Articles | Volume 25, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10853-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10853-2025
Research article
 | 
22 Sep 2025
Research article |  | 22 Sep 2025

Interdecadal shift in the impact of winter land–sea thermal contrasts on following spring transcontinental dust transport pathways in North Africa

Qi Wen, Yan Li, Mengying Du, Wenjun Song, Linbo Wei, Zhilan Wang, and Xu Li

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Cited articles

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We find that, through an interdecadal coupling of sea–land thermal forcing, the North Atlantic Oscillation, and the westerly jet, springtime dust from North Africa has been more likely to be transported eastward (extending into North America) since the late 1990s, whereas before that time, westward transport paths were more frequent.  Under the influence of thermal forcing, wind speed and drought contribute to dust emissions in the two periods, respectively.
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