Dust^2Dust Cluster members have been researching the movement of dust in Earth's Critical Zone for decades.
This late 20th-century research paper published in Atmospheres has as its lead author University of Utah Cluster member Kevin Perry. This research examines the intriguing phenomenon of North African dust traveling to the Middle East, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean.
Posted: May 7, 2024
Over 25 years leading up to the paper, researchers meticulously tracked these long-range dust journeys.
Through routine data collection and analysis at U.S. national parks and wilderness areas, they identified and quantified these dust events across much of the eastern United States.
The paper outlines the methods used to trace the source of these dust episodes, which typically lasted around 10 days and occurred approximately three times per year from 1992 to 1995.
It also highlights the remarkably fine nature of the transported North African dust particles, which could impact the region's radiative balance and local aerosol chemistry, especially during the summer months when such dust transport was most common.
This work laid the foundations for some of our current research.