Saharan dust has big impact on Caribbean.

PositionOceanography - Brief article

Dust from the Saharan desert is bringing needed iron and other nutrients to underwater plants in the Caribbean, but bacteria may be the first thing to prosper from that dust, which is causing the bacteria to bloom and become more toxic to humans and marine organisms. 'This has been going on for a long time, but nobody understood it," asserts William Landing, professor of chemical oceanography at Florida State University, Tallahassee. "Ifs a natural phenomenon."

Landing and graduate student Alina Ebling were part of a team studying waters near the Florida Keys to measure the dust and track the biological response. They particularly were interested in how the bacteria Vibrio responded to the dust that had traveled thousands of miles. Vibrio includes pathogens that cause cholera, gastroenteritis, and seawater-associated wound infections. "Some are quite toxic, and they can infect and accumulate in shellfish," notes Landing.

Researchers, which included scientists from the University of Georgia, Athens, and...

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