Most Saharan dust is generated by ‘hidden thunderstorms’ high above the desert

By Richard Washington, Professor of Climate Science, University of Oxford

When Saharan dust reaches the UK and Europe, as a huge country-sized cloud did over the past few days, it can transform the sky. Tiny particles drifting in the atmosphere scatter blue light while allowing reds and oranges to reach us intact, producing beautiful sunsets.

But these striking displays are also a reminder of how connected the Earth is. Dust drifting over my head in England may have rested on the dry surface of the Sahara…

Read complete article

~	War in Middle East brings uncertainty and higher energy costs to already weakening US economy

~	A brief cinematic history of Frankenstein’s Bride as a feminist icon

~	Lebanon: Israeli military’s overly broad mass evacuation orders sowing panic and fuelling humanitarian suffering

~	Iran: Internet Shutdown Violates Rights, Escalates Risks to Civilians

~	New Report Warns Trump EPA Undermining Health

~	Cameroonian Separatist Leaders Arrested in Belgium

~	Public health needs steady budgets – and federal funding uncertainty causes real harms, even if the money is later restored

~	Russia Declares Leading LGBT Rights Group ‘Extremist’

~	China’s muted response over war in Iran reflects Beijing’s delicate calculus as a concerned onlooker

~	Are women more safe today in England and Wales than they were in the past – or less? What the evidence shows