Desert Sahara and its influence on weather and climatic changes in Europe: an invisible bridge across the Mediterranean SeaWhen we think of the Sahara Desert, we imagine endless sand dunes, scorching sun, and mirages. Europe seems to be the complete opposite — green forests, moderate climate, rain, and snow. It seems that these two worlds are separated by the Mediterranean Sea, and there is nothing in common between them. But this is an illusion. Sahara is not just a vast desert in the south. It is one of the main drivers of the climate machine that affects the weather in Europe almost as strongly as the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf Stream. Dust, heat, winds, and even temperature changes in Sahara trigger chains of events that determine whether the summer in Spain will be dry or the winter in the Alps will be snowy. How exactly does this happen and why Europe cannot ignore what is happening beyond the Mediterranean Sea?Sahara as a climatic engine: from heated air to Mediterranean cyclonesLet's start with the simplest and most powerful factor — temperature. Sahara is a colossal source of heat. Its surface heats up to 60–70 degrees Celsius in summer months, creating an area of extremely low pressure over the desert. This thermal minimum attracts moist air from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, creating complex circulation processes. As a result, a so-called "thermal depression" forms over Sahara, which significantly affects the weather in Europe, especially in summer months.Warm air rises, cools, and condenses at height, often carrying moisture to the north. This is one of the mechanisms that forms summer thunderstorms over Southern Europe. Without Sahara, surprisingly, many Mediterranean regions would receive significantly less rainfall during the summer period. Sahara works like a pump that pumps moisture from the ocean to the continent.But this same mechanism can work in the opposite direction. When an especially strong anticyclone sets in over Sahara, it block ... Read more