Study: Cyprus among the regions hardest hit by African dust

A new international study published in the scientific journal Nature, with the participation of scientists from the Cyprus Institute, has found that the eastern Mediterranean is among the regions where African dust transport episodes are intensifying most rapidly.

According to the study, climate change is driving increased drought and desertification in North Africa while also altering atmospheric processes, causing dust from the Sahara to reach Europe more frequently.

Scientists note that around 46 episodes of desert dust transport are recorded in Southern Europe every year. They significantly worsen air quality: approximately one-third of the World Health Organization’s permissible annual average concentration of PM10 particles is attributable to desert dust.

The study also links these events to increased health risks. According to the authors’ estimates, daily mortality rises by approximately 0.67% during dust transport episodes, while the number of hospital admissions of children with respiratory diseases increases by around 2.5%.

The researchers paid particular attention to Cyprus. The eastern Mediterranean, including the island, was among the European regions where the intensity of dust episodes increased most noticeably over the past decade.

The authors emphasize that African dust itself is a natural phenomenon in the region, but climate change is making such episodes more frequent and intense. In their view, this calls for more effective preparations for periods of dust storms and further measures to combat climate change.