Citizens of Sydney, Australia described it like this: an immense orange wave charging in from the distance. Thick with dust... roiling... billowing up from the horizon. And then dust, choking dust, coating everything in a layer of orange soot.
Dust storms form all over the world, especially East Africa, China, the Middle East, and the American Southwest. Within the thick storm cloud are harmful particulates, bacteria, viruses and plant pathogens that can travel huge distances and can easily be inhaled. Although some point to the Sydney storm as evidence of climate change, some scientists also believe that dust storms can help mitigate climate change. The dense, iron-rich dust blocks the sun’s rays, and provides nutrients for ocean phytoplankton and rainforests in Brazil.
Bill Sprigg is a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona, and he joins us to talk about the choking and fertilizing effects of dust storms.
Guardian: Dust storms spread deadly diseases worldwide
Videos from the Australian dust storms:
Video from a 2007 dust storm in Phoenix, Arizona:
(Photo courtesy NSW Maritime via Flickr/Creative Commons)
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