Health Of Brazilian Rainforest Depends On Dust From One Valley In Africa

[phantom power]

It has been known for more than a decade that the existence of the Amazon rainforest depends on a supply of minerals washed off by rain from the soil in the Sahara and blown across the Atlantic by dust. By combining various types of satellite data, Dr. Koren and colleagues from Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Brazil have now for the first time managed to obtain quantitative information about the weight of this dust. Analyses of dust quantities were performed near the Bodélé valley itself, on the shore of the Atlantic and at an additional spot above the ocean.

The data revealed that some 56 percent of the dust reaching the Amazon forest originates in the Bodélé valley. They also showed that a total of some 50 million tons of dust make their way from Africa to the Amazon region every year, a much higher figure than the previous estimates of 13 million tons. The new estimate matches the calculations on the quantity of dust needed to supply the vital minerals for the continued existence of the Amazon rainforest.

The researchers suggest that the Bodélé valley is such an important source of dust due to its shape and geographic features: it is flanked on both sides by enormous basalt mountain ridges, which create a cone-shaped crater with a narrow opening in the northeast. Winds that "drain" into the valley focus on this funnel-like opening similarly to the way light is focused by an optical lens, creating a large wind tunnel of sorts. As a result, gusts of surface wind that are accelerated and focused in the tunnel lift the dust from the ground and blow it toward the ocean, allowing the Bodélé valley to export the vast amount of dust that makes a life-sustaining contribution to the Amazon rainforest.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061228213213.htm

[nam78_two]

1. K&R.nt

[applegrove]

2. Wow. That's a long way to go for dust

[Nihil]

10. And how!

Given the quantities they are talking about, I'm surprised that there
isn't a big muddy streak across the Atlantic between the valley and
the Amazon!
:wow:

[applegrove]

11. I guess if it hits water..in sinks.

[druidity33]

3. have you ever read...

Secrets of the Soil or The Secret Life of Plants? In one of them (i forget which one) they talk about Germany's Black Forest and how the WHOLE of it was Dying. The only thing that seemed to help was ground rock dust! Who would've thunk? Also they tackle why music benefits plants, Bio-Dynamic Agriculture, and other wondrous plant to human interactions. A thoroughly enjoyable read that posits many answers to our environmental questions, which admittedly have a mystical bent, but otherwise are wholly practical.

K&R


edited to correct stupid spelling errors...

[phantom power]

4. I have never read either.

Until this article, I had never heard of planet-scale soil dependencies. Like lots of things, it isn't so surprising once you hear about it, but I'd never have imagined it myself.

[druidity33]

5. by Tompkins and Bird...

i think their names are. Excellent library selections/bathroom reading/bedside/bus commute books. Each of the chapters discusses a fascinatingly obscure and arcane type of plant knowledge/method. One of my favorites is the talk of Findhorn in Scotland. And BioDynamic Agriculture is just the coolest thing...

anyway, peace out

[bananas]

6. Also an album by Stevie Wonder

soundtrack for a documentary film based on the book
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Plants-1978-Documentary/dp/B000001AJG/sr=8-2/qid=1167855047/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-3742719-9391000?ie=UTF8&s=music

[Morgana LaFey]

7. That blows my mind

I'd never heard about the dust requirement before, but whodathunkit? Heck, that reminds me of the Chaos Theory (I think) line about butterfly flapping its wings in China causing -- whatever it was in the U.S.

[flying rabbit]

8. who knew?

obviously not me, thanks.

[XemaSab]

9. It all boils down

to soils. :D

[GliderGuider]

12. This is what I love about this place

You never know what you're going to learn around here. Thanks for posting this.