1 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, the production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 2: Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind. My name 3 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 2: is Robert Lamb. 4 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 3: And I am Joe McCormick, and we're back with the 5 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 3: fifth and final part in our series on dust. This 6 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 3: has really been an epic saga, taking it to five 7 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 3: full parts in the series. We usually say that if 8 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 3: you you know, if you haven't heard the previous parts 9 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 3: in the series, you should go back and listen to 10 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 3: those first so you get the flow. But honestly, I 11 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 3: think this series is a little bit less narrative in 12 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 3: format than some of the other ones we've done, So 13 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 3: if you start with this one, I don't think it 14 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 3: makes a huge difference. 15 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 2: I mean, don't get too cocky, don't do them in 16 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 2: exact reverse order. I think that would be a little strange. 17 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:49,919 Speaker 2: But you know, maybe you don't have to be as 18 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 2: careful about it, right. 19 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 3: So, but a very brief review. In part one, we 20 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 3: talked about how to define dust. We talked about pyroglyphic 21 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 3: dust mites which live in our homes and our furniture 22 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 3: and eating our sleft off skin flakes delicious. We talked 23 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:10,759 Speaker 3: about the relationship between atmospheric dust and climate. In Part two, 24 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 3: we talked about dust bunnies inner and outer, including dust 25 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 3: bunnies in space, and we talked about how historical attitudes 26 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 3: toward dust had changed over time, changing ideas in hygiene 27 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 3: and things like that affecting interior design in the nineteenth century. 28 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 3: In Part three, we talked about the role of dust 29 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 3: in urban Victorian London and in the novel Dracula, and 30 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 3: we also talked about the Sororietys paradox also known as 31 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 3: the paradox of the heap, using dust accumulation as an example. 32 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 3: And in Part four we talked mostly about select examples 33 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 3: of dust having interesting significance in myths, rituals, and beliefs 34 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 3: about magic and alchemy. And now we're back for more. 35 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 3: So I think in the final episode of this series 36 00:01:56,440 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 3: we are going to focus primarily on dust storms. 37 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 2: That's right into the dust storm. 38 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 3: So we've talked about how one of the defining features 39 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 3: of dust is its tendency to fly, the tendency of 40 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 3: dust particles to be borne aloft on the wind and 41 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 3: float in the air for long periods of time, and 42 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:20,239 Speaker 3: for very small particles, this can be true even when 43 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 3: air currents are fairly gentle, you know, it doesn't take 44 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 3: more than a like a you know, fan in the 45 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 3: house or somebody walking by to send some dust flying. However, 46 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:34,519 Speaker 3: if conditions are right, when winds become stronger, even particles 47 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 3: larger than the normal flying dust threshold can be picked 48 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,679 Speaker 3: up and carried in the air, and this can result 49 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:46,839 Speaker 3: in dust storms, also known sometimes as sandstorms, also known 50 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 3: in some instances as a haboob, which is a term 51 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 3: that comes from from Arabic and sort of refers to 52 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 3: a particular type of dust storm. For some people, especially 53 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 3: people in very arid climates, dust storms might just be 54 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 3: a regular part of life, you know, a thing that 55 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 3: you get used to, especially in certain seasons of the year. 56 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 3: But if you're unfamiliar with them, or if you are 57 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:13,359 Speaker 3: experiencing a dust storm at the extremes of size and intensity, 58 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 3: dust storms can be frightening, all inspiring natural events, turning 59 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 3: up massive, surging clouds of dust and soil so powerful 60 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 3: I've seen them described as land based tsunamis that once 61 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 3: they envelop you can blot out the sun and cause 62 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 3: a kind of midnight at noon. And to illustrate what 63 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 3: a dust storm at the extreme of intensity and the 64 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 3: surprise factor can be like. I just wanted to mention 65 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 3: a couple of descriptions of and facts about a particular 66 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 3: dust storm that hit the Great Planes of the United 67 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 3: States on April fourteenth, nineteen thirty five. This is a 68 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 3: day that came to be known as Black Sunday, named 69 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 3: after the storm, and with historical perspective, this particular storm 70 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 3: on April fourteenth came to be seen as part of 71 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 3: a larger pattern of drought and dust storms in the 72 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 3: prairies of the central United States that stretched throughout the 73 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 3: nineteen thirties and is known as the dust Bowl. And 74 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 3: dust storms were very frequent during the dust Bowl. But 75 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 3: the US National Weather Service actually has a great information 76 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:24,679 Speaker 3: page on the Black Sunday storm which collects some quotes 77 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:29,600 Speaker 3: from eyewitnesses and contemporary news reports, and they are fascinating 78 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:33,359 Speaker 3: and harrowing. So this storm was very large. It swept 79 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 3: across multiple states through the middle of the United States, 80 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:40,159 Speaker 3: but it seems that the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma 81 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 3: got the worst of the effects. The storm in this 82 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:47,600 Speaker 3: region sort of began in mid afternoon around four PM 83 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 3: and stretched on into the evening and according to the 84 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,239 Speaker 3: National Weather Service summary, in some places winds reached sixty 85 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 3: miles per hour, and in certain parts of the storm 86 00:04:58,080 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 3: it was as dark as night or even. 87 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:01,480 