The sand of the Sahara falling on the snow of the Pyrenees will be the subject of a scientific study

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Simon Gascoin, hydrologist and researcher at the CNRS, appeals to individuals to recover as many samples of dust from the Sahara that fell en masse on the Pyrenean peaks and throughout the south-eastern part of the territory last weekend. Interview.

An orange sky and dust that covers everything: the weather phenomenon of last weekend has not gone unnoticed. Today, scientists are trying to assess its magnitude and its impact on the snow cover of the Pyrenees. Simon Gascoin works at the Centre d 'études spatiales de la Biosphere in Toulouse.

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Why would you want to collect samples of this orange dust that deposited on the snow of the Pyrenees?

We would like to know more about this event. We are used to seeing these kinds of deposits in our mountains, but not with such intensity. One would like to characterize the amount of dust that has fallen. It is probably an exceptional event, especially since it occurs in the middle of winter when it usually happens rather when the weather warms in the spring. That's why people are called upon.

Does this dust affect the snow cover?

Except for the color, not yet. The impact, we'll see at the end of the season. This dust darkens the snow, which will absorb more solar energy. It accelerates the melting of the snowpack.

Is there still time to go and collect samples of these dusts? He's been reborn since...

Yes, I do. The dust hasn't disappeared. It takes a little caution, but you just need to release the snow cover, remove the surface layer to get to the orange layer and take it out. You can use any object: a jar of jam is just fine.

What to do with these samples once they have been collected?

We take care of the "repatriation". First we wait to know how many samples will be taken in the next few days. For now, we just have to keep them at home and we'll get in touch with the people to get them back. [details of the procedure.]

When will we be able to know the results of this study?

It's gonna take a while. The samples will have to be processed in the laboratory and then analyzed and mapped. But I am confident that by the summer we have managed to publish a preliminary work that will allow us to know whether the event was really exceptional.