The African Source Of The Amazon's Fertilizer

Science News Magazine ^ | 11-18-2006 | Sid Perkins

[Ditto]

When I lived in Florida (Melbourne), having orange dust on my car was pretty common.

I was going to mention that too. I have seen that dust in Florida and was amazed when told it blew in from Africa.

It's an amazing planet.

[blam]

That dust is orange because it is heavy in iron (rust). This iron has been shown to cause the rapid growth of the algae that causes 'Red Tide' that kill fish, etc.

Red Tides From Desert Dust

"What we call "Red Tide" is a fact of life in Florida... an algae bloom that kills fish, makes shellfish toxic to humans, and releases an aerosol that prompts scratchy throats for people near the beaches. Now scientists like John Walsh believe they know what starts the process: Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa (John Walsh, Ph.D., Distinguished Research Professor, University of South Florida)...

[bigheadfred]

That is very interesting. Thanks.

[SunkenCiv]

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