Speaker 2: So. 88 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 3: I want to read a couple of these contemporary descriptions 89 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 3: that have been collected here. One is from a newspaper 90 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:12,600 Speaker 3: called the Liberal News. This is from April nineteen thirty five. 91 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 3: I believe this is the newspaper of a town in 92 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:18,920 Speaker 3: Kansas called Liberal. It's the name of the town. It says, 93 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 3: a great black bank rolled in out of the northeast, 94 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 3: and in a twinkling when it struck, Liberal plunged everything 95 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 3: into inky blackness, worse than that on any midnight when 96 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,359 Speaker 3: there is at least some starlight and outlines of objects 97 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 3: can be seen. When the storm struck, it was impossible 98 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 3: to see one's hand before his face, even two inches away, 99 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,800 Speaker 3: and it was several minutes before any trace of daylight 100 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 3: whatsoever returned. Then I got another passage. This is written 101 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 3: by someone named Pauline Winkler Gray, writing a piece called 102 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 3: the Black Sunday of April fourteenth, nineteen thirty five for 103 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 3: the Kansas Historical Society. This author right, it was as 104 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:06,240 Speaker 3: though the sky was divided into two opposite worlds. On 105 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 3: the south, there was blue sky, golden sunlight, and tranquility. 106 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 3: On the north, there was a menacing curtain of boiling 107 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 3: black dust that appeared to reach a thousand or more 108 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 3: feet into the air. It had the appearance of a 109 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:23,840 Speaker 3: mammoth waterfall in reverse color as well as form. The 110 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 3: apex of the cloud was plumed and curling, seething and 111 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 3: tumbling over itself from north to south, and whipping trash, papers, sticks, 112 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 3: and cardboard cartons before it. Even the birds were helpless 113 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:39,839 Speaker 3: in the turbulent onslaught and dipped and dived without the 114 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 3: benefit of wings as the wind propelled them. As the 115 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:46,159 Speaker 3: wall of dust and sand struck our house, the sun 116 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 3: was instantly blotted out completely. Gravel particles clattered against the 117 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 3: windows and pounded down on the roof. The floor shook 118 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,840 Speaker 3: with the impact of the wind, and the rafters creaked threateningly. 119 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 3: We stood in our living room in pitch blackness. We 120 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:04,720 Speaker 3: were stunned. Never had we been in such all enveloping 121 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,799 Speaker 3: blackness before, such impenetrable gloom. 122 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 2: Oh wow. 123 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 3: And another source I wanted to mention a couple of 124 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 3: details from this is the book that I brought it 125 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 3: brought up in Part one of the podcast series. It's 126 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 3: a book called Dust to the Modern World in a 127 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 3: Trillion Particles by Jay Owens, published twenty twenty three. This 128 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 3: book has a chapter which talks about dust storms, drought, 129 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 3: and the dust bowl, and the author here relates an 130 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 3: eyewitness telling by a woman named Ada Kerns talking to 131 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 3: the Oklahoma Historical Society about Black Sunday many years later, 132 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 3: and she claims that she's listening to the radio and 133 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 3: suddenly the radio announcer had to cut in and say 134 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 3: we're going off the air, and gave no explanation why, so, 135 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 3: Owens writes about this quote, no time to say why. 136 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 3: The storm carried so much static electricity that it was 137 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 3: shorting out electrical equipment and car engines. Barbed wire fence 138 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 3: is visibly glowed with charge. The storm front rolled southward, 139 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 3: picking up more dirt and power as it went. The 140 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 3: sky filled with birds racing ahead, The ground ran with 141 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 3: jack rabbits. The dust storm rolled along the horizon, inexorable 142 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 3: and terrifying, a wall of oblivion. 143 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 2: Wow. 144 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 3: She also quotes multiple people who she kind. 145 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 2: Of observes that there's like this. 146 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 3: Trend of different people, all saying they had the same 147 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 3: thought when they saw the dust storm approaching, which is 148 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 3: that they thought the world was ending, or at least 149 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 3: in an expressive way, said it was like the world 150 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 3: was ending in fact, JJ, if you want to pull 151 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 3: in a little bit of media. Apparently, Woody Guthrie has 152 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,960 Speaker 3: a song that was possibly inspired by this event. The 153 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 3: song is known as Dusty Old Dust or so long 154 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 3: It's been Good to know you and has some lyrics 155 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:53,199 Speaker 3: about dust storms that I'm gonna say, I love Woody Guthrie. 156 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 3: This song, the vibes of it do not quite convey 157 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 3: the terror and intensity of these quotes. 158 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 2: Oh long it's been good denoy you? This dusty old 159 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 2: Dust is a blowing me. Yeah. Yeah, I mean they're 160 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 2: just looking at the lyrics of the song. I mean, yeah, 161 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 2: there's talking about the sun being blocked out and people saying, 162 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 2: so long it's been good to know yet. But yeah, 163 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 2: maybe that's not completely conveyed in the overall tone of 164 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 2: the song. 165 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 3: It's a friendly sounding melody. 166 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:24,800 Speaker 2: Yeah. 167 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 3: So again for some people around the world, people who 168 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:30,439 Speaker 3: live especially in desert regions or arid or semi arid 169 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:33,720 Speaker 3: regions where dust storms are common, it might not seem 170 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 3: as all inspiring, maybe in the same way that if 171 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 3: you'd never seen a regular, you know, a thunderstorm with 172 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 3: lightning and rain before, if you saw that, it would 173 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 3: seem truly terrifying and all inspiring. So I, you know, 174 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:46,400 Speaker 3: we get used to the large scale weather and natural 175 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:50,360 Speaker 3: phenomena that happen often in our surroundings. But if you 176 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 3: are not used to the idea of a dust storm, 177 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:57,199 Speaker 3: as I certainly am not, it seems just an overwhelming experience. 