Atmospheric Dusts collected off the West African Coast

Abstract

IN recent years several studies^1–4 have revealed that wind-transported (eolian) dusts make a significant contribution to the land-derived material in some deep-sea sediments. This contribution depends, among other factors, on the amount of dust in the marine atmospheres, which can vary considerably from one area to another (Table 1). The greatest concentrations of dust have been found in the north-east trade winds over the North Atlantic Ocean. These winds receive a readily available supply of dust from the Sahara Desert, and have been sampled at Barbados¹ and Bermuda⁵. Few collections have been made in oceanic areas adjacent to the Sahara coast, however. We wish to present the preliminary results of several collections made off the West African coast on board RRS Discovery, on the LUDO 9 Expedition (Discovery Cruise 26) undertaken by Liverpool University, Department of Oceanography, from April 22 to May 5, 1969.