHealth, Earth's Future, and Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR)‐Atmospheres. The special collection opened in May 2023 and closed in June 2025. Eventually, a total of 24 papers were published as part of this collection, including five papers in GeoHealth, two in Earth's Future, and 17 in the JGR‐Atmospheres. Collectively, these papers report the latest interdisciplinary efforts by the research community to understand the physical processes of dust and its societal effects.