African dust from the Sahara desert is observed across the Atlantic as far west as the Caribbean region where it produces a hazy sky condition during the annual dry season. You are a climate scientist and make a prediction that the Sahara was not a desert during glacial periods in the northern hemisphere. How could you test this hypothesis by looking at deep sea sediments from the Atlantic off west Africa?
◦ The hypothesis is untestable with deep sea sediment.
◦ You would look at fossils to see if there were organisms that preferred dusty conditions vs. clear water conditions.
◦ You could measure the isotopes in the sediment to estimate the sea surface temperatures.
◦ You could look at the sediments to see if there were biogenic sediments interbedded with sediments with terrigeneous input corresponding to the dry, interglacial intervals.
African Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus)
Rover exposes silica-rich dust on Mars
Martian Dust Devil
African farmers use chili peppers to ward elephants off their crops. Clever!
West Pediment of the Temple of Aphaia, Aegina