really dampen down in the dust storm activity in the one nine hundred forty s. and on with us and that does show that we can do something about it if we wish in the right circumstances. today the middle east is one of the areas worst affected by dust storms it s in the path of sand and dust blowing from the sun harra but the region itself is increasingly becoming a source of dust decreasing rainfall combined with the over use of water for agriculture making the soil dangerously dry. why don t we get dust storms any time we have wind because we have higher soil moisture. the soil moisture acts like a glue it keeps the soil particles. connected to each other so the wind cannot lift