USGS Public Lecture Series: Out of Africa--Dust in the Wind

Every year, billions of tons of fine desert dust from the Saharan Desert are transported thousands of miles through the atmosphere to the Americas, Europe and the Near East. Living microorganisms and chemical contaminants such as pesticides and metals are carried along with the dust. What biological and chemical contaminants are hitchhiking with the dust and how might downwind ecosystems such as coral reefs and human health be affected?

Transcript available soon.