With all the worldwide restrictions because of the pandemic, we are unable to plan for another trip to Chad, Africa just yet. So, it’s kind of nice to hear that when we can’t go over there, a part of Chad has come over here.
Maybe some of you have read about the giant Saharan dust cloud that has been blowing over the Atlantic Ocean. This is not an unusual occurrence. In fact dust from the Sahara blows over the ocean every year and is given the name – Saharan Air Layer. What is unusual for this June’s dust cloud is how large and in tact it has been. Some have said that it is the largest they have seen in their lifetime.
Much of the Saharan dust that rises into the atmosphere originates in the Bodélé Depression of Chad, Africa. This is an ancient dry lake bed where the Sahara meets the Sahel (a zone of transition between the desert and the savannah). The Saharan dust forms in the atmosphere by vertical wind currents. It then moves across the Atlantic Ocean on trade winds that blow across the equator from east to west. Within weeks, it creates a haze, sometimes heavy, over the Caribbean sky, and often the southern States as well.
As much as this poses a health threat with the air being more polluted with dust particles, it is also a blessing. The dust that falls on its way over the ocean helps the ecosystem of ocean life. The Amazon rainforest benefits with regular deposits of minerals from the Saharan dust, without which, the rich soil would begin to wither away. Hurricane season is also slowed, thanks to the Saharan Air Layer. This hot, dry air helps to breakdown and dissipate huge storms over the tropics before they can grow to hurricane strength.
So the next time the sky seems a little hazy to you, think of Chad and how God uses the dust of our deserts to be a blessing as well.
https://www.mlive.com/weather/2020/07/2-most-important-things-shown-by-saharan-dust-storm-cloud.html
https://www.vox.com/2020/7/1/21307053/sahara-dust-storm-2020-godzilla-cloud-saharan-sunset