Science & Nature · Guadeloupe
Saharan dust: what science measures in Caribbean skies
Every year, dust lifted from the Sahara crosses the Atlantic and reaches the Caribbean. Teams based in Guadeloupe measure what it does to air quality in a tropical setting.
Dust that travels thousands of kilometres
High-altitude winds lift huge quantities of dust above the Sahara, then carry it across the Atlantic into the Caribbean basin. The sky turns milky, visibility drops and the air fills with fine particles.
June 2020 saw an exceptional African dust haze episode, marked enough to become the subject of scientific publications.
PM10, PM2.5: what is actually measured
Scientists sort particles by size. PM10 refers to particles smaller than ten micrometres; PM2.5 to even finer ones, which travel deeper into the airways.
Caribbean research covers both families and looks in particular at how weather — rainfall, wind speed and wind direction — changes their concentration in the air.
Research rooted in Guadeloupe
The KaruSphère laboratory, founded by Professor Thomas Plocoste, studies air pollution in tropical environments, combining field measurements, satellite observation, modelling and artificial intelligence.
Other Caribbean topics appear in its scientific work, such as the origin of sargassum and its impact on the region.