http://phys.org/news/2013-08-african...cientists.html
Printable View
This is an amazing natural phenomenon that has been going on since the Sahara Desert was formed between 4000 to 5000 years ago. But as with most scientific data on Mother Nature's events, scientists cannot agree:
"Mojena said the dust arriving in Cuba has risen 10-fold in the last 30 years after severe droughts in northern Africa, though Omar Torres, a specialist in atmospheric physics at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said satellite studies since 1980 do not show increased Sahara dust emissions beyond normal seasonal variability."
We live on such a wondrous planet!
Rob, very true, been the subject of several broadcasts on TV
Its a small world.
This year's unusual Madden - Julian Oscillation (MOJO) combined with dry air in the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) and a moderate amount of dust has pretty much prevented tropical cyclone formation. GIVE THANKS !!!
However, this is not that unusual in historical terms.
Climate is what you expect and weather's what you get. Nothing new about any of this.