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> There is another possible input to this heating worthy of note. Dust from the Sahara typically blows west this time of year, blocking incoming radiation while
by civilitty 3y ago
> There is another possible input to this heating worthy of note. Dust from the Sahara typically blows west this time of year, blocking incoming radiation while trapping existing heat. So far this year the dust has not come. The lack of dust is notable and could also be a direct cause of some of the North Atlantic heating.
This caught my eye as a potentially much worse catastrophe in the short term than the extreme temperatures. That Saharan dust feeds several ecosystems like the Mediterranean and the Amazon with crucial micronutrients like iron and phosphorus. If that transfer stops for very long, they could start to collapse
- ratg13 3y agoThis was the only part of the post that I wasn’t relating to. I’m just coming back from a trip to the Caribbean where during my trip the sky was hazy for some days and all of the locals were claiming the weather effect to be the Sahara dust. I’m not a local so I don’t know if it is more or less than usual, but my personal experience makes me take issue with the “never come” part.
- fps 3y agoThe eastern islands of the Caribbean are currently getting hit with smoke from Canadian wildfires: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/smoke-maps-canada-fires.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/smoke-maps-canad.... Smoke is covering everything from Puerto Rico to Barbados.
- ratg13 3y agoThis was about 3 weeks ago, prior to the wildfires.
- deanCommie 3y agoIt's super important to not rely on individual data points when talking about year-long trends. Whatever the effect of the Saharan dust, it's not going to be all manifested in "some days". Just as in years of overall climate warning there can still be record cold streaks too.
- phkahler 3y agoFair point, but what if the desert starts greening again? I don't expect it to, but having what nutrients there are NOT blow away would be a start right?
- 411111111111111 3y agoThe issue is water and sand. While it's currently supplementing other ecosystems with nutritions, these by themselves won't magically become greenery. It would definitely have an incredible effect on the climate if you could magically make Africa into a Forest again though. Might even make some parts of Europe uninhabitable with that cooling alone. Not gonna happen though.
- OrvalWintermute 3y ago> The issue is water and sand. While it's currently supplementing other ecosystems with nutritions, these by themselves won't magically become greenery. photosynthesis efficiency goes up as CO2 increases, and plants need way less water. This leads to greening of the entire planet and reversing desertification.
- jdlshore 3y agoBut at the same time, heat reduces photosynthesis efficiency, and even if it didn't, photosynthesis alone doesn't lead to healthy plants. You can't take one element in isolation.
- ericmay 3y agoAlso "greening of the planet" doesn't necessarily mean it's a great place for mammals or humans specifically.
- emmelaich 3y agoThe Sahara has started greening. The desert advanced in the 70s and 80s but more rainfall has resulted in it retreating since the 90s.