The millions of tons of dust lofted out of North Africa each year are a visual reminder of how Earth’s systems are interconnected. North African dust shrouded the Caribbean Sea in June 2020 and even dimmed skies over several states of the U.S. Southeast. “The African easterly jet [stream] exports the dust from Africa towards the Atlantic region” said lead author Bing Pu. “Then the North Atlantic subtropical high, which is a high-pressure system sitting over the subtropical North Atlantic, can further transport it towards the Caribbean region. Higher temperatures would bring more drying and less vegetation to the region, providing more loose, dusty material to be picked up from North Africa.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 07, 2021 21:42 UTC