The Watchers - 1/02/13, By Chillymanjaro
Dust blows over Afghanistan (top center) and off the coasts of Iran and Pakistan. Air currents cause it to form long, parallel rows rather than an indistinct cloud. The dust reaches far over the Arabian Sea, where it is then swept westwards towards the Arabian Peninsula. (Credit: LANCE/MODIS)
Research has shown that dust storms are increasing in the Sahara Desert and that in parts of North Africa, annual dust production has increased tenfold in the last 50 years. Since dust storms transport large amounts of material for long distances, their increasing frequency could have serious consequences for the environment. Scientists say the deposition of dust could affect climate change, disease transmission and air pollution. One concern is that as dust deposits increase, levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could change, directly affecting temperatures and rainfall.
Last week we saw sand from Saudi Arabia’s Rub al Khali Desert blew over the southern end of the Red Sea, across the Farasan Islands and towards Eritrea, plumes of dust storm over Ethiopia and Sudan, dust storm near Lake Chad, dust storm south of Aïr Mountains in Niger, haze over Eastern China and mouth of Yangtze River, smoke from agricultural fires in northern India as well as dust over the Indus River Valley in Pakistan and southwestward off Cape Monze near Karachi, and over the Arabian Sea, dust over Afghanistan and Iran.
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