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But as the case linking Saharan dust
with Caribbean diseases gets stronger, A NAGGING QUESTION remains: dust
has been blowing over the Atlantic for millennia, so why are we seeing
these problems now?
Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.
Surprisingly, some of the best work on that question is taking place in
Colorado. That’s where Jim Hurrell spends his time. Hurrell is one of
those people who are always looking for links and connections. It’s the
kind of trait that produces great conspiracy theorists. But it’s not
political intrigues that fascinate Hurrell. He’s obsessed with the inner
workings of the global climate system. Especially a remarkable feature
of the atmosphere that sits over the Atlantic. Two gigantic air masses,
one high pressure, the other low. It’s called the North Atlantic
oscillation because the high and the low fluctuate in strength, season
to season, and year to year. Together these two air masses propel
Atlantic storms across the sea. When the system’s in high gear, it draws
those storms far to the north, changing temperature and precipitation
patterns over much of northern Europe and Eurasia. At the same time, the
winds around the southern edge of the high propel African dust toward
the Americas.
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