"Dust from Africa's Sahara aids in reducing atmospheric methane levels"

A recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) suggests that a mechanism involving blowing mineral dust and sea spray, known as Mineral Dust-Sea Spray Aerosol (MDSA), may help tackle atmospheric methane. MDSA, which is activated by sunlight, produces an abundance of chlorine atoms that oxidize atmospheric methane and tropospheric ozone through photocatalysis. The researchers found that incorporating increased chlorine from the MDSA mechanism could explain the observed depletion of the stable isotope 13CO in air samples from Barbados. Further research is needed to understand the MDSA mechanism's operation globally and its impact on methane emissions from biological sources.