Africa’s bumper crop of dust

Emissions skyrocketed with boom in commercial agriculture since mid-1800s

Northwestern Africa has always been a prodigious source of airborne dust. But dust supplies really took off when commercial agriculture came to the region in the 19th century, a new analysis suggests.

DUST FOLLOWS THE PLOW Farming in the Sahel region of northern Africa, particularly since commercial agriculture arrived in the 19th century, has triggered increased dust emissions, a new analysis suggests.