An “exceptional” quantity of dust from the Sahara has been rising over Western Europe since Saturday, a phenomenon whose frequency has been increasing in recent years, with harmful consequences on air quality, the European observatory warned on Monday Copernicus.
This episode, the third in two weeks, of “large-scale transport of Saharan dust across Europe” has lasted since April 6 and has notably resulted in “high concentrations of PM10” (particles with a diameter of less than 10 micrometers) “ in the Iberian Peninsula as well as in parts of France and Germany,” sometimes exceeding the European daily normal, according to the Copernicus Air Quality Monitoring Service (CAMS).
“Daily maximum values from CAMS forecasts for PM10 showed significant concentrations at surface level, exceeding the EU 24-hour average exposure threshold of 50 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) in some of the affected regions,” Copernicus said in a press release.
These concentrations will continue to increase in the coming days thanks to atmospheric circulations which prolong this transport, warns CAMS.
The dust plume has already crossed most of the Iberian Peninsula to reach southeastern France and Germany, as far as Scandinavia, Copernicus notes.
“This latest episode of Saharan dust is the third of its kind in the last two weeks and is linked to weather conditions which have led to warmer weather across Western Europe in recent days,” said Mark Parrington, a senior scientist. of CAMS.
“Although it is not uncommon for plumes of Saharan dust to reach Europe, the intensity and frequency of such episodes have increased in recent years, which could potentially be attributed to changes in circulation patterns atmospheric,” he adds.
In France on Sunday, the regional air quality observatory Atmo Occitanie had warned of degraded air quality, with five departments — Haute-Garonne, Gers, Ariège, Pyrénées-Orientales, Hautes-Pyrénées — at level 4 (bad), on a scale from 1 (good) to 6 (extremely bad).
Exposure to high levels of PM10 can have various effects on health, including triggering asthma attacks or allergies and aggravating certain respiratory or cardiovascular pathologies, particularly in vulnerable people (pregnant women, children, the elderly or immunocompromised).
The Sahara is the largest source of mineral dust, releasing between 60 and 200 million tonnes per year. While larger particles fall quickly to the ground, smaller ones can be transported thousands of kilometers and reach all of Europe.