178 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 3: So Rob I did attach a few photos we can 179 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:04,319 Speaker 3: look at that managed to in various contexts capture the 180 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:07,720 Speaker 3: dust wall boundary like of an advancing dust storm, and 181 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 3: it looks just shocking, you know. There's like it's like 182 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 3: mountainous dark clouds just pouring over the land. 183 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, I have relatives that live out in Arizona, 184 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:25,440 Speaker 2: and I've never been out there during a dust storm. 185 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 2: I've been driving through Arizona or parts of New Mexico 186 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 2: where they have the signs beware dust storm and even 187 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 2: like instructions on what to do, namely like pull over 188 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 2: that sort of thing. But I'd asked them about it, 189 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 2: you know, I asked my relatives there and you know, 190 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 2: what was it like and so forth, and ended up 191 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,680 Speaker 2: looking up. If you just do an image search for 192 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:48,080 Speaker 2: dust storms A Z, you'll get some pretty tremendous looking 193 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 2: images and some footage as well. And yeah, there's just 194 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 2: a very apocalyptic appearance to these things, just a massive 195 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:58,559 Speaker 2: wall of dust rolling in, you know, blotting out the sun, 196 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 2: turning the world red or gray in the shadows. I'm 197 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:06,320 Speaker 2: glad I've not had the experience firsthand. I'm sure we 198 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:09,160 Speaker 2: have listeners out there who have been through these many times, 199 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 2: and perhaps you can write in and share your experiences 200 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 2: with us. 201 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 3: Please do. 202 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 2: Rob. 203 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:26,719 Speaker 3: I'm glad you mentioned the idea of pulling over if 204 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 3: you're on the road and there's a dust storm, because 205 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:30,679 Speaker 3: it does seem based on what I've read, that one 206 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 3: of the biggest hazards actually of a dust storm is 207 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:35,679 Speaker 3: not so much that the storm is going to harm 208 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 3: you directly, but it's the reduction in visibility and the 209 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 3: way that it can affect like machines and electronics. So 210 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 3: you don't want to be trying to fly or drive 211 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:49,440 Speaker 3: in the middle of a dust storm that you can 212 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 3: have collisions in an aircraft or ground based vehicle. It's 213 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 3: just better to avoid it, obviously if you're flying, but 214 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:58,199 Speaker 3: if you're in a car stop, you know you don't 215 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 3: want to be trying to weave your way through the 216 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 3: darkness at noon. 217 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, I believe the general advice and do check your 218 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:06,719 Speaker 2: local signs. Just take my word for it here, but 219 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:08,800 Speaker 2: I believe you're supposed to, like, you know, turn off 220 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 2: your engine, turn off your lights, put your vehicle in park, 221 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 2: and so forth. So yeah, the signs are very clear 222 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 2: about this in areas where dust storms are a possibility. 223 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 3: However, this does raise interesting questions because I certainly look 224 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:24,080 Speaker 3: at a dust storm and think I've never seen anything 225 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:26,640 Speaker 3: like this firsthand. I would just be overwhelmed by it. 226 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 3: But then I think, why is it that I've never 227 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,040 Speaker 3: seen anything like this firsthand? Why is it that they 228 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 3: only occur in some regions and not in others. To 229 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 3: some people, dust storms or a regular seasonal thing, you 230 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 3: just get used to it. You prepare for it. You 231 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 3: try to rely on weather prediction as far as that'll 232 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 3: help you prepare for it. You know, you can put 233 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 3: tarps over things, and you can take measures to try 234 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:51,160 Speaker 3: to avoid getting in trouble in a dust storm. But 235 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:52,960 Speaker 3: for lots of people around the world. It's just a 236 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,320 Speaker 3: regular part of life. So why don't we get major 237 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 3: dust storms around where we live? It has to do 238 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 3: with climate. So this is going to raise general questions 239 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,719 Speaker 3: about how do dust storms work, what actually causes them, 240 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 3: and where do they form. So I was looking at 241 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 3: a number of sources on this question, and a really 242 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:10,840 Speaker 3: good one I came across is what do you know? 243 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 3: A good old house stuff Works article by Vicky Jugo, 244 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 3: Rob and I. If you're newer to the show, never 245 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:20,120 Speaker 3: heard us talk about this before. Robin I used to 246 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:23,080 Speaker 3: work for How Stuff Works. Seeing still see the stuff 247 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:24,839 Speaker 3: and the title of the podcast there. 248 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,319 Speaker 2: Yep, yep, still have some bylines on that website. 249 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 3: Well, anyway, I learned a lot of things about dust 250 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 3: storms from this house Stuff Works article, so it's a 251 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,640 Speaker 3: pretty good one. So dust storms can occur anywhere where 252 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:39,200 Speaker 3: the conditions are right, but they are especially common in 253 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 3: certain places around the world, places in arid regions of 254 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 3: Central Africa, in Australia, in Central Asia, and arid parts 255 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:53,479 Speaker 3: of North America. And why is it in these locations 256 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 3: in particular that dust storms are the most common. It's 257 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 3: local climate conditions, as you might expect it. Dust storms 258 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:02,560 Speaker 3: are most like in places where the top soil is 259 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 3: loose and dry, so places where the ground is wet 260 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,560 Speaker 3: or where the soil is firmly crusted together are going 261 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 3: to release fewer particles into the air when the wind 262 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 3: kicks up, so obviously less likely to create a dust storm. 