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An “exceptional” dust cloud from the Sahara desert is choking parts of Europe, worsening air quality and coating windows and cars in dirt, the Sahara climate watchdog said on Monday. did.
The Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Office said the plume, the third in recent weeks, would bring foggy conditions to southern Europe and blow north into Scandinavia.
Copernicus senior scientist Mark Purrington said the incident was linked to weather patterns that have brought warmer weather to parts of Europe in recent days.
“While it is not uncommon for Saharan dust plumes to reach Europe, the intensity and frequency of such events has increased in recent years, and this could potentially be attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. “There is a gender,” he said.
Copernicus said this latest event has worsened air quality in several countries.
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European Union safety standards for concentrations of PM10 (coarse particles such as sand and dust that irritate the nose and throat) are already being exceeded in some regions.
Spain’s Iberian Peninsula was hardest hit, but smaller spikes in air pollution were also recorded in parts of Switzerland, France and Germany.
Regional authorities in southeastern and southern France announced on Saturday that air pollution standards had been breached.
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They advised residents to avoid strenuous physical activity, especially those with heart or respiratory problems.
Copernicus said the dust outbreak is expected to reach Sweden, Finland and northwestern Russia before ending on Tuesday as weather patterns change.
The Sahara Desert emits between 60 million and 200 million tons of fine dust each year, which can travel thousands of kilometers on wind and certain weather conditions.
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In Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of northwestern Africa, there were only 12 out of 90 days from December to February when the sky was completely free of Saharan dust, local weather agency Emet reported. .
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