Saharan dust

The Saharan dust layer is a persistent atmospheric plume of mineral aerosols lifted from the Sahara Desert by surface winds and transported westward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean, reaching the Caribbean and the southeastern United States. It is one of the largest sources of atmospheric dust on Earth, carrying an estimated 180 million tons of mineral particles annually. The transport of Saharan dust is modulated by the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, which govern the strength and position of the trade winds that lift dust from source regions in the Sahel and Sahara. Dust deposition fertilizes the Amazon basin with phosphorus and affects Atlantic hurricane formation by suppressing tropical convection and increasing wind shear, while also influencing mineral aerosol deposition patterns across the entire Atlantic basin.