WMO: the amount of dust in the atmosphere has decreased

Good news also comes from the "front" where the fight against pollution is taking place. The amount of dust in the atmosphere decreased slightly in 2023, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced, warning that poor environmental management increases the risk of sand and dust storms. Each year, about 2,000 million tons of dust enter the atmosphere, "darkening the sky and impairing air quality" in regions that may be thousands of kilometers away, and also "affecting economies, ecosystems, weather and climate." , the WMO warned. In 2023, the average surface dust concentration was slightly lower compared to 2022, mainly as a result of reduced dust emissions in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, northern India, central Australia, the Iranian Plateau and northwest China, the report said. However, the United Nations (UN) agency pointed out that "annual average surface dust concentrations in western Central Asia, northern Central China and southern Mongolia were higher in 2023 compared to 2022". The most violent sandstorm of the year, according to the WMO, was the one that swept through Mongolia and northern China in March, when violent winds and dust turned the sky a worrying orange color. This storm "led to a spectacular deterioration of air quality", the organization emphasized. The WMO explained that "sand and dust storms have a major impact on the environment, economy and health" and that "poor land and water management exacerbates this problem". "Scientific data shows that human activities have an impact on sand and dust storms. For example, rising temperatures, drought and greater evaporation lead to a decrease in soil moisture," said WMO chief Celeste Saulo, quoted in a statement. Dust can be carried by the wind over long distances. Although it is mainly a natural phenomenon, human activity contributes to it. "We must be vigilant in the face of continuous environmental degradation and climate change, both now and in the future," said Celeste Saulo. "Combined with poor land management, this favors more sand and dust storms," the WMO chief insisted. The modified atmospheric conditions act as an engine, and "the intensity (of storms, n.r.) increases, as well as their frequency", warned Sara Basart, chief researcher at the WMO, during a press conference organized in Geneva. The reduction of ice-covered areas in regions such as Scandinavia and Iceland exposes new soils, which in turn become sources of sand and dust storms, explained Basart. The WMO emphasized, however, that dust input into the oceans has positive consequences for marine ecosystems, according to a recent report, which showed that Saharan dust deposits in the Atlantic Ocean provide iron and phosphorus, which stimulate phytoplankton development. According to the report, along the food chain, from small fish to large predators, these sediments benefit the marine ecosystem as a whole.