Biological soil crusts act as a global shield against atmospheric dust
In short: Researchers using a global climate model found that biological soil crusts—communities of organisms and soil particles—reduce global atmospheric dust emissions by approximately 60%. These crusts, which cover about 12% of Earth's land, prevent roughly 0.7 petagrams of dust from entering the atmosphere every year.
The study suggests that as climate change and land-use intensification reduce biocrust coverage by 2070, the resulting increase in dust could lower the global radiation budget by 0.12 to 0.22 W m⁻². This impact represents about half of the direct forcing caused by human-made aerosols.
The researchers achieved this by integrating limited experimental data into a global climate model. However, the study's accuracy is constrained by the scarcity of existing experimental data on biocrusts.
Why it matters: The degradation of tiny soil ecosystems could have massive consequences for the Earth's climate and dust cycles.
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