fog he is back. Although, perhaps, it would be more correct to say that he never really left. Be that as it may, one thing is clear that in recent times it is increasingly possible to see the environment rarefied by the dust of the Sahara. And, logically, this leads us to the inevitable question: is this another consequence of changing of the climate?
To answer it, as always, you must use caution. Unless specific research has been done, it cannot be guaranteed that the increasingly common clouding episodes attitude to climate change. However, we can attribute to it other phenomena that in one way or another can control this haze.
For example, changes in depth and location of storms They can generate winds that pull dust with more force. Besides, how the weather is getting more extremethere will be more empty places, and more deserts – more dust to drag. There we can blame climate change.
What is haze?
Before seeing if it has anything to do with changing of the climateYou have to remember what smoke is made of.
In fact, this is a very broad phenomenon that refers to the presence in the atmosphere of very fine particles of dust, sand or ash in suspension. This can be for many reasons, from a volcanic eruption to a forest fire. However, most often this is due to the dragging of dust from desert areas.
In Spain, this powder usually comes from SaharaConsequently, the Canary Islands have traditionally been the most affected point in the country. However, there have always been episodes when the haze spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula, even reach the Balearic Islands. The problem is that these episodes are becoming more and more frequent. Even if we see it on a very large time scale. In fact, according to a 2021 study by scientists from the Complutense University of Madrid, the arrival of Saharan dust on the peninsula has increased by 400% in the last 5000 years.
In addition, this same study indicates that there were very specific periods during these five millennia when there was a clear increase in haze levels. And these are not random cycles, because they all coincide with climate change.
Here’s how climate change can affect
As explained by eltiempo.es, in recent years there have been changes in the jet streams in the northern hemisphere, which have led to more dorsal and cavities. The first are tongues of hot air coming from the heights of the tropics, and the second consist of tongues of cold air coming from the pole. This, in turn, leads to more isolated depression.
These weather events could lead to more gusts of wind which pull the dust of the Sahara north, forming that characteristic haze in the environment. This, moreover, is much more aggravated if you drag more dust. And this is what climate change is also leading to.
In the same year it was published in Ecology of nature and evolution a study that revealed how many of the mechanisms that are characteristic of arid zones are increasingly common in arid zones. In fact, it is indicated that, if things remain the same, by the end of this century, the wet areas of the Earth could decrease by 74%, leading to 17 million square kilometers of new dry regions.
In short, we can’t really blame climate change for the increase in haze. But we know that climate change will increasingly fuel the fire of this atmospheric phenomenon. It’s a subtle difference, but the essence is the same. The best thing is for all of us to try to slow down climate change as much as possible.
Source: Hiper Textual
