Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Saharan Air Layer Dust Loading: Effects On Convective Strength In Tropical Cloud Clusters, Randall J. Hergert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Numerous factors play a role in the development and maintenance of North Atlantic tropical cyclones as they originate and cross the Main Development Region. These factors include sea-surface temperatures (SSTs), relative humidity, vertical wind shear, etc. One key player in many of these factors is the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) which has been a source for study for nearly five decades.

The interplay between dust loading within the SAL and the development of African Easterly Waves (AEWs) has been repeatedly noted in many of the studies in this field. The cumulative indirect effect of the dust on AEWs however remains …