Arizona State University researchers and scientists from across the country are studying whether extreme heat, rapid urban growth, dust and other airborne particles are changing how monsoon storms form and where rain falls across metro Phoenix. The project, called DUSTIEAIM, Desert Urban System Integrated Atmospheric Monsoon, kicked off this month on ASU’s West Valley campus. … The study is focused on three questions. First, researchers want to understand how Phoenix itself influences weather, including how buildings, roads, pavement and urban growth interact with the surrounding Sonoran Desert to affect heat, wind patterns, cloud formation and storm development. Second, scientists will investigate the role of dust, pollution and wildfire smoke. … Third, the team wants to better understand what controls where and when rain falls across the Valley.

Related:

• Arizona State University: News release: ASU launches Phoenix weather study to unlock secrets of monsoon storms