4,000km-long Saharan dust cloud across Atlantic Ocean

Get ready to be covered in dust again as satellite images show a 4,000km-long Saharan dust cloud that is blowing out over the Atlantic up towards Ireland.
Images of the storm have been captured by Copernicus, the European Union’s earth observation satellite. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) has forecast that the dust would recirculate towards northwest Europe and the North Sea in the coming days, saying the dust could reach as far as Iceland nearly 8,000kms away.
Saharan dust is tracked by the US government agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) throughout the year because of its role in the build-up of storms off the North American coast.
The phenomenon is according to the NOAA caused by the Saharan Air Layer, a mass of dry air that forms over the desert throughout the year. They also point out that although the dust scan be harmful to humans with the fine particles affecting the respiratory system, it is known to benefit plant life.
The NOAA said the dust storms bring minerals such as phosphorus that support soil health as far away as the Amazon rainforest. It said they can also suppress tropical storm development during hurricane season.
NASA scientists say that such dust clouds are likely to get smaller in the future due to climate change and the large storms like the one in 2020 (Godzilla) which took masses of sand all the way to South and North America will become a thing of the past.
They continue saying that data and computer modelling suggests that the dust clouds will reduce in size over the next decade reaching their smallest at a point in the very distant future.
This according to the scientists is partially a result of sea surface temperatures changes, which have a direct impact on wind speeds. If the northern Atlantic warms, then trade winds are weaker and cannot carry as much dust.
Weaker winds will also mean that bands of tropical rain can more easily move into desert regions, keeping the sand damp and less likely to be blown away.
Smaller dust clouds are known to add to global warming with particles in the air reflecting the sun, so when the clouds are smaller or more sparse, more sunlight and heat reach the ocean, causing it to get even warmer.
For many of us the Saharan dust clouds mean cars that need washing, pools that need cleaning and so on. But remember next time one reaches you, that they play a vital part in keeping the eco system and our world healthy.

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