Saharan air layer

Dust off Western Africa in 2020
Images showing Saharan dust crossing the Atlantic
Dust particles can be seen as far as Cuba

The Saharan air layer (SAL) is an extremely hot, dry, and sometimes dust-laden layer of the atmosphere that often overlies the cooler, more humid surface air of the Atlantic Ocean. It carries upwards of 60 million tons of dust annually over the ocean and the Americas.[1] This annual phenomenon sometimes cools the ocean and suppresses Atlantic tropical cyclogenesis.[2]

The SAL is a subject of ongoing study and research. Its existence was first postulated in 1972.[3]: 1330 

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lau was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Prospero, Joseph M.; Mayol-Bracero, Olga L. (September 2013). "Understanding the Transport and Impact of African Dust on the Caribbean Basin". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 94 (9). Bureau of the American Meteorological Society: 1329–1337. Bibcode:2013BAMS...94.1329P. doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00142.1.