– An estimated 180,000 tons of Saharan dust is turning the sky yellow
According to meteorologists, an exceptionally large amount of dust particles has reached Switzerland.
Published: March 30, 2024, 10:41 am
Sahara dust clouds the sky in St. Margrethenberg.
Photo: Gian Ehrenzeller (Keystone)
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Cloudy and yellow skies: An extraordinary amount of Saharan dust has settled over Switzerland. According to forecast models, this amounts to the equivalent of 180,000 tons of dust, said meteorologist Roman Brogli from SRF Meteo on the radio.
That is an extraordinarily large amount, says Brogli. The most recent such events would have brought about half as much dust into Switzerland. Already on Friday, a strong southerly current had transported dust from the Sahara desert in northern Africa to Switzerland.
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The Sahara is the largest source of mineral dust, releasing between 60 and 200 million tons of dust per year. While the larger particles quickly fall back to the ground, the smaller ones can be carried thousands of kilometers and reach all of Europe. Saharan dust events contribute significantly to aerosol pollution in spring and autumn.
Fertilizers for nature
If Saharan dust is in the air, it reflects and scatters some of the sunlight. The sky turns yellow and the sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. If it builds up on snow, it can, among other things, slow down skiing.
The dust particles in the air are an additional uncertainty factor for weather forecasts. They can also promote cloud formation. For nature, however, the minerals are a good fertilizer.
Impact on health
The short-lasting Sahara dust is likely to have a negligible impact on the health of the vast majority of people. Natural fine dust accounts for around one percent of the other total fine dust concentration.
At over nine million square kilometers, the Sahara is the largest dry desert in the world. It is about the size of the entire USA and extends in Africa from the Atlantic coast to the coast of the Red Sea.
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