Saharan dust pollution spreads across France and Europe
A study published in Nature shows that desert dust is increasing in Europe. France is directly affected by these episodes from North Africa, particularly Morocco, with consequences for air pollution and health.
Saharan dust is no longer just those spectacular episodes that cover cars with an orange veil. It is becoming an increasingly serious air pollution issue in Europe, including France.
On Bladi.net : Saharan Dust Storm Sweeps Across France, Raising Climate Concerns
A study published in Nature shows that concentrations of desert dust have increased over much of the continent between 2012 and 2021. Researchers worked from measurements collected at 103 European sites, then modeled daily dust concentrations on a 10 km grid.
Southern Europe remains the most exposed, particularly Spain, Italy, Greece and the Balkans. But the study also emphasizes that certain atmospheric circulations can push this dust toward the Atlantic, Spain and France.
The Sahara enters French air
According to researchers, dust from Saharan and Middle Eastern deserts already contribute significantly to particle levels in southern Europe. In 2021, they alone represented 31% of the WHO annual guideline value for PM10 in this region.
These particles can degrade air quality, worsen asthma, increase respiratory hospitalizations and contribute to mortality during episodes of high exposure.
France appears in the study as one of the countries that can be affected during certain climate configurations, particularly when winds favor the transport of dust toward western Europe.
Belgium is less directly isolated in the results. But it enters the northern European zone where researchers observe an increase in background levels, even if episodes there are less intense than in the south.
On Bladi.net : Saharan Dust Cloud Set to Blanket Southeast France This Week
The study links this trend to two major factors: the aridification of North Africa, particularly the Sahara, and changes in atmospheric circulation. Ice cores extracted from the Alps even show that dust deposits have increased by approximately 110% since the pre-industrial period.
