Book 16, Question 22
How Can Desert Dust Blow Across a Whole Ocean?
Winds can carry fine desert dust high into the air, where it rides along for thousands of miles! Dust from the Sahara blows across the Atlantic Ocean in about a week. It reaches the Caribbean and South America.
More fun facts
- Winds can carry Saharan dust more than 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.
- Millions of tons of dust ride the trade winds from West Africa every year.
- About 50 million tons of Saharan dust land in the Amazon each year.
- Saharan dust provides most of the iron in the Atlantic Ocean, which helps feed ocean life.
- By the time dust reaches the Caribbean, most grains are less than 10 microns across.
Sources: NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey, National Geographic, Scientific American
Questions kids ask
How does Saharan dust help other places?
It brings iron to the Atlantic Ocean and minerals to the Amazon.