263 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 3: These conditions of dry, loose top soil are most common 264 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 3: in arid regions, especially after a period of drought. In fact, 265 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 3: water helps protect the soil from erosion in multiple ways. 266 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 3: It directly physically helps bind the soil by getting it 267 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 3: wet and making it compact, you know, helping it clump together. 268 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 3: But it also nourishes plant life, and the plants in 269 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 3: turn help protect against soil erosion in many ways. So 270 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 3: plants help bind soil and hold it in place with 271 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:56,240 Speaker 3: their roots, but plants can also serve as wind breaks 272 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 3: which slow down the wind that might blow away the 273 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 3: top soil. Can also help prevent water from washing away 274 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 3: soil when rain does fall, so dust storms are most 275 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 3: common in deserts and semi arid lands. You can think 276 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 3: of dryness and drought as triggering a kind of vicious 277 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 3: cycle of loss of plant life and subsequent soil erosion, 278 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 3: and soil erosion can give rise to dust storms. The 279 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 3: process by which fertile and semi arid land is gradually 280 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:29,600 Speaker 3: degraded into full desert is known as desertification, and the 281 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 3: house Stuffworks article here mentions one particularly notable case of 282 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 3: relatively recent natural desertification. Because there's some desertification that's caused 283 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 3: by human land use practices, certain types of agriculture and 284 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,680 Speaker 3: stuff like that, but there's also natural desertification, just as 285 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 3: the climate of regions changes over time. And the natural 286 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,840 Speaker 3: example mentioned in this article is a place called the 287 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 3: Badeleai Depression. So the Badeleai Depression is a sandy dry 288 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 3: basin at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, centered 289 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 3: in the northern half of the country of Chad. Today 290 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 3: it's a relatively low lying desert region, but about seven 291 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 3: thousand years ago it was the location of a vast 292 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:16,880 Speaker 3: freshwater lake known to scientists as Lake mega Chad. Lake 293 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 3: Megachad covered more than four hundred thousand square kilometers, which 294 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,440 Speaker 3: is larger than all of the Great Lakes of North 295 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 3: America put together. 296 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 2: That's a big lake. 297 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 3: That's a Mega Chad. 298 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:26,760 Speaker 2: Yeah. 299 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 3: But as the climate of the Sahara region changed, the 300 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:34,560 Speaker 3: lake dried up and left behind the Baudela depression, and 301 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:38,080 Speaker 3: this region today is especially important as a source of 302 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 3: atmospheric dust. A study by Elan Korn and others in 303 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 3: two thousand and six found that during the winter, zero 304 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 3: point seven tons of dust from this dry lake bed 305 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 3: alone is blown up into the atmosphere every single day. 306 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 3: So I got a little bit interested in this, and 307 00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 3: I found a paper by Washington at All published in 308 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 3: Proceedings to the National Academy of Sciences in two thousand 309 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:05,600 Speaker 3: and nine called dust as a tipping element the Bdella 310 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:11,200 Speaker 3: depression chad and this paper suggested that the Badelea depression, 311 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 3: this one single area is the source of about half 312 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:17,960 Speaker 3: of the mineral aerosols that come from the whole Sahara desert, 313 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:22,120 Speaker 3: and these mineral aerosols and dust from the Sahara more 314 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:27,199 Speaker 3: generally are very important for spreading supplemental mineral nutrients to 315 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 3: the Amazon region. You may have read or seen about 316 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:33,879 Speaker 3: this before, that there's a cross oceanic current of dust 317 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,400 Speaker 3: through the atmosphere where this dust is lifted up off 318 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,120 Speaker 3: of the Sahara goes across the desert some goes into 319 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,320 Speaker 3: the Caribbean basin. I think some goes into the Amazon, 320 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,399 Speaker 3: and the nutrients that are in this dust are very 321 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:49,439 Speaker 3: important for sustaining the Amazon rainforest. 322 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 2: Again kind of getting back into some of what we 323 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:55,359 Speaker 2: talked about earlier in the series about the connection between 324 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:57,720 Speaker 2: dust and weather and climate. 325 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:02,080 Speaker 3: Right, So, why so much dust coming off of this area. Well, 326 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 3: apparently part of the reason is that there's sort of 327 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,320 Speaker 3: a wind gauntlet that feeds into it. I was reading 328 00:18:08,359 --> 00:18:12,440 Speaker 3: a piece about this by the NASA Earth Observatory which 329 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,280 Speaker 3: writes that, quote, mountain ranges to the northeast of the 330 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:19,880 Speaker 3: depression create a natural wind tunnel that focuses and strengthens 331 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:24,040 Speaker 3: winds as they rake cross fast moving sand dunes. So 332 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:26,800 Speaker 3: sort of a funnel for wind here, the wind gauntlet. 333 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,480 Speaker 3: It hits this massive dry lake bed. And what does 334 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:33,040 Speaker 3: it pick up. Well, here's another fascinating thing to consider. 