Research Study | Dust increased by 55% compared to the eighteenth century and its positive effects in reducing warming

Weather of Arabia - A new research study reveals hidden aspects of the positive effects of a phenomenon that has long been associated with the negative aspects of climate change. We are talking here about dust, whose density and proportions have clearly increased in recent years, especially in the Arabian Peninsula, which is now exposed to many sandstorms annually.

Dust rates increased by 55% compared to the middle of the nineteenth century

In the details, a research study affiliated with the University of California at San Diego (UC San Diego) published in the journal "Nature Reviews Earth and Environment" found that the amount of dust has increased significantly in the atmosphere worldwide.

The researchers behind the study, who used satellite and ground measurements to determine the current amount of microscopic metallic particles in the air, estimated that there are 26 million tons of dust floating in the atmosphere, which is 55 percent higher than there was in the mid-19th century. According to geological record data and ice samples examined.

Positive impacts and reduction of global warming

Experts believe that when strong sandstorms blow over dry deserts such as the Sahara Desert, the Arabian Peninsula and Central Asia, large quantities of sand and dust are lifted from the dry soil, which especially contain particles of metal oxides, clay and carbonates to the atmosphere, and transport them thousands of kilometers, considering that these Large amounts of dust are sufficient to reduce global warming by reducing the amount of solar radiation to the Earth, for example.

These amounts of soil contribute to mitigating the actual warming caused by greenhouse gases by 8%.

How does dust reduce global warming?

• Reducing the amount of solar radiation to the Earth by scattering it towards space and preventing it from entering the atmosphere. It also works to dissipate the high clouds that warm the planet.

• After falling to the ground, these particles can - according to the researchers - darken the snow and ice by settling on them, making them absorb more heat.

• Dust also cools the planet by precipitating nutrients like iron and phosphorous. When these nutrients land in the ocean, for example, they support the growth of phytoplankton that suck carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.