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Between February and July 2025, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) tracked frequent Saharan dust plumes crossing the Atlantic and entering the Mediterranean and Europe—bringing elevated PM₁₀ concentrations across the region. This isn’t a rare curiosity, it’s part of a pattern with implications for health, ecology, and climate.
What Are Saharan Dust Transport Events?
Dust storms over the Sahara lift vast quantities of fine mineral particles—up to 700 million tons annually—into the atmosphere. These particles are carried by the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), an elevated dry, hot air mass that can transport dust thousands of kilometers over days or even weeks. The dust travels into the Mediterranean, across Europe, and even into the Americas, depending on atmospheric circulation.
Why Dust Matters: Impacts on Air Quality and Health
Saharan dust carries coarse particulate matter (PM₁₀) that can significantly degrade air quality in affected regions. As noted by CAMS, 2025 saw repeated intrusions, elevating PM₁₀ levels across southern and central Europe.
Exposure can trigger respiratory irritation, coughing, and exacerbate conditions such as asthma and bronchitis—particularly in sensitive individuals. While Saharan dust differs chemically from urban pollution, its high concentrations remain a public health concern.
Ecological and Environmental Effects
While dust storms have downsides for health, they also play ecological roles:
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Nutrient deposition: Dust carries minerals like iron, supporting marine and terrestrial ecosystems—even boosting phytoplankton productivity in nutrient-limited waters like the Mediterranean or Atlantic.
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Atmospheric cooling: High dust concentrations can reduce sunlight reaching the ocean, influencing surface temperatures and atmospheric conditions, including weather patterns and rainfall.
However, dust can also deposit microbes or allergens, sometimes linked to respiratory or skin issues in exposed populations.
Episodes in Europe
In Europe, Saharan dust storms were particularly frequent between January and May, including a cyclone in February that transported dust from North Africa to southern Italy and Greece, resulting in degraded air quality.
March saw Saharan dust reached the Iberian Peninsula, France, and as far north as the UK and Benelux, while in April and May, global and regional CAMS forecasts showed elevated levels of PM10 surface concentrations in parts of western Europe and the Mediterranean.
Episodes of Saharan dust storms are tracked using CAMS’ integration of satellite observations and the IFS-COMPO forecast model, which tracks several parameters, including Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), a measure of how much sunlight is blocked by airborne particles like dust.
Monitoring Dust with Copernicus & ERATOSTHENES
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The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) integrates satellite observations and atmospheric models to track dust plume pathways and forecast surface aerosol concentrations like AOD and PM₁₀.
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At the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence, these data are actively used to assess dust events’ impact on Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean—supporting air quality management and informing public health guidance. Projects such as EXCELSIOR and the CAMS National Collaboration Programme further enhance these capabilities.
Learn more at: Copernicus: Frequent Saharan dust storms tracked across the Atlantic and over Europe in first half of 2025 | Copernicus
Frequent Saharan dust plumes tracked across the Atlantic and over Europe | Copernicus
European Space Agency+sustainabilityonline.net
Image credits: A beautifully illustrative visual from Copernicus Sentinel‑3 and Sentinel‑5P captured on 7 May 2025. It shows a thick plume of Saharan dust sweeping across the Atlantic and reaching into Europe, with denser aerosol presence marked in deeper orange. ESA multimedia