Impact of a strong Saharan dust outbreak in the Caribbean

Abstract

In June 2020, a dust storm crossed the Atlantic, from Africa to the Caribbean, within a few days, becoming one of the greatest dust events in the last two decades. A second dust plume, albeit less intense, was observed on 26-28 June. High and low values of aerosol optical depth and Angstrom exponent, respectively, were recorded from 21 June to 23 June in the Caribbean. On 22 June aerosol optical depth peaked at 1.9 in Guadeloupe. An isentropic layer was observed in dusty days, bounding the dust over the isles. A strong dust uplift over Africa, the subsequent accumulation on the West African coast and high-altitude winds led to large amounts of dust transport.