27.01.2019
Meteorologist at the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) , Dr. Andrea Sealy, wants the region to be wary of Sand and Dust storms .
Dr.Sealy Spoke to Real Fm Exclusively at the Arthur Chung Conference Center on the sidelines of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification ‘s (UNCCD’s) Media training on Sunday 27th January.
Sealey who is also a professor at the University of the West Indies, says that islands should pay heed to the Sahara Dust, which has been studied in the region at the racket point facility for over 50 years.
One of the Key observations coming from the Barbados Based center is that ,” the severe dust storms have been coming earlier in the Year;Traditionally,or climatologically , the majority of dust coming comes June,July ,August. You find you get some pretty strong episodes , like in March and April and May.”Continuing ,”There has been a shift, that has been due to the observations we are getting.”
These Sand and Dust Storms according to the Meteorologist, allows visibility to be compromised, when the amount of Particulate Matter 2.5 & 10 (PM) increases significantly with the dust episodes .This exceeds the world health regulations as to the amount of concentrations for those particles you should have in the atmosphere.There are also issues in terms of coating of solar panels , the dust or dust cover affects amount of radiation they absorb.”
She says the entity is looking to direct its focus one expanding its monitoring in other countries.
” What we are trying to do is get more funding is for management systems, it seems like the initial issue in relation to the sand and dust storms for our region will be on the air quality.That is something we can tackle and we feel Strongly about.Studies on the impacts on solar energy and panels and visibility is what we can look at.”
The UNCCD describes Sand and dust storms (SDS), as natural phenomenon linked with land and water management and climate change. They are a combination of different hazards, such as sand, dust and wind.
