article_snippet.sent: the year has seen a rash of massive dust storms around the world that have led to travel chaos and blocked out sunlight - but experts cannot pinpoint the reason behind the spate.
article_snippet.sent: Some experts have said that climate change bringing excessive heat can make some areas more susceptible to dust storms, but one European scientist pointed out that the number of dust storms over the decades has always been variable.
article_snippet.sent: Earlier this month Britain was shrouded in a cloud of Saharan dust, known as 'blood rain,' as the temperatures soared.
article_snippet.sent: The dust is produced from source areas in North Africa, incorporated into a northerly airflow and can travel long distances before being deposited as far away as the UK. '
article_snippet.sent: However, the events we experience are small scale compared to those experienced closer to major dust sources.
article_snippet.sent: Dr Emilio Cuevas-Agulló, director of the Izana Atmospheric Research Center in Tenerife, Spain, told MailOnline that while it was difficult to say if there have been an increase in dust storms generally, population and urban growth in desert regions means an increased risk of people being affected by Dr Emilio Cuevas-Agulló, director of the Izana Atmospheric Research Center in Tenerife, Spain.
article_snippet.sent: , Spain said: ‘We are more aware of the problem since We have much better monitoring, mainly from satellites, and forecast systems, in the last five to 10 years, and because the population growth and corresponding infrastructures increase in desert and arid regions, in recent decades, increasing vulnerability to the same dust episodes.
article_snippet.sent: , Spain added: ‘Our longest dust records over the North Atlantic, downwind from the Sahara desert, which started in late 1970s show a great inter-annual variability and decadal changes, but we don't really see positive trends.’ Severely reduced viability caused traffic chaos in Egypt's capital city . '
article_snippet.sent: Dr Emilio Cuevas-Agulló, director of the Izana Atmospheric Research Center in Tenerife, Spain, told MailOnline that while it was difficult to say if there have been an increase in dust storms generally, population and urban growth in desert regions means an increased risk of people being affected by Dr Emilio Cuevas-Agulló, director of the Izana Atmospheric Research Center in Tenerife, Spain.
article_snippet.sent: , Spain said: ‘We are more aware of the problem since We have much better monitoring, mainly from satellites, and forecast systems, in the last five to 10 years, and because the population growth and corresponding infrastructures increase in desert and arid regions, in recent decades, increasing vulnerability to the same dust episodes.
article_snippet.sent: , Spain added: ‘Our longest dust records over the North Atlantic, downwind from the Sahara desert, which started in late 1970s show a great inter-annual variability and decadal changes, but Our don't really see positive trends.
article_snippet.sent: A Nasa study said: 'Approximately half of the dust in today's atmosphere may be the result of changes to the environment caused by human activity, including agriculture, overgrazing, and the cutting down of forests.'
highlights_snippet.sent: Half of dust in atmosphere today is due to human activity, said Nasa .