Climate Change is Reducing Dust Levels Worldwide as Arctic Temperature Warms [Study]

Climate change is known for altering weather patterns, a phenomenon associated with long-term shifts in temperatures. For decades, scientists have warned the human-induced climate crisis, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, is making extreme weather events worse than ever. In recent years, evidence attributed the phenomenon to droughts, heat waves, flooding rain, and storms.

However, the recurring theme of Earth's climate emergency is also causing unprecedented environmental repercussions. According to a study earlier this year, climate change is also reducing dust levels worldwide, especially in some desert areas in Asia, because of a warming Arctic temperature, an event which researchers call "Arctic amplification" caused by anthropogenic global warming.

Dust Levels Decrease

Dust levels are decreasing in some parts of Asia, including in northern India, most of the Middle East, the Persian Gulf Coast. While this phenomenon had been a mystery before, a study published in the journal PNAS in March 2024 confirms the decline of desert areas in West Asia and South Asia is caused by Arctic amplification due to anthropogenic climate change and global warming.

The research paper highlights that previous studies found decreasing dust levels in these regions but were unable to determine its main cause. In light of the new study, an international research team is projecting the phenomenon could lead to stronger land-based anti-desertification. Prior to the discovery, excessive dust loading is known to threaten public health and food security.

Now, evidence of a declining dust loading in western and southern Asia may also entail a decrease of the impact of desert areas on air quality, food security, energy supply, and public health, according to the authors of the paper. Led by Michael McElroy from Harvard University, the team found the main driver of dust level declines are "changes in atmospheric circulation patterns."

Warming Arctic Temperature

The Arctic region once had an untouched environment that served as a habitat for wildlife in the northern hemisphere. Yet, the past several decades saw habitat loss and melting of ice, affecting wild animals such as polar bears. This reality became more evident in recent years when scientists confirmed that the icy region is warming more than previously thought.

In 2022, a separate study about warming Arctic temperature was published in the journal Nature, wherein researchers stated the Arctic has warmed almost four times faster than the global average since 1979. Similar to the March study, the 2022 research paper also examined the phenomenon of Arctic amplification, which also has global implications for climate and the environment.

Based on current data, Earth has significantly warmed over the last century. Overall, the planet's global temperature was 1.36 degrees Celsius warmed in 2023 compared to the late 19^th century during the pre-industrial average. The past 10 years since 2023 are the warmest on record in history, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).