The supercalima on Tenerife and the other islands envelops the surroundings in a thick haze, severely reducing visibility and heavily burdening the respiratory systems of both humans and animals.
The recent turbulent weather had barely left through the back door when another weather phenomenon entered through the front. This dusty event is given a name in the superlative: ‘super’ indicates an amplification of the phenomenon, highlighting that this calima is exceptional. Those who consult the website Apalmet can see that the calima is expected to last for a few days, with remarkably high concentrations ranging from 500 to 1,000 micrograms (µg). This is unhealthy and significantly exceeds the European minimum standards. More detailed information about a calima can be found in our article, WHAT IS A CALIMA?
Impressive Air Mass
The Canary Islands government (el Gobierno de Canarias) also acknowledges that air quality across all islands is extremely unfavorable due to a new intrusion of Saharan dust.
From one extreme to another: while some are still recovering from the aftermath of storm depression Dorothea, barely 24 hours later, the archipelago is overtaken by an impressive air mass filled with Saharan dust. This phenomenon reached levels that are classified as a supercalima, with dust concentrations up to six times higher than the maximum recommended values.
Connection Between Storm and Calima
Both meteorological phenomena—the storm depression and the arrival of the dusty air mass from the Western Sahara—are interconnected. The northern displacement of storm depression Dorothea paved the way for the spectacular influx of this Saharan dust. The air quality on the Canary Islands deteriorated significantly, prompting regional authorities to declare the air quality as “extremely unfavorable.”
Forecasts from the Spanish meteorological institute AEMET issued a yellow alert for this supercalima on Tenerife. Visibility was reduced to around 3,000 meters across all islands of the Canary archipelago. On some islands, such as Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, visibility dropped to just 1,000 meters.
Health Measures
It is crucial to follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Health to protect public health, especially for children, the elderly, and individuals with heart and respiratory conditions. Key advice includes avoiding outdoor physical activity and ensuring adequate hydration.
According to data from the Lanzarote Emergency Consortium, published by the news agency Efe, air quality on Lanzarote yesterday was extremely unfavorable. This was due to high concentrations of PM2.5 particles (less than 2.5 thousandths of a millimeter in diameter) and PM10 particles (between 2.5 and 10 thousandths of a millimeter in diameter).
Comparison with Previous Calimas
The most severe calima ever recorded on the Canary Islands occurred in February 2020, during Carnival, just before the first COVID-19 lockdown was announced. According to a recent study by the Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA), based in Tenerife and part of the Spanish CSIC research network, record concentrations of Saharan dust were measured at the time.
The calima was so dense that all airports on the islands were closed for two days, leaving thousands of travelers stranded until airlines managed to reschedule all affected passengers. While the impact this time has not been as severe as in 2020, yesterday’s dust concentrations were similar to those recorded during previous historic supercalimas.
Domingo75395734 © Photography
Supercalima Over Tenerife ©
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