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3.4.14

SMOG OR CALIMA?

This is a satellite picture of a storm of sand blowing from the Sahara Desert and heading for the Canary Islands.
When it arrives it thickens the air with orangey-brown dust, raises the temperature by several degrees, and covers cars, terraces and plants with a thick layer that infiltrates the house and makes dusting a daily chore.
It clogs your nose and throat, restricts your breathing, and puts hundreds of vulnerable people in hospital.

Sounds familiar? In the UK you call it smog and it's a matter for headlines in the national papers.
Here we call it a calima and we get at least one a month.
And you think you've got it bad?

6 comments:

  1. It has even reached here now, so I guess it could be pretty awful where you are.

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  2. Our car is meant to be black. Right now it's a sandy-beige colour. How do you live with this pollution monthly?

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    1. We wash the dust out of our throats with cheap wine!

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  3. Ha ha! Had to laugh at your solution above, Lizy! I wonder if anyone tried that over here? We had rain yesterday afternoon and this morning so I think it's been washed down out of the atmosphere a bit, so they say. Was a bit surprised to find our black car covered in sand the other day. I know we're not that far from the sea here, but it did seem a stretch - then someone told me the sand had come from the Middle East! Hope the 'calima' passes you soon!

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    1. Ours has gone now, thanks Maxi. We are confident we'll get more but for now the sky is a brilliant blue.

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