Saharan dust blowing over the Atlantic prevents storms during hurricane season

[pavelneuman]

Another wave of Saharan dust is blowing over the Atlantic Ocean as seen in this GOES East loop from 18 June 2019.

Large quantities of dust entering the Atlantic during hurricane season help create a stable layer of dry, sinking air, which prevents storms from spinning up or gaining strength.

Each year, some 40 million tons of Saharan dust gets transported across the Atlantic - some of it reaching as far as the Amazon River Basin. The minerals in the dust replenish nutrients in rainforest soils, which are continually depleted by drenching, tropical rains.

Credits: NOAA Satellites