Post by PSI Paul Scherrer Institut

More dust from the desert is being blown to Europe. 🌍 A new study led by Petros Vasilakos, Kaspar Dällenbach and El Haddad Imad at PSI Paul Scherrer Institute shows that increasing amounts of desert dust from North Africa and the Middle East are reaching Europe. In southern Europe, the pollution levels are more than twice as high as in the north – and they are increasing everywhere. 🏜️The reasons are the increasing desiccation of deserts and changing wind patterns that transport airborne dust particles to Europe. 💨 Climate change could also be playing a role. Of particular relevance: on days with high desert dust pollution, mortality – due for example to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases – measurably increases. For the study, PSI researchers combined Europe-wide measurement data with AI models for the first time to estimate the pollution levels near ground level more precisely. ➡️ The bottom line: while our direct emissions of fine particulate matter in Europe are decreasing due to stricter regulations, the influence of natural sources from outside Europe is growing – with direct consequences for health and the environment. Full article: https://lnkd.in/e6k729Nj More articles on #HealthInnovation and #Climate: https://lnkd.in/eAZsPyfW https://lnkd.in/e4mWExfp https://lnkd.in/eT25HEzs CC: PSI Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry #ResearchAtPSI #ParticulateMatter #Health #Aerosols #AirQuality

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