39 90 655
www.earth.com
Earth's atmosphere is losing dust, with unexpected consequences for the climate
The air above us appears to carry a lot less dust than it did two decades ago. A new study found that global atmospheric dust dropped by roughly 10% from 2003 to 2023. That might sound like good news, but thereโs a catch. Dust actually cools the planet a little. So less dust in the sky could mean the warming weโre already dealing with has been slightly worse. Researchers from UCLA combined satellite observations, ground-based measurements, and atmospheric models to build their case. The result is a picture thatโs hard to argue with. A slow, steady drop The team tracked dust levels from 2003 to 2023. Over those 20 years, atmospheric dust fell by about 10%. Thatโs not a small shift for something as vast and global as the dust cycle. Most of this dust comes from the Northern Hemisphere. The usual suspects are involved: the Sahara in North Africa, and Asiaโs sprawling Gobi Desert. Together, these regions kick enormous amounts of dust into the atmosphere every year. There, it drifts on wind currents across oceans and continents. Whatโs still not completely clear is why the decline is happening. The clearest signal yet โThis is the strongest evidence to date...
