A man takes a photograph of Athens from Tourkovounia hill, as southerly winds carry waves of Saharan dust to the city in 2024. AFP
A man takes a photograph of Athens from Tourkovounia hill, as southerly winds carry waves of Saharan dust to the city in 2024. AFP
A man takes a photograph of Athens from Tourkovounia hill, as southerly winds carry waves of Saharan dust to the city in 2024. AFP
A man takes a photograph of Athens from Tourkovounia hill, as southerly winds carry waves of Saharan dust to the city in 2024. AFP

Saharan storms ‘threaten Europe’s solar power future’


Paul Carey
  • English
  • Arabic

A growing atmospheric phenomenon is complicating Europe’s path towards climate and energy security targets, scientists have warned.

Mineral dust carried on the wind from the Sahara could hamper Europe’s reliance on solar energy, the European Geosciences Union General Assembly (EGU25) heard.

In their presentation at EGU25, Dr Gyorgy Varga and collaborators from Hungarian and European institutions said dust-laden skies disrupt photovoltaic (PV) performance and challenge existing forecasting models.

Their work, using field data from more than 46 Saharan dust events between 2019 and 2023, spans both Central Europe (Hungary) and Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Greece).

The Sahara releases billions of tonnes of fine dust into the atmosphere every year, and tens of millions of tonnes reach European skies.

These particles scatter and absorb sunlight, reduce irradiance at the surface, and can even promote cloud formation – all of which degrade PV output.

Previous research has shown dust storms have a significant effect on climate change. Fine desert dust blown across the ocean can also make the rain heavier by changing the size of cloud droplets.

UAE researchers also found dust travelling from the Sahara to the Alps causes snowy pistes and glaciers to turn a dramatic red, pink or orange.

Huge plumes of dust also get transported from North Africa to the Arctic, which could have stark consequences for climate change, research from New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) has found.

A study of a 2011 cyclone over Morocco found it carried 38 million tonnes of dust, depositing 1.3 million tonnes of it in the Arctic.

Prof Benjamin Murray, an atmospheric scientist at Leeds, told The National: "Dust from places like the Sahara has long been known to be important for the planet’s climate. It reflects sunlight back into space so affects climate directly."

The researchers found that conventional forecasting tools which study average particle levels in the atmosphere miss the mark during these events.

Instead, the team recommends integrating near-real-time data on dust levels with cloud particles into forecasting models. This would allow for more reliable scheduling of solar energy and better preparedness for the variability introduced by atmospheric dust.

“There’s a growing need for dynamic forecasting methods that account for both meteorological and mineralogical factors,” said Mr Varga.

“Without them, the risk of underperformance and grid instability will only grow as solar becomes a larger part of our energy mix.”

Beyond atmospheric effects, the team also pointed to the long-term impacts of dust on the physical infrastructure of solar panels, including contamination and erosion – factors that can further reduce efficiency and increase maintenance costs.

This research was supported by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the EU-funded National Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Climate Change.

BIO

Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.

Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.

Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.

Favourite colour: Black.

Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.

match info

Maratha Arabians 138-2

C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15

Team Abu Dhabi 114-3

L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17

Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs

The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press

Company%20profile
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What are the main cyber security threats?

Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.

Our legal advisor

Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.

Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.

Neymar's bio

Total club appearances 411

Total goals scored 241

Appearances for Barca 186

Goals scored for Barca 105

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ahmed Raza

UAE cricket captain

Age: 31

Born: Sharjah

Role: Left-arm spinner

One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95

T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28

EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdinburgh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%204%20%3Cem%3E(unchanged)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBahrain%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2015)%3C%2Fem%3E%3B%20second%20daily%20service%20from%20January%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKuwait%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2016)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMumbai%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAhmedabad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColombo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202%20%3Cem%3E(from%20January%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMuscat%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cem%3E%20%3C%2Fem%3EMarch%201%3Cem%3E%20(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELyon%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBologna%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Emirates%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
  • November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
The%20specs
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20(2022)
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Updated: May 02, 2025, 3:00 PM`