Desert Dust in Europe Is Increasing with Implications for Health and Solar Energy Installations
Researchers found Sahara dust has more than doubled in southern Europe and warned of higher heart and respiratory risks and lower solar output.
- A Paul Scherrer Institute study found desert dust concentrations in Southern Europe stand at 5.3 µg/m³, more than twice the 2.1 µg/m³ recorded in central and northern regions. Scientists used aluminium as a chemical marker to trace dust origin with high precision.
- Researchers identified the increasing desiccation of the Sahara and changing atmospheric circulation patterns as primary drivers of rising dust. Stronger winds from North Africa now carry significantly more dust to Europe than a decade ago.
- Dust particles trapped in Alpine glacier ice reveal that desert dust concentrations have more than doubled during the industrial era, spanning the last 150 years. Data from the Colle Gnifetti glacier helped researchers understand this long-term trend.
- Elevated dust levels were also detected in western France, affecting solar installations and public health. Project leader Kaspar said, "This is not negligible, both in terms of the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of large solar installations and with regard to the health impacts of increased particulate matter pollution."
- Experts proposed establishing warning systems for high dust concentrations similar to urban air pollution alerts to protect vulnerable individuals. While the link to climate change remains under study, Kaspar noted that rising dust is "facilitated by human greenhouse gas emissions.
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In Italy, double concentrations compared to the rest of Europe (ANSA)
The more frequent and intense episodes of red skies, caused by the Saharan dust waves, are the sign of a serious problem that is beginning to affect Europe, warns the specialists. A new study shows that more and more sand in the Sahara reaches the south of the continent, and the phenomenon will intensify on the background of global warming.
Sahara, the Dust Coming From the Desert Increases: What Happens and Why They Are a Danger to Health.
The desert mineral dusts of the Sahara are an increasingly important element of European air pollution, with consequences for public health as well.
The calima has grown by 25% in the last decade, becoming a structural threat that triggers mortality from heart attacks and respiratory diseases as the desert begins to conquer our skies
Desert dust pollution surges across Europe
While Europe has made significant progress in reducing particulate matter from traffic, industry and households, a new threat is blowing in from the south. Desert dust transported from the Sahara has increased substantially over the past decade, with concentrations in southern Europe now more than double those in the north,…
The dust of the African desert, an atmospheric pollutant that has so far gone quite unnoticed, threatens air quality in Europe, especially in countries in the southern part of the continent.It has increased by 10% to 25% in the last decade, according to one study.The work, which appears this Wednesday in Nature magazine, has combined data from more than 100 European air quality measurement stations over the last 10 years with artificial intellig…
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