Dust storms are generally natural phenomena, and Saharan dust carried on the wind is credited with fertilizing oceans and rain forests a continent away. However human actions have historically been connected with devastating dust events such as the Dust Bowl of the Great Plains in the 1930s.

 

2020 and 2021 have seen several remarkable dust storms, including the 2020 "Godzilla" dust plume that darkened North American skies with Saharan dust, and the 2021 dust storm that was the worst in recent memory in Beijing. The effects of climate change and the frequency of dust storms is a topic of current research.

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These sand animations are inspired by satellite imagery of the movement of great concentrations of dust carried by weather patterns over continents and oceans.

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