335 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,040 Speaker 3: The dust picked up from the depression here is made 336 00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:42,120 Speaker 3: in large part of fossilized life. The sand in the 337 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:47,320 Speaker 3: former lake bed is made significantly of diatamite, also known 338 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:51,639 Speaker 3: as diatamaceous earth, which is a type of sedimentary rock 339 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 3: usually soft in texture and light or white in color, 340 00:18:55,600 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 3: and diatamite is formed over time from the fossilized body 341 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:05,119 Speaker 3: of diatoms, which are single celled organisms usually classified as 342 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:07,439 Speaker 3: the type of algae which live in the water and 343 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:10,800 Speaker 3: in the soil. They can sometimes gather together in colonies, 344 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:16,240 Speaker 3: and diatoms build protective cell walls or shells for themselves 345 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:20,159 Speaker 3: out of silica silicon dioxide, and after they die, the 346 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 3: remains of these silica shells form a layer of sediment 347 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 3: that can later become exposed and then become sand or dust. 348 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:33,920 Speaker 3: So the silicon dioxide shells of these tiny algae organisms 349 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 3: living in the water so long ago become the dust 350 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:40,600 Speaker 3: that is blown across the ocean that helps nourish the 351 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:44,879 Speaker 3: Amazon rainforest, but also is used in everything from gardening 352 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 3: to home construction to whatever I mean. Diatamacious earth is 353 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:52,920 Speaker 3: a commonly used material for all kinds of human industry, 354 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 3: and it's just all the skeletons of these little dead 355 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 3: life forms. 356 00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:57,560 Speaker 2: Tiny process. 357 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:10,400 Speaker 3: But anyway back to dust storms. So dust storms often 358 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 3: arise in these dry regions with less robust plant cover, 359 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,880 Speaker 3: especially after drought, when soil is vulnerable to wind erosion. 360 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:20,960 Speaker 3: When soil is very dry, it does not take a 361 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,960 Speaker 3: lot of force to lift dust particles into the air. 362 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,159 Speaker 3: According to the house Toff Works article, a wind of 363 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 3: about nine miles per hour or fourteen point five kilometers 364 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 3: per hour will kick up some dust. But of course, 365 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:36,600 Speaker 3: as winds become stronger, the uplift and transportation of dust 366 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 3: and soil through the air becomes more violent. And one 367 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 3: important process to understand here is something called saltation. The 368 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:49,480 Speaker 3: saltation as in related to Spanish word saltar, meaning like 369 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:53,520 Speaker 3: to jump. So when wind blows across loose, dry soil 370 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:58,359 Speaker 3: on the large scale, you will observe particles behaving differently 371 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 3: based on their size. Very small dust particles can be 372 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:05,320 Speaker 3: picked up and become suspended in the air for long 373 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:08,359 Speaker 3: periods of time and can go very very high up. 374 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 3: As we talked about in Part one, small particles of 375 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,679 Speaker 3: dust can float for hours or even days, and a 376 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:16,719 Speaker 3: dust storm can loft these small particles into a cloud, 377 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 3: reaching hundreds of meters or thousands of feet into the air. 378 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 3: Larger particles can be blown across the surface of the ground, 379 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 3: sort of rolling in a process known as creeping, that's 380 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:33,720 Speaker 3: the term. But there are medium sized particles, these sort 381 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:39,200 Speaker 3: of sandy particles that engage in saltation, and saltation again 382 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 3: means jumping. So these medium particles get blown along the 383 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:46,400 Speaker 3: surface of the ground until they are briefly carried aloft 384 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,720 Speaker 3: by lift. Maybe they hit an uneven surface and jump 385 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 3: up as they're blown along, and then they bounce back 386 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,359 Speaker 3: down and hit the ground. And this causes a chain 387 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 3: reaction because they come back down and they hit the ground, 388 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:03,560 Speaker 3: and that impact can cause other particles of soil or 389 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:06,199 Speaker 3: sand or whatever in the ground to bounce, to be 390 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:10,320 Speaker 3: knocked out of place, and they jump and then hit 391 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,199 Speaker 3: other particles and on and on, kind of like splashing 392 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:17,280 Speaker 3: in the water. So when a heavy wind hits dry soil, 393 00:22:17,359 --> 00:22:20,159 Speaker 3: there will be a cloud of fine dust blown in 394 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:24,439 Speaker 3: the air by the air currents, but also a bombardment 395 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,640 Speaker 3: of leaping medium sized particles nearer to the ground. 396 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:31,600 Speaker 2: You know. This reminds me, of course, of a Frank 397 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:36,160 Speaker 2: Herbert's Dune, which I've been rereading. In the first part 398 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 2: of the book, there's the scene where they take off 399 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:43,119 Speaker 2: in the ornithopter into the big sandstorm, and there's a 400 00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:45,400 Speaker 2: discussion about, well, if you reach a certain altitude, it's 401 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 2: going to be mostly dust as opposed to larger particles 402 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:52,119 Speaker 2: of sand at lower altitudes. In this, again not a 403 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 2: terrestrial vision of a sandstorm or dust storm, but something 404 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,639 Speaker 2: occurring on a large, predominantly desert planet. 405 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 3: Now I'm half recalling a detail. Does Dune mention something 406 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 3: about the dust raised up when a sandworm is plowing 407 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 3: through the desert having showing like electrical discharge. 408 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:14,560 Speaker 2: Well, you know, I don't remember from previous readings, and 409 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 2: I haven't gotten to the part yet where the sandworms 410 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:21,359 Speaker 2: start appearing in earnest, but it's certainly something that the 411 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 2: David Lynch adaptation picked up, Yes, adding those sparks, and 412 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,160 Speaker 2: if so, I mean that would definitely be in line. 413 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 3: That's right, because we mentioned earlier the static electric properties 414 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:35,359 Speaker 3: the static electric field generated in a dust storm, just 415 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 3: based on direct observations, but there's been scientific study of 416 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:41,959 Speaker 3: this too, and it turns out that the friction created 417 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,640 Speaker 3: by a dust storm, including the saltation process here where 418 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 3: these particles are hitting and rubbing against each other, creates 419 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 3: a static electric field, which further aids in the uplift 420 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 3: of dust and soil. Apparently, the ground becomes in simplified terms, 421 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:02,880 Speaker 3: the ground becomes positively charged and the flying dust particles 422 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:07,200 Speaker 3: become negatively charged, and this electric field helps lift more 423 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:10,680 Speaker 3: particles off the ground and helps the flying particles in 424 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 3: the air lift even more particles up. So it's not 425 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 3: just the force of the wind, it's the static electricity 426 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:19,920 Speaker 3: within the dust storm that helps make it even more 427 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:23,120 Speaker 3: violent and lift more matter off of the ground into it. 428 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:26,320 Speaker 2: I'll come into the quick note that in Dune there 429 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 2: is mention of static electricity from sandstorms masking signals, messing 430 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:32,480 Speaker 2: with electrical equipment. 