Ukraine is covered with Saharan dust: what are the risks?
1 April 2024 11:13
Dust from the African Sahara Desert has covered Ukraine. This was reported by the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Centre, Komersant ukrainskyi 
reports.
It is noted that the wave of heat from the western Mediterranean, which has brought abnormally high air temperatures to us in recent days, has also captured dust from the Sahara.
Forecasters demonstrated this with the help of a satellite image from the EUMETSAT platform).
“Residents of the western region could observe it yesterday, and today it will spread to most regions of Ukraine. The sky will be dim,”
– the statement said.
Forecasters warn of a significant deterioration in air quality in the coming days. Ukrainians are asked to close their windows, as the dust can be harmful to people with respiratory diseases, the elderly and children.
By the way, sand from the Sahara has already covered Switzerland and France. It is about 180,000 tonnes of fine sand dust particles from North Africa that have reached Europe.
In some regions, sand dust has affected air quality. For example, the Swiss monitoring service AirCheck noted a high level of pollution in an area stretching from the southwest to the north-east of the country. Around 180,000 tonnes of dust were recorded, which is about twice as much as during similar dust storms in previous years.
In France, local authorities have announced that air pollution thresholds have been exceeded in some areas.
What is Saharan dust?
Between 60 and 200 million tonnes of mineral dust are blown up from the Sahara every year. While the larger particles fall back to Earth quickly, the smallest particles can sometimes travel thousands of kilometres.
For the most part, this phenomenon does not have a significant impact on human health. Particles of sand in the air can colour the landscape yellowish and cause clouds to form.
If the dust from the Sahara is mixed with heavy rain, it is popularly called “bloody rain”.
