Dust Storms in Africa Affect Air Quality in the US and the Caribbean

Scientists at the University of Miami now say that, as far as they can tell, dust storms that form in the Sahara Desert in Africa often end up affecting air quality in the US and in the Caribbean.

Specifically, the researchers argue that the dust clouds that form in said part of Africa have little trouble journeying thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean. What's more, they do so on a yearly basis.

Needless to say, people with respiratory issues and those suffering from asthma are the ones most affected by this phenomenon.

Professor Joseph Prospero explains that, according to his and his colleagues' investigations into the matter at hand, dust from Africa typically starts traveling over the Atlantic during hurricane season.

?African dust storms are associated with hurricane season because the meteorological situations that are involved with generating tropical cyclones are also associated with the generation and transport of dust,? the researcher explains, as cited by EurekAlert.?

The interesting part is that, because they keep sunlight from reaching the water's surface and therefore limit the warming of the Atlantic Ocean during this time of the year, the dust particles appear to help make hurricanes and other such storms weaker than they would normally be.

?Dust activity has been very intense this year and sea surface temperatures are unusually low. These may have been contributing factors to the unusually weak hurricane season this year,? the Professor argues.

Researchers are now trying to understand how climate change and global warming will affect the movement of these dust clouds, and, in consequence, human health.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Dust-Storms-in-Africa-Affect-Air-Quality-in-the-US-and-the-Caribbean-384422.shtml

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