On Thursday, a massive cloud of Saharan dust invaded Cancun’s beaches and began to affect air quality. … [+]
As Covid-19 coronavirus cases continue to rise in Florida, Texas, and other southern states, what would be great to have right now? How about a “Godzilla” dust cloud?
Yes, 2020 is bringing a huge cloud of dust to the southeast of the US. This is not just the kind of dust cloud that swells when you reach under your bed or open your copy of the book. The secret. It is an unusually large cloud, nicknamed Godzilla because it is potentially the largest cloud in the last 50 years.
What is unusually large? How about 3,500 miles or 5,600 km long? That’s longer than a trip from Miami to Seattle, which is approximately 3,300 miles and lots of end-to-end vacuum bags. Consider that the next time you claim something is unusually large.
Godzilla is not the official name of the cloud. Technically it is called the Saharan air layer because it is a traveling air layer and the Sahara desert is where it originated. The winds lifted particles from the North African desert and deposited them in the cloud, so to speak. This dust in the wind is a relatively regular annual occurrence, but as stated above, this time it is very large. This tweet from the International Space Station can give you a better idea of the size:
The cloud has now traveled about 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, already reaching the Caribbean and Mexico. ABC 7 The report showed:
As you can see, Godzilla is slated to hit the United States this weekend.
Expect this massive cloud to hook right over a region that stretches from Florida to Texas and north to North Carolina in the middle of next week. If you are in this region and still do not use face covers to protect others from the Covid-19 coronavirus, perhaps a cloud of humungo dust will make you change your mind?
Clearly, if given the option of breathing in the dust instead of not breathing in the dust, most people would choose the latter. Inhaling such particles could irritate your nose, throat, and respiratory tract. In fact, this small particulate matter could easily reach the lungs, causing coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. If you already have breathing problems like asthma or emphysema, this could make things worse. For example, people with asthma may be more likely to have asthma attacks. What about those with Covid-19 respiratory disease? Well that may not be a good combo.
Also, it might be a little difficult to tell the cause of respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath. Could you have been infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus or are you just breathing in the massive cloud that hangs over you?
These things could also get into your eyes. Dust and eyeballs are not a great combination. Irritations and tears can occur.
So, if you are in a place that has dust, this may be another reason to stay home as much as you can. Keep your windows and doors closed. Otherwise, you would be frustrating the purpose. Running an air filter that has high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and electrostatic precipitators (ESP) might help if you have one.
When you go out, be careful not to bring dust with you. Covered in particles is not a good look, as the Peanuts Pigpen character has shown. Also, it could eventually get into the eyes or respiratory system. So consider taking off your clothes and showering as soon as you go back inside. It is usually a good idea to do it in that order.
Although “good news” and “dust cloud” are two sets of words that are rarely seen together, the news is not entirely bad. As Jane Beitler described on NASA’s Earth Data website, a dust storm could suppress hurricanes. The dust storm contains super dry air, which is not good for hurricane formation. It also brings a mid-level jet of eastern air that can tear apart a developing storm. The dust itself can prevent clouds from forming, acting as a large layer that prevents moisture from rising to higher levels in the atmosphere.
A cloud of dust from the Sahara covers the lighthouse of Havana, Cuba, at dawn. (Photo by … [+]
Dust in the sky can also scatter light. This could lead to some colorful sunsets. Then you could see some extra orange in the next few days.
You may not have had the Godzilla dust cloud on your 2020 Bingo Card. But here we are. It could affect air quality like air pollution would, but it’s not going to be a disaster. No need to start singing “Imhotep, Imhotep” like they did in the movie The Mummy. So take a deep breath. Just take the proper precautions and make sure you are not breathing dust.
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