Geomorphological dust research in Southern African has focused on natural sources in Namibia and Botswana. Here we aim to identify South Africa’s dust sources using the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infra-red Imager data (SEVIRI) between 2006 to 2016. A total of 334,497 images identified 178 dust plumes on 75 dust days, which originate mostly from the Free State, between June to January. Source areas consist of commercial agriculture, grass and shrublands. Half of all event days in the record occurred between 2015 and 2016, a severe drought, according to the Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index. Crop statistics report a decline in maize cover from 1.2 to 0.6 million hectares and a pronounced increase in fallow cover, confirmed by a below average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. Transport-capacity appears to be enhanced during drought years and on the increase in wind records. All dust event days adhere to a diurnal wind pattern, irrespective of synoptic conditions and most trajectories head towards the Indian Ocean. In terms of both frequency and extend, SEVIRI events are minor when compared to the northern hemisphere. However South Africa’s major dust sources differ in that they appear to be mostly associated with anthropogenic activities especially rainfed agriculture. The emission potential from natural surfaces remains to be examined. Fire however is not a common precursor in dusty years. The widespread Luvisols and Arenosols, are rich in silt and sand, extend into the wider interior, including the Kalahari, where future climate scenarios by others have predicted increases in dust emissions.

南部非洲的地貌粉尘研究集中于纳米比亚和博茨瓦纳的自然资源。在此，我们旨在使用2006年至2016年之间的旋转增强型可见光和红外成像仪数据（SEVIRI）来识别南非的尘埃来源。总共334,497张图像在75个尘埃日中识别出178个尘埃羽，这些尘埃主要来自自由州，在六月到一月之间。来源地区包括商业农业，草地和灌木丛。根据标准化降水蒸散指数，记录中所有活动日的一半发生在2015年至2016年之间，这是一次严重干旱。作物统计数据表明，玉米覆盖面积从1.2公顷减少到60万公顷，休耕面积显着增加，这归因于平均差异植被指数低于平均水平。在干旱年份和风记录增加时，运输能力似乎有所提高。不论天气如何，所有尘埃事件日都遵循昼夜风型，并且大多数轨迹都朝向印度洋。就频率和范围而言，与北半球相比，SEVIRI事件较小。但是，南非的主要粉尘来源不同，因为它们似乎主要与人为活动有关，尤其是雨养农业。自然表面的发射电势仍有待检查。然而，在尘土飞扬的年代，火灾并不是常见的先兆。分布广泛的Luvisols和Arenosols富含淤泥和沙子，并延伸到包括Kalahari在内的更广阔的内部，其他人在未来的气候情景中预测粉尘排放量会增加。