Dust may weaken Atlantic hurricanes
Dust may weaken Atlantic hurricanes
mongabay.com
October 9, 2006
Sahara Desert dust may weaken Atlantic hurricanes according to a new study published in the latest issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters
An image, captured on Sept. 4, 2005, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
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Examining 25 years of satellite data, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found a correlation between Atlantic hurricane frequency and dust clouds that rise from the Sahara Desert and blow off the west African coast. Lead author Amato Evan, a scientist at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, says that periods of intense hurricane activity are characterized by low amounts of dust in the atmosphere, while periods of low hurricane activity came when stronger dust storms were prevalent.
“These findings are important because they show that long-term changes in hurricanes may be related to many different factors,” said co-author Jonathan Foley, director of Wisconsin-Madison-Madison’s Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment. “While a great deal of work has focused on the links between [hurricanes] and warming ocean temperatures, this research adds another piece to the puzzle.”
The scientists say the findings could help better forecast hurricane seasons, though the research doesn’t yet confirm whether dust storms directly influence hurricanes.
“What we don’t know is whether the dust affects the hurricanes directly, or whether both [dust and hurricanes] are responding to the same large scale atmospheric changes around the tropical Atlantic,” added Foley. “That’s what future research needs to find out.”
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This article uses quotes and information from a University of Wisconsin-Madison news release.
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