Saharan dust, seen here over Athens, is carried by the wind into Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas. Getty Images
Saharan dust, seen here over Athens, is carried by the wind into Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas. Getty Images
Saharan dust, seen here over Athens, is carried by the wind into Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas. Getty Images
Saharan dust, seen here over Athens, is carried by the wind into Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas. Getty Images

How dust from the Sahara shapes tropical cyclones


Tim Stickings
  • English
  • Arabic

Rainfall from fierce tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean may have a surprising cause - dust from the Sahara.

Fine desert dust blown across the ocean can make the rain heavier by changing the size of cloud droplets, a new study says.

Peak dusty conditions, however, can have the opposite effect and lessen rainfall, especially in waters closer to the shores of Africa.

This 'boomerang-shape relationship' was discovered by Stanford University scientists, who say global warming could change the natural picture.

Scientists expect less Saharan dust to blow in future due to changed ocean winds, one of the Stanford authors, Yuan Wang, explained to The National.

The aftermath of a cyclone in Mozambique. Rainfall in tropical storms could increase in future due to climate change. Getty Images
The aftermath of a cyclone in Mozambique. Rainfall in tropical storms could increase in future due to climate change. Getty Images

How this affects the rainfall from tropical cyclones may depend on which part of the Atlantic is at the eye of future storms.

A typical Atlantic hurricane season, from June to November, brings more than a dozen named storms and about seven hurricanes, according to US government meteorologists.

Rain effect

The amount of rain is down to various factors but the new study suggests the dust transported from the Sahara plays a significant role.

Further from the Sahara's edge, the background level of 'dust loading' is relatively low and a wind from the desert can lead to heavier rain.

The study suggests this could be because the dust acts as an aerosol that encourages water particles to form in the atmosphere.

"When background dust loading is relatively low, which is more observed in the western Atlantic, dust tends to increase the rainfall," Prof Wang said.

"However, when background dust loading is higher, more dust will reduce the precipitation."

This may be because the dusty air keeps moisture at a low level, or blocks solar radiation that can influence storms.

An example of this was during the 1970s and 1980s, when there was a downturn in Atlantic hurricane activity, the paper says.

It coincided with high dust emissions coming from Africa in that period, believed to be linked to drought and air pollution over land.

Sprinkled dust

The mineral-rich Saharan dust blown westward by 'trade winds' can also feed tiny marine life in the Atlantic, such as phytoplankton.

Even further west, the iron and phosphorus airlifted from the Sahara acts as a fertiliser for the Amazon rainforest.

The dust can also cause haze, poor air quality, navigation problems and dramatic red and orange skylines far from the desert.

In the opposite direction, the warm current of the Gulf Stream keeps the Atlantic's eastern shores, such as Britain and Europe, warmer than they would otherwise be.

A separate study this month found that global warming could weaken the Gulf Stream and, paradoxically, cool down parts of Europe.

Porsche Macan T: The Specs

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Top speed: 232kph 

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On sale: May or June 

Price: From Dh259,900  

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The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

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  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

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Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).

Second leg

Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm

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Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

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Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie 

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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

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Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf –  $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000

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  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The biog

Name: James Mullan

Nationality: Irish

Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)

Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”

Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”

Specs

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Range: 400km

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SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)

Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)

Lazio v Napoli (9pm)

Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)

Sunday

Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)

Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)

Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)

Torino v Bologna (6pm)

Verona v Genoa (9pm)

Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)

Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)

 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO

Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')

Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)

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  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
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  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
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  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Results

6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi

8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

 

Brief scores:

Day 1

Toss: India, chose to bat

India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)

Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar

The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008

Price, base / as tested: Dh99,900 / Dh134,900

Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km

Brief scores:

Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first

Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)

Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15

Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)

Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49

Updated: July 24, 2024, 6:00 PM`