The Atmospheric Surveillance Service of Copernicus (CAMS) warns that the movement of dust from the Sahara has worsened air quality in Spain and in some areas of Italy and southern France. According to CAMPS, this dust shift began over the weekend and reached its decisive point on July 11, causing a “high” concentration of PM10 particles.
Also, in the most affected areas, PM10 will exceed the exposure threshold daily average of 50 micrograms per cubic meter that has been dictated by the EU for this type of pollutant. According to Senior Scientist at the Copernicus Weather Monitoring Service, Mark Parrington, these forecasts show “higher” concentrations of particles on the surface as well as “higher” in the atmosphere, which contrasts with certain episodes that occurred in the Mediterranean at the beginning of the year.
On the other hand, Copernicus indicates that both the movement of dust in Spain and the hello of heat that arrived in the country last Monday are phenomena that have been caused by the hot air coming from the Sahara. “This dust drift episode coincides with heat wave conditions experienced across Spain and the western Mediterranean,” Parrington said.
In the same way, CAMS has also forecast the arrival of haze and the formation of an “especially dense” plume (mass of air saturated with water vapor that contains pollutants) over the Canary Islands as this week progresses.
Finally, the agency has also warned of another movement of Saharan dust that has reached the Caribbean and that is expected to continue for the next few days.