What caused the giant dust storm 'Godzilla'?

After more than 50 years, 'Godzilla' comes back and is becoming an obsession for people living along the southern coast of the United States.

Fortunately, this is not the Godzilla monster shaped like a dinosaur that we often admire in the movies. This time, Godzilla is the name given to a huge cloud of dust and sand originating from the Sahara desert .

"This is the most important event in the last 50 years. It is likely to threaten the islands in the Caribbean," Pablo Méndez Lázaro, of the University of Puerto Rico's School of Public Health, told AP.

A cloud of dust and sand from the Sahara drifting over the Atlantic Ocean was captured by NASA astronaut Doug Hurley from the ISS Station. (Photo: Doug Hurley / NASA).

From the Sahara across the ocean

According to satellite images taken from outer space, this cloud of dust and sand can be seen very clearly, like a brown patch covering part of the Earth.

'It's amazing to see its size! " Doug Hurley, a member of the Dragon Crew crew on the International Space Station ISS, posted on Twitter.

Images of Godzilla fast-moving across the Atlantic. (Photo: NOAA / NASA).

The Sahara dust cloud, also known by the scientific name Saharan Air Layer (SAL) , is considered an extreme weather phenomenon. According to meteorologists, the dust layer of the Sahara desert has been swept up by the storms to create a vast area of ​​cloud clouds over 6,000 meters high, blown off the Atlantic Ocean and headed straight for the Caribbean. .

Although the clumps of clouds remained intact during the transatlantic journey, they were diffused and diluted as they approached the Caribbean Bay area. When the dust layer is dense, the sky will turn dark brown, the visibility is limited.

The image clearly shows the difference in the atmosphere when the dust storm enters the United States. (Photo: Twitter).

However, if the dust layer dilutes, refracting light will make the sunrise and sunset become extremely romantic.

Concerned about adverse health effects

According to the Barbados Meteorological Service Center, serious air pollution warnings have been issued and urged residents to pay close attention before deciding to move out due to the significantly reduced visibility and risk. Harmful to respiratory tract.

NASA satellites used the AOT scale to assess the extent to which dust particles prevented the transmission of light through the atmosphere, a 0.01 equivalent to a transparent sky and 0.4 equivalent to the dangerous conditions. On June 23, the AOT index measured in Hispaniola and Jamaica areas reached 1.5, exceeding the danger level by 0.4 times.

Beautiful sunsets in the coastal city of Miami 'thanks to the cloud of Godzilla dust. (Photo: Twitter).

Research has shown that airborne dust can cause adverse health effects, especially for people with a history of respiratory illnesses such as asthma or allergies. They may even have a negative effect on healthy people in case of prolonged exposure.

In particular, a recent Harvard study found that increased dust pollution is directly proportional to the number of hospitalized patients and deaths due to COVID-19. Health officials had to recommend that people wear masks to protect their health.

"Estimates show that COVID-19 cases are expected to increase by nearly 100% when the pollution concentration reaches 20%," the researchers said.

As a reason America is "fertile"

Dust clouds from the Sahara have long been commonplace during the summer in the Americas.

According to scientists, most of the fertile soil and nutrients in South Florida and the Caribbean are derived from African dust that accumulated over millions of years. For the oceans, African dust and sand play a vital role in nourishing the coral reefs, without them, the Bahamas region will be a barren sea.

Dust storms across the Atlantic Ocean have made American soil more fertile. (Photo: NOAA / NASA).

On the other hand, during years of severe dust storms, coral reefs appear to be affected or even die off. One theory is that pollutants mixed with dust from agricultural activities in the Sahel region of Africa are the 'culprits' that cause this problem. In addition, too many minerals in the dust can promote fertilization, causing algae to bloom early and harm corals.

Not only that, dust has the ability to warm our atmosphere. In a study published in April, researchers found that scientific climate models are underestimating the amount of raw dust in our atmosphere by four times.