From the largest desert on the planet to the heart of the Amazon. The secret journey of Sahara dust that keeps the Atlantic alive.
The Sahara Desert is the largest desert on the planet and a symbol of absolute aridity. However, what appears to be a sea of lifeless dunes has a hidden and essential role: . Every year, millions of tons cross the sky like an invisible river connecting Africa with America and sustaining life.
Dust rivers crossing continents
When , massive dust clouds form and travel over 5,000 kilometers to America. Satellites have shown that they behave like true aerial rivers loaded with iron, phosphorus, and calcium, key elements for life development.
Fertilizer for the Atlantic Ocean
As they fall over the Atlantic, act as a natural fertilizer for phytoplankton, the foundation of the marine food chain. Without this input, ocean productivity would drastically decrease, affecting fish, birds, marine mammals, and ultimately the fishing industry that millions of people depend on.
The secret link to the Amazon rainforest
. There, its minerals help maintain soil fertility and the forest’s ability to store carbon. The paradox is clear: the most humid and biodiverse forest on the planet depends, in part, on the extreme aridity of the world’s largest desert.
A global life mechanism
. An invisible transfer that reveals planetary interconnection: what happens in a dry corner of North Africa can determine the health of ecosystems thousands of kilometers away.
. It reminds us that Earth functions as an invisible network of dependencies, where the inhospitable can sustain the fertile and the distant can be essential for the nearby. In times of environmental crisis, understanding these connections is key to appreciating and protecting the planet’s balance.
