Dust Storms & Hurricanes
 Reported August 2007
MADISON, Wis. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- In 2005, a record number of hurricanes formed in the Atlantic, many striking the United States with devastating effects. First there was Katrina, then Rita, then Wilma -- three storms that ripped through towns, destroyed homes and killed hundreds. In 2006, most meteorologists expected another active year, but we had a much quieter season. Now -- a new discovery may boost the accuracy of the forecasts.
"Really we are just in this, almost this era of just more hurricanes occurring," said Amato Evan, satellite meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Scientists have made it their business to predict when and where they'll hit. Ocean and gulf water temperatures, as well as wind shear, are two big factors scientists use now to predict hurricanes. But one researcher has found a surprising factor -- dust.h
"Consistently, years where there was a lot of dust, there were less hurricanes or vice versa. Years where there wasn't very much dust, there were more hurricanes," Amato said.
Wind over Africa blows west -- towards the United States -- carrying massive amounts of dust from sandstorms in the Sahara desert. As the dust passes over the Atlantic, it blocks out the sunlight cooling ocean temperatures below the ideal temperature to form hurricanes.
"One dust storm at the right place at the right time might really help to interrupt the intensification, or even the genesis, of a potential hurricane," Amato said.
But before dust storms become a major player in hurricane prediction models, scientists will need to get a better understanding of how dust interacts with individual storms -- and what triggers the dust storms in the first place.
The American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:
Amato Evan
Meteorologist
(608) 263-3951
amatoe@ssec.wisc.edu
For more information about the weather and the atmosphere:
American Geophysical Union
Washington, DC 20009-1277
(800) 966-2481
http://www.agu.org
American Meteorological Society
45 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108-3693
(617) 227-2425
http://www.ametsoc.org
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