The seasonal occurrence of dust storms in East Asia can cause algal blooms in waters far from the Asian mainland, researchers in China have discovered. In a study published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, researchers at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said that iron carried in the dust can cause rapid growth of algae in coastal waters, most often along the coast of China – which is most affected by the seasonal dust storms – but sometimes as far away as Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. The researchers were tipped off to a possible link between large dust storms and algal blooms in 2010, when a massive dust storm blanketed Beijing and stretched as far eastward as Japan. At the same time, a large algal bloom formed off the coast of Shandong.

Kritz, B. (2017, January 5). Asian dust storms linked to algal blooms. The Manila Times, p. B5.