From 10,000 to 5000 years ago, the Sahara Desert was wet, green, and covered with lakes! Over those thousands of years, minerals precipitated out of the water and were deposited on the lake beds. Now that it is a dry desert, high temperatures cause rapidly rising hot air currents to lift those minerals high into the atmosphere, where prevailing western winds carry the dust across the Atlantic to the Americas.
While the dust movement varies in intensity over time, it is almost always present to some degree. In the winter, dust is typically sent to South America. In the summer, it sends the clouds toward North America.
The effects of the dust on human respiratory allergies are regrettable, but plants love the minerals contained in the dust, primarily the phosphorus and iron. Saharan dust is a primary nutrient source of the Amazon rain forest, the “lungs of the world”, enabling the production of oxygen and the sequestering of carbon dioxide. For plants, and us, as we depend on them, this brown cloud does have a silver lining.
-James Gill
Monika says
Thank you for reply
Monika says
Hi,could you send me sample of this dust?I would love to have some.I am interested in it.Appreciate if you answer.Please answer me.
James Gill says
There is always an infinitesimal amount of dust traveling, but our heavy dustfall is over. No dust to send you, sorry.
Monika says
Thank you for replay.
Lucy Cardiel says
Thank you for giving us an upside to the Sahara Dust. We all have something positive to thing about as we deal with our allergies.
Odie says
Thanks for the info . I was not aware of that. My allergies on the other hand will kick up a few notches.
Gloria says
Thank you so much for sharing the information, because my allergies flare up more so than usual when this happens and I stay indoors. But I am glad that our plants benefit from this occurrence. Thanks for brightening my day!!!
Joanne Wommack says
Thanks for your blogs. So full of good and helpful information!!
Lisa Wright says
Thanks for your research James, love the “Silver Lining”.
Sandra Stromstedt says
Thank you for sharing the positive effects of the dust.
Until now I only saw it as a negative.
Beverly Page says
Love to hear the positive side of the saharan dust.
LINDA May says
Thank you for the information. My yard is a verdant oasis.
Lynne says
I’m so glad to know all this. So this has happened for centuries and it’s good for plants! I like that!
Mari Whitworth says
So interesting!! Thanks!