Abstract
Feb. 16–19,1898. Dust Haze.—A dense haze occurred over a large part of the eastern Atlantic off West Africa, extending for at least 1500 miles north and south and a great but unknown distance east and west. The haze was caused by very fine red dust, so fine that it was impossible to sweep it up, and so dense that the sun and stars were completely obscured for two days. When visible the sun was generally red, but one observer described it as “a perfect blue ball” and another as greenish. At Teneriffe the occurrence was preceded by a strong and very hot southerly wind, but during the haze there was no wind. Many insects were observed, of species not generally found on the island. The dust evidently originated in Africa, for it was much coarser near the coast, and was thrown overboard from ships in large quantities.
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Historic Natural Events. Nature 125, 256 (1930). https://doi.org/10.1038/125256a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/125256a0