(CNN) MIAMI (CNN) The long-awaited Saharan dust plume is currently making its way across the Atlantic, covering more than 5,000 miles.
The dense dust can also be seen on satellite images. The brown sheen spreading off the African coast is a good indicator. It’s practically impossible to determine where the continent ends and the water begins since it’s so dense!
This swath of dust, fresh from the Saharan Desert and transported by the east-to-west Trade Winds, is expected to reach in the Southeast US on Wednesday of this week, according to forecast models.
If you haven’t already, ask your friends about it “If you’ve heard about the “mystery” Saharan dust plume that’s supposed to add yet another layer to 2020, you’ve probably seen it all over social media this week. It’s the only topic of conversation in the realm of weather.
This Saharan dust plume sweeping over the Atlantic Ocean from Africa is nothing new, nor is it particularly noteworthy for the year 2020. In reality, “From late spring to early fall, enormous clouds of Saharan dust track into the Atlantic Ocean. When the dust plume is strong enough and the trade winds are favorable, it can travel thousands of kilometers over the Atlantic and reach the United States.” Haley Brink, a CNN meteorologist, stated.
Once it reaches land, Saharan dust can affect you in a variety of ways. Some of these effects are felt, while others are visible.
When the Saharan dust layer hits, one of the first things you’ll notice is that your regular blue sky will have a milky haze to it. The Saharan dust is that white cloud! Those minuscule dust particles tens of thousands of feet in the air also scatter the sun’s beams at twilight and dawn, resulting in spectacular sunrises and sunsets. So, have your cameras ready!
To a storm, Saharan dust is nothing more than abnormally dry air. Hurricanes despise the lack of moisture in the air. A hurricane requires a hot, humid, and quiet climate. As long as the Saharan dust is there, the National Hurricane Center will likely be monitoring fewer locations in the tropics.
The small dust particles that help prevent hurricane development and provide magnificent sunrises and sunsets don’t always stay at 30,000 feet. Particles can sometimes make their way to the surface, causing severe allergic reactions in those with sensitive sensitivities.
Thank the Saharan dust if you find yourself grabbing for a tissue this week or your iPhone to post yet another amazing sunset photo to Instagram.
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What effect does the Sahara dust have on the weather?
These Saharan dust outbreaks have three characteristics, according to the National Weather Service, that might affect tropical cyclones, tropical disturbances, and the general climatology of the Atlantic tropical atmosphere:
- Extremely Dry Air: The dry, dusty air of the Saharan Air Layer has about half the moisture of a typical tropical environment. By generating downdrafts surrounding the storm, this excessively dry air can weaken a tropical cyclone or tropical disturbance.
- Strong winds in the Saharan Air Layer (25-55 mph or 10-25 meters per second) can significantly increase vertical wind shear in and near storm environments. This “mid-level jet” of accelerated winds, which usually occurs between 6,500 and 14,500 feet (2000-4500 meters), can cause the tropical cyclone vortex to tilt with height and disturb the storm’s internal heat engine.
- Warm Temperatures: The warmth of the Saharan Air Layer works to stabilize the atmosphere, preventing the formation of clouds. When the warm, buoyant air of the Saharan Air Layer passes over cooler, denser air, it creates a stabilizing effect. The suspended mineral dust in the Saharan Air Layer absorbs sunlight, which helps it maintain its warmth as it travels across the Atlantic Ocean.
When it comes to Sahara dust, how long does it last?
Activity in the Saharan Air Layer typically increases in mid-June, peaks from late June to mid-August, and then rapidly declines after that.
Individual Saharan Air Layer outbreaks develop from the African coast every 3-5 days during the peak season, spread further west (as far west as Florida, Central America, and even Texas), and cover broad swaths of the Atlantic (sometimes as large as the lower 48 United States).
What is the influence of Saharan dust on tropical ecosystems?
Now, because a deep feed of tropical moisture is one of the necessary elements for tropical storms, Saharan dust can often prevent them from developing. This layer of air is extremely dry, and it also increases wind shear, which causes storms to disintegrate. Another advantage for us? Sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking.
What are the advantages of using Sahara dust?
In terms of its influence on the Caribbean, Saharan dust is high in minerals like iron, effectively acting as an airborne fertilizer for marine life and tropical rainforests. Unfortunately, the same ‘fertilizer’ promotes the formation of algal blooms and poisonous algae blooms (also known as’red tides’) in the water, which have previously killed large numbers of fish and other marine life. Saharan dust has also been related to coral illness, according to researchers. Since the 1970s, coral reefs in the Caribbean have been in decline, and in 1983, several other marine species died in large numbers. The Saharan Air Layer has been steadily increasing throughout the 1970s, with peak dust years in 1973, 1983, and 1987. ‘Our view is that much of the coral reef deterioration in the Caribbean is a result of infections delivered in dust from North Africa,’ says Gene Shinn, Senior Geologist at the US Geological Survey Center for Coastal Geology.
