Climate Number: 20 Teragrams
On average, about 20 trillion grams (20 teragrams) of dust are suspended in Earth’s atmosphere, where the dust particles stay for an average of 21 days. Dust is an important part of Earth’s climate – dust affects how clouds develop and how much sunlight reaches the Earth, which affects rainfall. The Dust Bowl of the 1930′s, which began due to lack of rainfall, was made worse by farming practices that released lots of dust into the air. Also, when dust lands on ice such as snow and glaciers, it makes these masses darker and more vulnerable to melting. On the other hand, dust deposits fertilize both land plants and ocean algae.
For Comparison: 20 teragrams weighs about as much as two million Boeing 757-200′s.
Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Sources: Grini, A et al. “Model simulations of dust sources and transport in the global atmosphere: Effects of soil erodibility and wind speed variability.” Journal of Geophysical Research 110 (2005): D02205 and Painter, TH. “Where Deserts and Mountains Collide: The Implications of Accelerated Snowmelt by Disturbed Desert Dust.” U.S. National
Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. 24 June 2009 and Hoerling, M et al. “Distinct causes for two principal U.S. droughts of the 20th century.” Geophysical Research Letters 36 (2009): L19708.