431 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,240 Speaker 3: Ah, there you go, Thanks for doing the research. 432 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 2: This is the real time research of me consulting the novel. Here. 433 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,680 Speaker 3: One strange detail I read about for people during dust 434 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 3: bowl times in the United States trying to counteract the 435 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 3: static electricity within a dust storm was that they would 436 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,160 Speaker 3: put chains on the back of their cars. By the way, 437 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 3: we're not advising driving inside a dust storm, you shouldn't 438 00:24:57,119 --> 00:24:59,520 Speaker 3: do that, but chains on the back of the cars 439 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 3: to ground into the car, so that so there'll be 440 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 3: a connection to reduce the electrical potential. 441 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:06,639 Speaker 2: Fascinating. 442 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 3: So dust storms can be created by really any source 443 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:14,159 Speaker 3: of strong winds. But a common source of strong winds 444 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 3: here is in fact a thunderstorm, you know, like a 445 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 3: like a cold front being pushed out in advance of 446 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:25,639 Speaker 3: a thunderstorm. And there's a real cruel irony contained there 447 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:27,920 Speaker 3: in the fact that like a dust storm very often 448 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:30,440 Speaker 3: happens in a dry place that is badly in need 449 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 3: of water. And it is these dry conditions that make 450 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 3: the soil so vulnerable to being loosened and eroded and 451 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,480 Speaker 3: lifted into the air. And then this dust blizzard is 452 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 3: brought at the advance of a thunderstorm. So often after 453 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:49,040 Speaker 3: certain types of dust storms, like after a haboob, it 454 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 3: will rain. Sometimes it won't be a lot of rain, 455 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:54,760 Speaker 3: but a rain can follow a dust storm. So it's 456 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:57,200 Speaker 3: like looks like rain is coming, but at the edge 457 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 3: of the storm here comes a terrifying black wall of 458 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:05,119 Speaker 3: dust and sand miles long and thousands of feet high. However, 459 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:07,919 Speaker 3: to move on to a slightly different topic, Rob, I 460 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,639 Speaker 3: know you wanted to talk a bit about dust devils, 461 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 3: and so we should establish a distinction between dust storms 462 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:19,119 Speaker 3: and dust devils. A dust storm is usually used to 463 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:22,760 Speaker 3: refer to like an advancing wall of dust driven by 464 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 3: outflow of winds from a weather pattern or from a thunderstorm, 465 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,080 Speaker 3: while a dust devil is a smaller, more contained event, 466 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 3: but can be very striking in its own right, because 467 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:37,080 Speaker 3: a dust devil is a type of whirlwind. 468 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 2: That's right, smaller in scale, very much localized, and there 469 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 2: are several good resources out there about this. I noticed 470 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:46,920 Speaker 2: that we both ran across one of the same explainer 471 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,359 Speaker 2: articles on weather dot gov, and this one is this 472 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 2: is based out of Flagstaff. I think this particular article, 473 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:56,800 Speaker 2: but it is an NAA explainer and it points out that, yeah, 474 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:00,919 Speaker 2: dust devil is basically a short term dust filled vortex, 475 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:04,920 Speaker 2: ranging from ten to three hundred feet average height of 476 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 2: five hundred to one thousand feet. They typically last only 477 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,480 Speaker 2: a few minutes, though it is noted that in desert 478 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 2: environments like those of northern Arizona, they can reach heights 479 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,440 Speaker 2: of several thousand feet and last for an hour or more. 480 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 2: Wind speeds can reach sixty miles per hour or so. 481 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:22,679 Speaker 2: You can think of them they're kind of like tornadoes, 482 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 2: except they're smaller, often much smaller. They can still provide 483 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:31,280 Speaker 2: a certain amount of destruction. They can still impact things, 484 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 2: but not generally to the degree that you would associate 485 00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 2: with a full scale tornado. I was reading more about 486 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 2: them in an article from Rob mccorkyle, an article that 487 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 2: this is on Texas parks in Wildlife. This is a 488 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,040 Speaker 2: twenty twelve article that's mostly dealing with legend, lore and 489 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:53,879 Speaker 2: legacy titled Ghostly Little Twisters. I'll come back to some 490 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:56,120 Speaker 2: of the tidbits that he includes here, but he also 491 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:58,440 Speaker 2: sums up some more about the formation of dust devils. 492 00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:02,199 Speaker 2: The ideal conditions, he said, are a clear day with 493 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 2: sunny skies, light or no wind, cool atmospheric temperature, and 494 00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:10,439 Speaker 2: a flat bear in terrain and key. Here is a 495 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:15,960 Speaker 2: difference between near surface air temperature and atmosphere. So, as 496 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,600 Speaker 2: the NOAA article summarizes on this point quote, if the 497 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 2: temperature of the ground becomes much warmer than the air 498 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:26,120 Speaker 2: above it, a vertical mixing will take place to release 499 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:30,359 Speaker 2: this unstable configuration. Once the ground heats up enough, a 500 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,200 Speaker 2: localized pocket of air will quickly rise through the cooler 501 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:36,520 Speaker 2: air above it. The sudden uprush of hot air causes 502 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:39,760 Speaker 2: the air to speed horizontally inward to the bottom of 503 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 2: the newly forming vortex. So whila, you get this vortex 504 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:48,240 Speaker 2: of spinning dust. Because there's ample amounts of dust around 505 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:51,200 Speaker 2: in the sort of regions where these things tend to form. Again, 506 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 2: these are generally not that long lasting, and they'll continue 507 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:58,920 Speaker 2: until this careful balance is broken. Generally speaking, that's once 508 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 2: the warm, unstable air is depleted, and he points out 509 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 2: there most of these are mostly considered harmless, but there 510 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,920 Speaker 2: are documented cases where they have caused harm. There's some 511 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:10,760 Speaker 2: story about one hitting a bounce house, for example, so 512 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,080 Speaker 2: they can get a little out of hand, but generally 513 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:16,760 Speaker 2: speaking are not considered like a major risk. They're generally 514 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:18,520 Speaker 2: seen as more of a curiosity. 