DEFINITION OF LOESS

A name for silt and clay deposited by wind. It forms

a uniform blanket that covers hills and valleys at many altitudes,

which distinguishes it from deposits of streams. Strong

winds that blow across desert regions sometimes pick up dust

made of silt and clay particles and transport them thousands

of kilometers from their source. For instance, dust from

China is found in Hawaii, and the Sahara commonly drops

dust in Europe. This dust is a nuisance, has a significant

influence on global climate, and has, at times, as in the dust

bowl days of the 1930s, been known to nearly block out the

sun.

Recently, it has been recognized that windblown dust

contributes significantly to global climate. Dust storms that

come out of the Sahara can be carried around the world and

can partially block out some of the Sun’s radiation. The dust

particles may also act as small nuclei for raindrops to form

around, perhaps acting as a natural cloud-seeding phenomenon.

One interesting point to ponder is that as global

warming increases global temperatures, the amount and

intensity of storms increase, and some of the world’s deserts

expand. Dust storms may serve to reduce global temperatures

and increase precipitation. In this way, dust storms may represent

some kind of self-regulating mechanism, whereby the

Earth moderates its own climate.

See also DESERT.

longshore drift See LITTORAL.

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