Saharan Dust Plume (Transatlantic)

Africa fertilizes the Amazon from 5,000 km away/Weather & Climate

Every year, about 182 million tonnes of Saharan dust is carried across the Atlantic Ocean by trade winds, with roughly 27 million tonnes reaching the Amazon rainforest. This dust contains phosphorus that the rainforest needs but cannot get from its own depleted soil. The plume can stretch 3,000 km wide and cross the Atlantic in about 5-7 days. It also helps build Caribbean beaches and suppresses Atlantic hurricanes.