atmospheric dust studies on Barbados1

The concentration of dust in the trade winds passing over Barbados has been measured continuously since August 1965; the average dust load for the 25 month period ending in August 1967 is 2.5 μgm m−3. There is a marked seasonal periodicity in the transport with the average dust concentrations for the summer months being approximately an order of magnitude larger than those for the winter months. In addition, very sharp fluctuations in dust concentrations are observed on a day-to-day basis. There is considerable evidence that the dust originates in Africa and that the composition of the dust and the quantities transported are dependent on the meteorological conditions over Africa and the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. The future programs for atmospheric dust studies on Barbados will be directed towards the utilization of dust as a tracer for a variety of meteorological processes; a number of the more important of these investigations are discussed.