AS FOUR-wheel drives replace camels in deserts around the world, they are leaving the deserts鈥� fragile surfaces scarred, eroded and blowing in the wind. Fifty years of satellite imaging reveals that dust storms originating in areas such as the Sahara have increased tenfold.
鈥淒esert surfaces have been stable for thousands of years because they usually have a thin layer of lichen or algae, or gravel from which the fine sand has blown away,鈥� says Andrew Goudie of the University of Oxford. But increasing use of Toyota Land Cruisers and similar vehicles 鈥� a trend Goudie has dubbed 鈥淭oyota-isation鈥� 鈥� is scarring this protective surface layer. 鈥淥nce these surfaces are breached you get down to the fine sand again, which can be picked up by the wind.鈥� Goudie presented his findings at the International Geographical Union congress in Glasgow, UK, on 19 August.
Every year up to 3 billion tonnes of dust is blown around the world. Saharan dust has destroyed coral reefs 6000 kilometres away in the Caribbean. Dark dust deposited on Greenland鈥檚 ice caps absorbs heat and melts the ice, raising sea levels. Meanwhile dust storms in northern China may be carrying radioactive particles from the Lop Nor nuclear test site over Beijing and beyond.
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