Now for the good news… the Saharan Air Layer, according to NOAA, can weaken tropical cyclones by causing downdrafts (sinking air) surrounding the storm, which can result in tropical systems diminishing. The Saharan Air Layer’s strong winds can significantly increase vertical wind shear in and around tropical systems, rendering circumstances unfavorable for tropical storm formation. The Saharan Air Layer aids in reducing the severity of tropical storms and hurricanes! After witnessing the destruction caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, I believe this is a good thing.
While it can be inconvenient, Saharan dust is an unavoidable part of island life. While dust might cause problems, keep in mind that the Saharan Air Layer also has advantages. This mineral-laden dust is essential for the health of our rainforests and the survival of life across much of the Northern Atlantic Ocean, as well as for the prevention of potentially deadly hurricanes. Remember that every cloud, even a dust cloud, has a silver lining.
What is the range of Sahara dust?
The Sahara is the world’s largest supplier of mineral dust (60-200 million tons per year). Saharan dust can be raised by convection over scorching desert areas, reaching extremely high elevations; from there, it can be carried around the world by winds, traveling thousands of kilometers. The Saharan Air Layer is formed when dust and the extremely hot, dry air of the Sahara Desert mix to form an atmospheric layer that has substantial impacts on tropical weather, particularly because it interferes with storm development.
What triggered the dust storm in the Sahara?
Strong winds whip up sand and grit from the desert, sending clouds high into the sky, according to the Met Office.
Dust can go as far as the United Kingdom if the winds are blowing north.
Strong winds can carry dust clouds to extremely high heights, transporting it all across the planet.
“The dust has been transported over 1,500 kilometres to the UK from Algeria and Morocco over the previous two days, driven by strong winds from Storm Celia,” Dr Claire Ryder told the Evening Standard.
What happened to the Saharan Air Layer?
The Saharan Air Layer, also called Saharan Particles, is made up of sand, dirt, and other dust that is raised into the sky from the enormous desert region that spans most of North Africa. The dust is carried westward into the Atlantic Ocean by the African Waves.
The Saharan Air Layer is a dry, well-mixed pocket of air found between 5,000 and 15,000 feet above sea level. Because a deep feed of moisture is one of the fundamental components for tropical storm development, Saharan Dust often acts as a barrier to tropical cyclone development.
It’s pretty straightforward to detect a pocket of Saharan Dust moving westward across the Atlantic using infrared satellite products once it starts moving westward. This model depicts the migration of the Saharan Air Layer by combining predicted development and movement with GFS precipitation rate and pressure contours.
When does the Sahara desert come to an end?
Within its borders, the Sahara has a wide range of climatic conditions, with two major climatic regimes that differ along a north-south axis: the desert’s northern latitudes are arid subtropical, with two rainy seasons, whereas the southern latitudes, while arid, are more tropical, with only one rainy season. The Sahel, a semiarid buffer zone that divides the desert from the more temperate savanna biomes beyond, is where the Sahara’s southern reaches finish. Other factors influence climate fluctuation in the Sahara, including terrain and ocean currents, the latter of which is responsible for the slightly colder and more humid temperatures observed towards the desert’s western borders. Some scientists believe the Sahara became arid two to three million years ago, while others believe it occurred earlier.
What if, as a result of climatic change, no dust from Africa is blown?
In North Africa, which Evan refers to as a “data-scarce” region, studying the dust directly is difficult. “There aren’t many weather-observation stations where dust emissions have been measured. There is almost no observation in these extremely active zones where dust is constantly created “Evan said.
In low- and middle-income countries, there is also a data gap in air quality monitoring. Remote, rural, and undeveloped places are less likely to have air pollution monitoring equipment, making it difficult to determine how much dust is in the air in locations near the Sahara, which are the most affected by the dust.
The ability to forecast future Sahara dust quantities is primarily dependent on whether the region’s climate gets wetter or drier. The results of climate models have been mixed. Rainfall changes are more difficult to forecast than temperature changes since they are dependent on so many variables. Warmer air can store more water, but this does not mean that rainfall will shift uniformly over the world. Changes in temperature and humidity make it more difficult to predict changes in precipitation on land than on water.
Dust would increase in a dry desert, but dust would decrease in a wetter desert. Furthermore, rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may heat the Sahara and reduce winds, resulting in less dust entering the atmosphere.
There is now no discernible trend in the amount of dust blown out of the Sahara each year. Some decades, such as the 1970s and 1980s, had more dust than others. Evantried to use computer modeling to estimate future dust concentrations in one study. A considerable percentage of the simulations (about 44%) predicted a major reduction in Saharan dust in the future.
“This is a pretty interesting discovery,” Evan said, “and it’s worth keeping an eye on.” He did add, though, that the models produced a variety of results: some showed a smaller reduction, while others showed no change or an increase in dust.
Evan believes that simulating future climates is a good beginning step toward figuring out what might happen if dust levels changed.
“If we want to know what will happen with dust in the future, we need to know what is going on in the Sahara since it is such a huge global player,” he added.
Over the previous 100 years, the Sahara has expanded by around 10%. Thousands of years ago, though, it was lush and verdant. The tilt of the Earth’s axis contributes to the transition between wet and dry Saharan climates, but human activities may have influenced the timing of the flip and could affect the Sahara in the future.