Huge cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert crosses the Atlantic Ocean

A huge cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached the American continent on Saturday, and its effects were felt in southern Florida, where the dust caused air quality to decline and the sky to become hazy.

The National Weather Service expects the cloud to be most dense today in southern Florida and slowly dissipate over the next few days as it moves north.

On average, every three to five days from late June to mid-August, a dust-laden air mass forms over the Sahara Desert. This accumulation originates in the desert and can extend up to six thousand meters into the atmosphere.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the “dusty air” often “travels” several thousand miles as it moves west across the Atlantic Ocean, “reaching the Caribbean, Florida, and the U.S. Gulf Coast.” States where the winds are strong.

Hot, dry air rises from the Sahara Desert carrying fine dust particles from the sand. This dust-laden air rises into the upper parts of the atmosphere, where trade winds (which blow from east to west) carry the dust across the Atlantic Ocean to the Western Hemisphere.

The dry layer of dust usually prevents tropical cyclones from forming in the North Atlantic. Although most of the dust stays in the air, some can reach the surface and degrade air quality. Europe and the Canary Islands suffer more from the deterioration of air quality caused by the Sahara than the Americas.

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