Dust storms from the Sahara desert cause an explosion of plankton in the East Atlantic Ocean

Scientists working on RRS Discovery are studying sand dust from the Sahara desert blown off the coast of Africa and causing an explosion of plankton in the eastern Atlantic. Sahara dust is rich in nitrogen, iron and phosphorus and acts as a stimulant for plankton.

Dr. Achterberg of Southampton National Oceanic Center (NOCS) is leading a cruise to study and investigate the effects of dust on nutrition, plankton and food chains.

The amount of dust equivalent to 500 million tons per year is enough to affect the climate. Partially merging into the ocean and partly reflecting sunlight, dust molecules heat the air and cool the ocean surface. They are also involved in cloud formation and this causes light to reflect back into space.

These effects may be wide-ranging: Caribbean storms begin to form offshore northwest Africa and atmospheric dust is one of the factors affecting the early development of storm. Wind-blown dust from the Sahara desert plays an important role in fertilizing many large areas of the Atlantic Ocean.

The dispersal of nutrients and certain metals on land but rarely in the ocean stimulates the proliferation of plankton.

Eric Achterberg said: 'Dust storms sometimes happen. And Sahara dust comes from many sources, can be mixed with grassland or forest fire and can change the chemical and physical properties when floating in the atmosphere at different heights and at the conditions of Different moisture. It is this complexity that makes the role of dust in weather patterns difficult to conclude. '

Real color photo from MODIS satellite of dust storm in the North Atlantic tropical region, March 2004. (Photo: Southampton National Oceanic Center - NOCS)