Dr. Yinon Rudich, of the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Professor Daniel Rosenfeld, of Hebrew University, have made an important discovery as to the cause of drought around the globe. According to the scientists, dust kicked up into the air on a large scale becomes airborne and inhibits rainfall, which then creates more dusty conditions, thus extending the length and reach of droughts. This vicious cycle, carrying dust-laden clouds far afield, can lead to expansion of desert area, lessening of rainfall in distant regions and decades long droughts.
The important discovery was made during the work the two scientists did as part of NASA?s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite team, while observing the behavior of clouds during dust storms in northern Africa. As revealed by the Israeli scientists in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, farming and herding methods that expose and disrupt topsoil increase airborne dust particles, thereby leading to expansion and extension of drought conditions. According to the publication, the drought cycle described by the scientists may help to explain the unending drought conditions in parts of Africa or even the ?Dust Bowl? effect of 1930?s America.
The important discovery was made during the work the two scientists did as part of NASA?s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite team, while observing the behavior of clouds during dust storms in northern Africa. As revealed by the Israeli scientists in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, farming and herding methods that expose and disrupt topsoil increase airborne dust particles, thereby leading to expansion and extension of drought conditions. According to the publication, the drought cycle described by the scientists may help to explain the unending drought conditions in parts of Africa or even the ?Dust Bowl? effect of 1930?s America.