Saharan Dust Cloud Triggers Air Pollution Spike Across Europe
The Saharan dust that swept over parts of Europe last week caused a peak in air pollution. This is the finding of the European atmospheric monitoring service Copernicus.
According to Mark Parrington, a scientist at Copernicus, these dust clouds brought with them high concentrations of PM10 particles, particles with a diameter less than or equal to 10 microns. "We have seen air quality values drop significantly in the affected regions," he added. According to him, Barcelona (Spain) and Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) are among them.
In Marseille or Lyon, the peaks in PM10 concentration are around 50 micrograms/m³, and exceed 60 in Barcelona.
The dust transported from the Moroccan Sahara moved on Saturday and Sunday in France, thus coloring the sky yellow.
