The Sahara is beginning to take over Europe - and it's only getting worse

A new study examining dust movement from the Sahara to Europe between 2012 and 2021 found an increase across almost the entire continent. Southern Europe remains the most vulnerable, but dust now also reaches Britain, Scandinavia, and northern Europe. Each event is becoming more intense, and countries cannot stop the particles arriving from North Africa.

A new study examining dust movement from the Sahara across Europe between 2012 and 2021 found an increase across almost the entire continent. Southern Europe remains the most vulnerable region, especially Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and the Balkan countries, but Saharan dust now also reaches Britain, Scandinavia, and other parts of northern Europe. The researchers analyzed more than 18,000 measurements collected at over 100 stations, combining them with satellite data, weather conditions, and computer models. They were able to distinguish desert dust from local pollution using chemical composition, particularly high levels of aluminum. The most troubling finding is that not necessarily more dust storms are recorded, but each event is becoming more intense and carries a larger amount of sand and dust northward. On days with heavy dust events in southern Europe, daily mortality rose by about 0.67%, and among children there was a sharp increase in hospitalizations due to respiratory problems. In 2021, desert dust was responsible for nearly a third of the recommended annual level of respirable particles in southern Europe. The researchers point to two main factors: increasing desertification of areas in North Africa and the expansion of the Sahara (its area grew by about 10% during the 20th century), and changes in wind patterns over the Mediterranean. The exact link to the climate crisis is still being studied, but it is estimated that warming and increasing dryness contribute to desert expansion and changes in air movement.