515 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:21,320 Speaker 3: Is a bounce house? You mean that the same thing 516 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:22,400 Speaker 3: as like a bouncy castle? 517 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, like a bouncy bouncy castle scenario. I don't 518 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:28,440 Speaker 2: know the full story on that that dead though NICs, 519 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:33,440 Speaker 2: but as one would imagine with any kind of phenomenon 520 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:38,440 Speaker 2: like this, it has factored into various folk tales and mythologies. 521 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 2: And this is another area where there's probably much more 522 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:44,600 Speaker 2: than we can get into. But regions with dust storms 523 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:48,440 Speaker 2: and with dust devils, they have various supernatural ideas concerning 524 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:52,640 Speaker 2: such things. Already touched a little bit on Navajo traditions 525 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 2: about different types of winds in the previous episode, but 526 00:29:57,360 --> 00:30:02,040 Speaker 2: I found this this one interesting concerning dust devils potentially 527 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:07,520 Speaker 2: in Celtic mythology. According to the Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology 528 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:11,120 Speaker 2: and Folklore by Patricia Monaghan. This is from twenty fourteen. 529 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 2: Dust devils were connected to the idea of fairy blast 530 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 2: or fairy wind, by which the fairy folk took things 531 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:22,920 Speaker 2: from our world. And you could dislodge something from the 532 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:26,400 Speaker 2: dust devil by throwing a shoe or some other object 533 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 2: into it. But if you manage to take something out 534 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:31,440 Speaker 2: of it, if you knock something out of this dust 535 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:34,040 Speaker 2: devil that was not of human origin but was a 536 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 2: fairy origin, a magical item of some sort, like a 537 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:44,440 Speaker 2: superb musical instrument of fairy craftmanship, well then you only 538 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:46,040 Speaker 2: have it for a short amount of time because it 539 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:48,360 Speaker 2: will later turn to dust in your hands. 540 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:50,960 Speaker 3: Oh, this reminds me of what we just talked about 541 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 3: in the Listener Mail episode. The story from that seventeenth 542 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 3: century sci fi novel The Man in the Moon about 543 00:30:57,320 --> 00:31:00,760 Speaker 3: the guy goes to outer space and the devils there 544 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 3: give him food, but he later goes to eat the 545 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:06,280 Speaker 3: food and it has turned into goat hair and uh, 546 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:10,120 Speaker 3: I think beast urine and some other thing goat poop also, 547 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 3: so you don't want to you don't want to take 548 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,400 Speaker 3: items of value from those other worldly beings. It's it's 549 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 3: just not going to stay what it is. 550 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 2: Yeah. Now it is interesting though, because like Celtic tradition 551 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:24,120 Speaker 2: is not the first tradition I would think of when 552 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:28,080 Speaker 2: looking for dust devil traditions. Uh, but I just looked 553 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:31,760 Speaker 2: around and just a quick scan of various like news stories, 554 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:35,960 Speaker 2: I did run across one from not too long ago. 555 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:38,720 Speaker 2: Let's see if there's a having trouble finding a date 556 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:41,880 Speaker 2: on this, but just an AOL news story, rare dust 557 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 2: devil whips up a storm on Irish beach. And there's 558 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:48,479 Speaker 2: some like, you know, some some local footage that somebody 559 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 2: just snagged on the beach of one of these dust devils. 560 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:54,240 Speaker 2: So you don't have to have a desert environment necessarily 561 00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:57,320 Speaker 2: for one of these things to form, and then you 562 00:31:57,320 --> 00:31:59,360 Speaker 2: don't have to ultimately have that many of them or 563 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 2: them have them occurring that frequently of course, to enter 564 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 2: into folklore tradition. Now, Rob mccorkyle and that article Ghostly 565 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:09,480 Speaker 2: Little Twisters points out a few other traditions from around 566 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:12,840 Speaker 2: the world. Basically, there are various takes on the idea 567 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:15,800 Speaker 2: of a dust devil as a supernatural entity of one 568 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:20,120 Speaker 2: form or another, a ghost or a spirit, some evidence 569 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 2: of the activity of the fairy folk, that sort of thing, 570 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 2: and it may range from something rather harmless to something 571 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 2: actively nefarious. So a few bits here he writes quote 572 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:37,720 Speaker 2: to the Navajo, dust devils are Chindy ghosts or spirits 573 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:41,000 Speaker 2: of the dead members of their tribe. Their tradition holds 574 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:44,600 Speaker 2: that a Chindy spinning counterclockwise is a bad spirit, while 575 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 2: one spinning clockwise is a good spirit. He also adds 576 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:50,920 Speaker 2: quote in African folklore, a dust devil is a noom, 577 00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:54,680 Speaker 2: a shape shifting demon or sorcerer, occupying the body of 578 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,680 Speaker 2: a human host and drawn to suffering and self destructive 579 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:03,680 Speaker 2: souls unconsciously seeking relief from the pain of their lives. This, 580 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:08,760 Speaker 2: of course, instantly brings to mind the Richard Stanley film 581 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:11,840 Speaker 2: Dust Devil, which is one we might have to come 582 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:14,680 Speaker 2: back around to on Weird House Cinema. It's been a 583 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:16,480 Speaker 