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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 33, L19813, doi:10.1029/2006GL026408, 2006

New evidence for a relationship between Atlantic tropical cyclone activity and African dust outbreaks

Amato T. Evan

Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA


Jason Dunion

Hurricane Research Division, AOML/NOAA, Miami, Florida, USA


Jonathan A. Foley

Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA


Andrew K. Heidinger

Office of Research and Applications, NOAA/NESDIS, Camp Springs, Maryland, USA


Christopher S. Velden

Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA


Abstract

It is well known that Atlantic tropical cyclone activity varies strongly over time, and that summertime dust transport over the North Atlantic also varies from year to year, but any connection between tropical cyclone activity and atmospheric dust has been limited to a few case studies. Here we report new results that demonstrate a strong relationship between interannual variations in North Atlantic tropical cyclone activity and atmospheric dust cover as measured by satellite, for the years 1982–2005. While we cannot conclusively demonstrate a direct causal relationship, there appears to be robust link between tropical cyclone activity and dust transport over the Tropical Atlantic.

Received 3 April 2006; accepted 30 August 2006; published 10 October 2006.

Index Terms: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906); 1620 Global Change: Climate dynamics (0429, 3309); 1637 Global Change: Regional climate change; 1640 Global Change: Remote sensing (1855); 3374 Atmospheric Processes: Tropical meteorology.

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Citation: Evan, A. T., J. Dunion, J. A. Foley, A. K. Heidinger, and C. S. Velden (2006), New evidence for a relationship between Atlantic tropical cyclone activity and African dust outbreaks, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L19813, doi:10.1029/2006GL026408.