Immigrant Dust Feeds Rain Forests
Intercontinental dust helps fertilize lush forests in the Western Hemisphere and Hawaii, noted Oliver Chadwick of the University of California, Santa Barbara, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Diego on February 19th. Steve Mirsky reports

It’s long been known that nutrient-rich dust from Africa floats across the Atlantic to the Amazon. And it’s assumed that the dust fertilizes the rainforest. Oliver Chadwick from the University of California, Santa Barbara, says that Hawaii can also thank immigrant dust for its lush forests:

“Hawaii is one of the least dusty places in the world. It’s one of the most remote archipelagos in the world and receives very little dust. And yet, we’ve been able to demonstrate that the phosphorus that’s carried by the dust and deposited on the old landscapes in Kauai actually fertilizes the forest.”

Speaking February 19th at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Diego, Chadwick noted that Puerto Rico also relies on African dust for fertilization. “Through the atmosphere, all parts of terrestrial ecosystems, forests, grasslands, are linked in a very effective way.”

—Steve Mirsky