Saharan dust events refer to clouds of dust which originate from the Sahara desert region of Northern Africa, near Lake Chad, which are propelled westwards across the Atlantic Ocean by clockwise motion of the anticyclone part of the North Atlantic Oscillation. By the time the dust reaches the Caribbean it is practically invisible to its inhabitants though it can be detected by means of instruments.

The dust carries the fungus Aspergillus sydowii which falls into the Caribbean Sea and possibly infects coral reefs with Sea Fan disease (aspergillosis).

The dust also has been linked to increased incidence of asthma attacks on children in the Caribbean.

See also

• Dust storm

External links

• The Dust Hypothesis (of Caribbean Coral Bleaching) as reported by the United States Geological Survey.
• Saharan dust — in America (Perhaps it is not so invisible.)