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192. Cause of ‘Godzilla’ Dust Storm

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A paper published in Geophysical Research Letters investigated the atmospheric dynamics of the major dust storm that occurred in June 2020, wherein massive amounts of dust were lifted from the Sahara, spilled into the Caribbean Sea, reaching a historic scale known as the ‘Godzilla’ dust storm. The study showed that this event was caused by the development of a subtropical high‐pressure system over northwest Africa which resulted in sustained strong northeasterlies over the Sahara that generated continuous dust emissions for 4 days. The massive dust was then lifted to roughly 5-6 km above the surface, transported westward by mid-atmospheric winds, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean and into the Americas. 

The paper is available at:

Diana Francis et al. The Atmospheric Drivers of the Major Saharan Dust Storm in June 2020, Geophysical Research Letters (2020). DOI: 10.1029/2020GL090102

Reference

Warren Cornwall, ‘Godzilla’ dust storm traced to shaky northern jet stream.  Science. Dec 7, 2020

 

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Research Strategy Office)

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