Sahara dust, who 'sabotage' Caribbean summer

According to a reporter at La Habana, the Granma daily newspaper (Cuba) quoted the physicist Dr. Eugenio Mojena López, of the Cuban Hydrometeorological Institute, said the dust clouds were formed from sandstorms and dust masses. of the Sahara desert in North Africa, can reach an altitude of 3 to 7 km.

These dusty clouds move westward, across the Atlantic Ocean until they cover the Caribbean Sea, Southeastern America, Mexico and Central America.

In terms of sight, these dust clouds cover the Caribean blue deep blue sky, milky clouds, sometimes quite dense and restricting foresight.

Each year about 90 million tons of Sahara dust is 'transferred' to the Caribbean.

These clouds are filled with fine dust particles PM10 and PM2.5 which are considered toxic to humans, and also contain minerals such as iron, calcium, sulfur, silicon and mercury, and some types of bacteria. , fungi, some parasitic arthropods, staph and other organic pollutants.

Sahara dust clouds often begin to 'visit' the Caribbean in March and April each year but become strong in June, July and November. They create hot, dry air blocks that increase heat. moderate, reduce rainfall, cause more thunderstorms and especially make the Caribbean storms more severe.

Scientists also study the effects of this weather phenomenon on coral reefs typical of the Caribbean ecosystem, as they carry an African fungus that is harmful to corals, as well as pests for Some popular crops in the region, from rice, beans to sugarcane and fruits.

At present, about 90 million tons of Sahara dust is transferred every year to the Caribbean, and over the past five decades this volume has increased more than 10 times. An average cloud of dust will appear in the Caribbean about 6 days after a big sandstorm in the world's largest desert area.