Air Quality - Blog Posts
Seeing Saharan Dust from Space
Last year, Godzilla made its way across the Atlantic Ocean. No, it wasn’t a giant lizard monster, but a cloud of dust so large it could be seen from a million miles away in space.
The plume of dust blowing from the Sahara Desert broke records and was nicknamed the “Godzilla plume.”
This year, another massive dust plume is traveling across the Atlantic.
The transport of dust from the Sahara to the Americas isn’t unusual: every year, winds pick up more than 180 million tons of dust particles from the Sahara Desert, move them over the African continent and carry them all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, depositing much of the dust along the way.
What’s remarkable about the past two years is the size of the plumes. Last year, the “Godzilla plume” was the largest dust storm in our two decades of observations.
Although this year’s plume has yet to complete its journey across the Atlantic, dust plumes from the Sahara often have important impacts on the Americas.
So, why do the dust plumes matter?
Before the Sahara was a desert, it was a lakebed, where nutrients like phosphorous and iron were deposited before the lake dried up. As a result, winds pick up these nutrients in the dust plumes. Some of these nutrients get deposited in the Atlantic Ocean, feeding marine life – iron, for example, is critical for marine life. Phosphorus is also a much-needed nutrient that fertilizes vegetation in the Amazon rainforest. The amount of phosphorus deposited by Saharan dust plumes into the Amazon every year – around 22,000 tons – is roughly equivalent to the amount that gets removed from the rainforest’s soil by weather conditions. In other words, long term, the dust plumes provide an essential nutrient to the Amazon’s vegetation.
Both the dust plumes themselves and the conditions associated with them can also influence the formation of tropical storms during hurricane season. As climate change appears to be strengthening the strongest storms, understanding the relationship between dust plumes and hurricanes has only grown more important.
The dust plumes can carry microbes that can be deadly and can worsen air quality, creating potentially dangerous conditions for sensitive populations. The iron in the plumes can also kick off blooms of toxic algae off the coast of Florida that result from the increase in nutrients in the ocean.
What comes next for Saharan dust? We’re still looking into it!
Some research suggests dust plumes will intensify with higher temperatures and dryer conditions, creating more loose dust to be picked up. However, other research shows that rising ocean temperatures and changing wind speeds would result in more rainfall and vegetation in the desert, reducing how much dust blows across the Atlantic. Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!
More than Just Dust in the Wind
From space, we can see a swirling brown mass making its way across the Atlantic – dust from the Sahara Desert – the largest hot desert in the world. It’s a normal phenomenon. Every year, winds carry millions of tons of dust from North Africa, usually during spring and summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
June 2020 has seen a massive plume of dust crossing the ocean. It’s so large it’s visible from one million miles away in space.
Dust clouds this large can affect air quality in regions where the dust arrives. The particles can also scatter the Sun’s light, making sunrises and sunsets more vibrant.
Dust particles in the air are also known as aerosols. We can measure aerosols, including dust, sea salt and smoke, from satellites and also use computer models to study how they move with the wind.
Following the transport of dust from space shows us how one of the driest places on Earth plays a role in fertilizing the Amazon rainforest. There are minerals in Saharan dust, like phosphorous, that exist in commercial fertilizers, helping seed the rainforest.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
More than Just Dust in the Wind
From space, we can see a swirling brown mass making its way across the Atlantic – dust from the Sahara Desert – the largest hot desert in the world. It’s a normal phenomenon. Every year, winds carry millions of tons of dust from North Africa, usually during spring and summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
June 2020 has seen a massive plume of dust crossing the ocean. It’s so large it’s visible from one million miles away in space.
Dust clouds this large can affect air quality in regions where the dust arrives. The particles can also scatter the Sun’s light, making sunrises and sunsets more vibrant.
Dust particles in the air are also known as aerosols. We can measure aerosols, including dust, sea salt and smoke, from satellites and also use computer models to study how they move with the wind.
Following the transport of dust from space shows us how one of the driest places on Earth plays a role in fertilizing the Amazon rainforest. There are minerals in Saharan dust, like phosphorous, that exist in commercial fertilizers, helping seed the rainforest.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
If you're in an area that is suffering from wildfire polluted air, I just saw this on Twitter:
Bonus:
Here's a site I found that can tell you how to make these:
Masking also doesn't just apply to protecting you from Covid. It also helps defend against TB, most influenza strains, and numerous other particulate, droplet, misted and air born diseases. And it helps defend against dangerous pollution, allergens, and irritating natural dusts that effect air quality. Get the most effective and efficient masks you can afford.
Now is the Time to Start Masking Again
If you stopped paying attention to COVID with the release of vaccines, you've missed a lot.
COVID is airborne.
Long COVID impacts 10% of people infected by COVID (though this is beginning to look like a low estimate). Risk of Long COVID goes up with each reinfection. Long COVID is worse than initially reported.
Bisexual and trans people are more likely to develop Long COVID.
Black and Hispanic folks are more likely than White folks experience more symptoms and health problems from Long COVID.
***COVID and Long COVID has much more in common with HIV and AIDS than the flu (28:19 - 38:30 of linked video)***
The Basics
[WEBSITE] You Have to Live Your Life
[ZINE] What's Up With COVID and How to Protect Yourself - 2024 Edition
[FAQ] r/ZeroCOVIDCommunity's FAQ and Resource List
"This is great and all but it's overwhelming. TL;DR?"
COVID is airborne. Long COVID is much more common (and serious/debilitating) than previously thought.
Mask with an N95 or better in all indoor spaces and outside when close to others. Improve your indoor air quality by opening windows and using fans/air filters.
Rapid tests are prone to false negatives so make sure to retest in 48 hours after exposure and/or when you develop symptoms. Isolate in the meantime. Consider upgrading to a NAAT (PlusLife, Metrix) or PCR (Lucira) if you have the money.
Things for you to do today:
buy some N95s or request some from a local mask bloc
open a window more often and/or buy an air purifier
buy the best COVID tests you can afford
Basics in Video Form
If you have limited time, watch the videos with * first. They will cover the basics in about 20 minutes.
*VIDEO: COVID is Airborne [2:53]
*VIDEO: What the latest research tells us about long COVID's most common symptoms [5:58]
*VIDEO: FDA warns of false negatives with at home COVID Tests [2:19]
*VIDEO: How to Stay Safe(r) at Home [10:35]
--
VIDEO: The Astounding Physics of N95 Mask [6:08]
VIDEO: Mask Fit 101: Seal [4:07]
VIDEO: Mask Fit 101: Qualitative [3:49]
VIDEO: Mask Fit 102: Quantitative [5:04]
VIDEO: How to get [and give] FREE Masks [6:07]
VIDEO: Try this DIY indoor air purifier for cleaner air [4:22]
VIDEO: Why is EVERYONE more SICK [54:55]
Want to Get Involved?
Join your local Mask Bloc
No local Mask Bloc? Consider starting one
Talk to the people in your life about COVID
Print quality zines and spread them in your communities
Push for COVID Conscious changes in your spaces.
Join in awareness & improvement of air quality. Healthy air=heathy lungs=heathy life!
Air is life!
Look up your local air conditions on this great website the EPA has called ‘Air Now’
AND….. drumroll!-
Air Quality Awareness week is coming up!
Woohoo!!!