2: while since I've seen it, but it has one very 584 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 2: memorable dust related sequence in it. 585 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:20,280 Speaker 3: Oh I've never heard of that. 586 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:25,720 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it's a weird one. Richard Stanley okay, and yeah, 587 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:29,200 Speaker 2: and I believe is tying into some actual I don't 588 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:32,160 Speaker 2: know to what degree they've been fictionalized and you know, 589 00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:35,200 Speaker 2: made to fit the needs of a horror film, but 590 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:40,120 Speaker 2: I think there's some usage of traditional it's like South 591 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:45,200 Speaker 2: African traditions there. But anyway, that movie is not mentioned 592 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,280 Speaker 2: in the macorkyl article, but mccorkyl does mention that there 593 00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:52,120 Speaker 2: are Middle Eastern connections between dust devils and demons or gin. 594 00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:56,800 Speaker 2: And then also we see Aboriginal Australian traditions depicting the 595 00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:01,120 Speaker 2: willy willy, a kind of nursery bogie that you would 596 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:07,040 Speaker 2: use to as with other bogies and boogeymen, to frighten children, 597 00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:10,040 Speaker 2: essentially to tell them you need to behave otherwise or 598 00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 2: you be on the lookout because the willy willy in 599 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:14,120 Speaker 2: this case may come for you. 600 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:15,840 Speaker 3: You know, it's really not hard for me to see 601 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:20,279 Speaker 3: to look at various types of whirlwinds and imagine them 602 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:24,320 Speaker 3: as sentient beings because of the almost animal like wandering 603 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:25,560 Speaker 3: nature of their movements. 604 00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:28,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean the same is true of tornadoes as well, 605 00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:32,799 Speaker 2: or at least the smaller scale ones. I mean, tornadoes 606 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:35,560 Speaker 2: especially in certain regions can become so large that they 607 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 2: are more on the scale of like dust storms. But 608 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:40,759 Speaker 2: you know, whenever you have some sort of a weather 609 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:44,879 Speaker 2: phenomenon that you can sort of witness as a thing 610 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:47,800 Speaker 2: that is moving, you know, and as opposed to something 611 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:51,439 Speaker 2: you are in the midst of entirely we can't help 612 00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:55,640 Speaker 2: but then anthropomorphize it and see it as kind of 613 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:58,759 Speaker 2: a being or an entity on some level, like even 614 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:01,319 Speaker 2: if you know better, you know, you can't help but 615 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 2: think of that that tornado as like a stalking entity 616 00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:10,080 Speaker 2: out there in the in the sky, you. 617 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:12,319 Speaker 3: Know, Rob after the series, I truly am not going 618 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 3: to look at dust in the same way when I'm 619 00:35:14,239 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 3: just you know, doing the everyday mundane chorts battling it 620 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:21,040 Speaker 3: inside my home. I feel like it has it has 621 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:21,920 Speaker 3: become potent. 622 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:25,040 Speaker 2: You know. One thing I forgot to mention we were 623 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:27,960 Speaker 2: talking about like observing dust in your home and also 624 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:31,799 Speaker 2: the interaction of small children. One thing I have noticed, 625 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:33,719 Speaker 2: of course is in the past is and okay, you 626 00:35:33,719 --> 00:35:36,879 Speaker 2: have a dusty surface, you can ignore it a lot, 627 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:40,320 Speaker 2: a lot more easily if nobody has disturbed the dust. 628 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:42,960 Speaker 2: But once small hands have like played in the dust, 629 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:45,000 Speaker 2: and it's like, oh goodness, now I've got to dust 630 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:48,040 Speaker 2: this thing because the monotony is broken. 631 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:50,520 Speaker 3: Yep. If you make one clean spot, now you got 632 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:51,319 Speaker 3: to clean the whole thing. 633 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:54,759 Speaker 2: That's right. Oh, and real quick. On the subject of 634 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:58,360 Speaker 2: dust in dune and static charges and doing, there's a 635 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:01,440 Speaker 2: whole bunch of static electric in the novel Doom, And 636 00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:04,880 Speaker 2: there's also mention of a static charge dust gun in 637 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:09,120 Speaker 2: the in the in the glossary at the end of 638 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:13,400 Speaker 2: the book that I'd forgotten about a Baradi pistol, a 639 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:16,560 Speaker 2: static charge dust gun developed on Aracus for laying down 640 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:20,480 Speaker 2: a large dye marker area on sand. So there's a 641 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:25,040 Speaker 2: lot of static electricity on the mind for Frank Herbert 642 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:28,640 Speaker 2: as he was writing this. Okay, all right, we're going 643 00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:31,640 Speaker 2: to go ahead and close the book on dust. But 644 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,160 Speaker 2: that doesn't mean you can't write into us with your 645 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:39,560 Speaker 2: own tidbits experience learnings about dust, dust in your world, 646 00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:42,680 Speaker 2: dust in different cultures, dust and literature and so forth. 647 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 2: We're already getting some excellent listener mail on this count, 648 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:50,799 Speaker 2: and we will discuss these in future installments of Listener Mail, 649 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:53,120 Speaker 2: which publishes on Mondays. In This Stuff to Blow MND 650 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:56,880 Speaker 2: podcast feed our core science and culture episodes. Those are 651 00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:59,880 Speaker 2: cround Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays we do a short format, 652 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:03,000 Speaker 2: and on Fridays we set aside most series concerns to 653 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:05,440 Speaker 2: just talk about a weird film on Weird House Cinema. 654 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:09,360 Speaker 3: Huge thanks as always to our excellent audio producer JJ Posway. 655 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:11,279 Speaker 3: If you would like to get in touch with us 656 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:13,880 Speaker 3: with feedback on this episode or any other, to suggest 657 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:15,959 Speaker 3: a topic for the future, or just to say hello, 658 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:18,879 Speaker 3: you can email us at contact at stuff to Blow 659 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:27,280 Speaker 3: your Mind dot com. 660 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:30,719 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. For 661 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:33,560 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 662 00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:50,719 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.