Satellite photo of a Saharan dust cloud (2000) over the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest

Mineral dust is a term used to indicate atmospheric aerosols originated from the suspension of minerals constituting the soil, being composed of various oxides and carbonates. Particulates, alternatively referred to as particulate matter (PM or fine particles, are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel Human activities lead to 30% of the dust load in the atmosphere. An atmosphere (from Greek ατμός - atmos, " Vapor " + σφαίρα - sphaira, " Sphere " The Sahara is the major source of mineral dust, which subsequently spreads across the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas into northern South America, Central America, North America, and Europe. The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The Gobi Desert is another source of dust in the atmosphere, which affects eastern Asia and western North America. The Gobi (Говь Govi or Gov', "gravel-covered plain" Chinese: zh-t 戈壁(沙漠 Gēbì (Shāmò)

Characteristics

It is mainly constituted of the oxides (SiO₂, Al₂O₃, FeO, Fe₂O₃, CaO, and others) and carbonates (CaCO₃, MgCO₃) that constitute the Earth's crust. In Geology, a crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet or moon Global mineral dust emissions are estimated 100-500 millions of tons per year, of which the largest part is attributed to deserts. Although this aerosol class is usually considered of natural origin, it is estimated that about 30% of the mineral dust load in the atmosphere could be ascribed to human activities through desertification and land misuse. Desertification is the degradation of land in arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting primarily from human activities and influenced by climatic variations Large dust concentrations may cause problems to people having respiratory problems, forcing them to stay indoors while dust aerosols are in the area. Another notable effect of dust clouds is prettier sunsets, thanks to the increased number of particles in the sky, which the Sun may reflect off of. " Sunsets " is a song released as the third single from Australian rock band Powderfinger 's fifth studio album Vulture Street The sky is the part of the Atmosphere or of Outer space visible from the surface of any Astronomical object. The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System.

Saharan dust

The Sahara is the major source on Earth of mineral dust (60-200 millions of tons per year). Saharan dust can be lifted by convection over hot desertic areas, and can thus reach very high altitudes; from there it can be transported worldwide by winds, covering distances of thousands of kilometers. Convection in the most general terms refers to the movement of molecules within Fluids (i The dust combined with the hot dry air of the Sahara Desert often forms an atmospheric layer called the Saharan Air Layer which has significant effects on tropical weather, especially as it interferes with the development of hurricanes. The Saharan Air Layer (SAL is an intensely dry warm and sometimes Dust -laden layer of the Atmosphere which often overlies the cooler more-humid surface air of the There is a large variability in the dust transport across the Atlantic into the Caribbean and Florida from year to year. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Due to the trade winds, very large concentrations of mineral dust can be found in the tropical Atlantic, reaching the Caribbean; moreover episodic transport to the Mediterranean region as well as Northern Europe is observed. The trade winds (also called trades) are the prevailing pattern of easterly winds found in the Tropics near the Earth's Equator. Northern Europe is a term for the northern part of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as (Finland In the Mediterranean region, Saharan dust is important as it represents the major source of nutrients for phytoplankton and other aquatic organisms. Phytoplankton are the Autotrophic component of the Plankton community Saharan dust carries the fungus Aspergillus sydowii which falls into the Caribbean Sea and possibly infects coral reefs with Sea Fan disease (aspergillosis). Aspergillus is a Genus of around 200 Molds found throughout much of nature worldwide For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere Coral reefs are Aragonite structures produced by living organisms found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water Aspergillosis is the name given to a wide variety of diseases caused by Fungi of the genus Aspergillus. It also has been linked to increased incidence of pediatric asthma attacks in the Caribbean. Asthma is a chronic Condition involving the Respiratory system in which the airways occasionally constrict become inflamed, and are Since 1970, dust outbreaks have worsened due to periods of drought in Africa. ^[1] Dust events have been linked to a decline in the health of coral reefs across the Caribbean and Florida, primarily since the 1970s. Coral reefs are Aragonite structures produced by living organisms found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water ^[2]

Dust from Subsaharan May Affect Frequency of Hurricanes

According to a NASA article, NASA satellites have shown that "the chilling effect of dust was responsible for one-third of the drop in North Atlantic sea surface temperatures between June 2005 and 2006, possibly contributing to the difference in hurricane activity between the two seasons. " There were only 5 hurricanes in 2006 and compared with 15 in 2005.

It is known that one the major factors that create hurricanes is warm water temperatures on the surface of the ocean. One theory holds that dust from the Sahara desert caused surface temperatures to be cooler in 2006 than in 2005. Evidence shows that surface temperatures dropped by one third because of the Subsaharan dust.

Asian dust

Main article: Asian dust

Aizuwakamatsu, Japan shrouded in Asian Dust on April 2nd, 2007. Asian Dust (also yellow dust, yellow sand, yellow wind, Korean dust or China dust storms) is a seasonal meteorological phenomenon Aizuwakamatsu (会津若松市 -shi is a city located in the Aizu region of Fukushima, Japan.

Aizuwakamatsu, Japan with clear skies. Aizuwakamatsu (会津若松市 -shi is a city located in the Aizu region of Fukushima, Japan.

In Eastern Asia, mineral dust events originated in springtime in the Gobi Desert (Southern Mongolia and Northern China) gives rise to the phenomenon called Asian dust. The aerosols are carried eastward by prevailing winds, and pass over China, Korea, and Japan. Sometimes, significant concentrations of dust can be carried as far as the Western United States. ^[3] Areas affected by Asian dust experience decreased visibility and health problems, such as sore throat and respiratory difficulties. The effects of Asian dust, however, are not strictly negative, as it is thought that its deposition enrichs the soil with important trace minerals. An American study analyzing the composition of Asian dust events reaching Colorado associates them to the presence of carbon monoxide, possibly incorporated in the air mass as it passes over industrialized regions in Asia. Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO is a colorless odorless tasteless yet highly toxic Gas. Although dust storms in the Gobi desert have occurred from time to time throughout history, they became a pronounced problem in the second half of the 20th century due to intensified agricultural pressure and desertification. Desertification is the degradation of land in arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting primarily from human activities and influenced by climatic variations

See also

• Dust storm
• Dust bowl
• Dust devil

References

World Wide Web

1. NASA: Sharan Dust has chilling effect on North Atlantic

Printed Media

• Kubilay and Saydam, "Trace elements in atmospheric particulates over the Eastern Mediterranean: concentration, sources, and temporal variability", Atmospheric Environment 29, 2289-2300 (1995). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program
• Morales, "The airborne transport of Saharan dust: a review", Climate Change 9, 219-241 (1986).
• Loyë-Pilot et al. , "Influence of Saharan dust on the rain acidity and atmospheric input to the Mediterranean", Nature 321, 427-428 (1986).
• Sokolik and Toon, "Direct radiative forcing by anthropogenic airborne mineral aerosols", Nature 381, 681-683 (3075).
• Tegen and Fung, "Contribution to the atmospheric mineral aerosol load from land surface modification", Journal of Geophysical Research 100, 18707-18726 (1995).

External links

• The Dust Hypothesis for Caribbean Coral Bleaching as reported by the United States Geological Survey
• Saharan dust in America
• The Bibliography of Aeolian Research