A photo from open sources These two vast territories of our planet called the lungs of the earth. And they, strange as it may seem, closely connected to each other.
The fact is that the Amazon annually takes into the ocean a huge the amount of nutrients from the soil that should somehow make up for. How?
The Sahara desert fills them with subequatorial winds, that lift sand into the air and carry it to thousands kilometers to South America.
Scientists of the world decided to find out how much sand gets into Amazonia from Africa. To this end, in 2006 was launched NASA and French CNES research satellite (a joint project). In addition, scientific expeditions directed to the Amazon and Caribbean. This observation and thorough research lasted more than seven years.
A photo from open sources
As a result, it was found that from the Sahara towards the Amazonian forests almost two hundred million tons of dust are sent by air every year and sand, however, about fifteen percent of this mass settles in the ocean. However, the remaining one hundred and fifty million tons reach the Amazon and replenish its soil, for example, twenty thousands of tons of porcelain, so necessary to her. Just so much river and washes it a year into the ocean. It turns out that natural the mechanism works so clearly that the necessary balance to maintain the “lungs of the planet” in good condition.
True, scientists believe that these data are not yet sufficient to get a complete picture of the interaction of the Sahara desert and the Amazon. This will require many more years of observation and careful analysis.
