Massive Sahara dust plume headed for southeastern US, could bring sensational sunsets

phys.org ^ | 06/18/2020 | Theresa Braine

[BenLurkin]

By the time it floats down from the atmosphere it will have traveled more than 5,000 miles, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said. While it sounds dramatic, it's actually pretty normal.

Right now the cloud is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to drift over the U.S. by next Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle reported. It will most likely sap some of the humidity from the air, the Chronicle said.

While its presence is usually innocuous, the dust can irritate people who have respiratory issues, depending on its concentration in the air, the Chronicle said.

Saharan dust tends to cross the ocean during June and July, according to WBBH-TV. Satellite measurements a few years ago revealed just how much.

Winds routinely scoop up on average 182 million tons each year and loft it toward the Western Hemisphere, NASA found in a 2015 study—equivalent to 689,290 semitrucks filled with dust, the space agency said in a statement at the time.

The plumes that land farther south than the U.S. nourish the Amazon rainforest, the researchers found by studying a seven-year span. By the time it reaches the eastern coast of South America it has dwindled to 132 million tons, 27.7 million of which fall over the Amazon basin. That's enough to fill 104,908 semis, NASA said. Another 43 million tons drift over the Caribbean Sea...

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

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• Sahara Desert Greening Due to Climate Change? [2009]
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• The Green Sahara, A Desert In Bloom [2008]
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• Sahara dried out slowly, not abruptly: study [2008]
• The African Source Of The Amazon's Fertilizer [2006]
• Strongest sand storm ever captured on satellite over the Sahara [2004]