It seems like 2020 is shaping up to be a year for the history textbooks and not necessarily in a good way. In addition to the intense first six months of the year, there's now a Saharan dust storm that's rapidly making its way across the world, large enough that it will even affect the US.
So what causes these giant storm clouds and how harmful are they? Getting stuck in one certainly wouldn't be pleasant and the most recent one - being called "Godzilla" - is no joke. Mother Nature is responsible for many intense phenomena, and this is certainly one of them. While many destinations see incredible weather-related events regularly, a dust cloud such as this, at this size, encompasses far more than anyone has ever seen. These photos not only show the tremendous power of a dust cloud but also show how expansive and widespread its effects can be.
How Does Something Like This Start?
It's hard to believe that a dust storm, especially one of this magnitude, could travel as far as it is. Even more so, it's hard to believe that wind is powerful enough to create something like it. The culprit responsible for kicking up dust storms is actual Sahara storms - regular thunderstorms. The tremendous energy from these desert storms helps to kick up massive amounts of dust, which then hitch rides on western winds, leading to the path many storms take across the Atlantic.
The difference is that most dust will settle over places such as the ocean and in rainforests, where it's of little to no threat to humans, at least not in the way this most recent cloud is. According to researcher Pablo Méndez Lázaro, a dust storm of this magnitude has not been seen in roughly 60 years.
Potential Health Effects
While the health effects are typically minimal, the world has a heightened risk due to the recent pandemic. Anyone with a respiratory issue should avoid being outside for long periods of time, as fine dust particles can make ailments increasingly worse. Wearing a mask is a good idea, as it will help to filter out the dust and prevent it from getting into the lungs.
If there was ever a time to make sure people are wearing masks outside of their homes, this would surely be it.
Is It Actually Helping The Environment?
Interestingly enough, while humans don't benefit from massive plumes of dust, the environment does. It can also indirectly help the human population, as dust storms have a tendency of suppressing hurricane formation. The dry atmosphere caused by the dust cloud takes the moisture out of the dense atmosphere that would normally spawn the hurricanes we're so used to seeing this time of year.
Another unusual benefit of dust storms is the fact that with them, they bring helpful minerals. These particles, like iron and phosphorus, then get distributed over land, having the potential to reintroduce particle matter that could help plant life thrive. On the other hand, these minerals might not be that helpful to the oceans. While some marine life thrives on these minerals, there's also harmful sea life - such as algae, like the red tides - that also enjoy it, making the dust somewhat of a catch-22.
