High-Latitude Dust Over the North Atlantic: Inputs from Icelandic Proglacial Dust Storms

Abstract

Cold Dust Atmospheric dust affects air quality, air and ocean chemistry, ocean biology, and climate, so understanding its origins is important to many fields. Hot, dry, desert regions at low latitudes are well-understood sources, but the role of higher-latitude regions in dust production has not been considered. Prospero et al. (p. 1078 ) present a 6-year record of measurements made on an island south of Iceland, which revealed frequent episodes of dust-production associated with glacial outwash plains and outburst floods. Much of this dust is transported southward and deposited in the North Atlantic, making it a potentially important supply of iron to drive ocean production in that region.