Saharan Dust Carries 22,000 Tonnes of Phosphorus to Amazon as Another Atlantic Pulse Drifts West
Updated
Updated · spacewar.com · Aug 5
Saharan Dust Carries 22,000 Tonnes of Phosphorus to Amazon as Another Atlantic Pulse Drifts West
3 articles · Updated · spacewar.com · Aug 5
Summary
Forecast models show another Saharan dust pulse moving west across the tropical Atlantic, with most of it expected to thin out over the ocean and veer toward the Caribbean rather than the Amazon.
NASA CALIPSO data show why the plume matters: about 182 million tonnes of dust leave West Africa each year, and roughly 27.7 million tonnes reach the Amazon basin carrying about 22,000 tonnes of phosphorus.
That phosphorus closely matches the rainforest’s annual losses to rain and flooding, helping replenish nutrient-poor soils that otherwise could not sustain the Amazon’s productivity over long periods.
The dust comes largely from Chad’s Bodélé Depression, where winds lift phosphorus-rich sediment into the Saharan Air Layer and trade winds can carry it to the Caribbean in five to seven days.
Along the way, the plume also fertilizes the Atlantic, can suppress tropical cyclone development, and degrades air quality downwind—especially for people with asthma or COPD.