<p>What you can see in your image is mostly dust from the shara desert <a href="https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/particulates/surface/level/overlay=pm10/orthographic=13.33,5.70,766" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/particulates/surface/level/overlay=pm10/orthographic=13.33,5.70,766</a> </p>

<p>You will be able to see other types of particles like smoke from combustion like cars-industry-forrest fires,the picture show particles that is 10 microns in size.</p>

<p>On the linked page you can find details of other types of chemical and particulate emissions too like SO2 and CO2 it is a good source for information about the atmosphere.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-11T12:15:36.743Z
2020-01-11T12:15:36.743Z
trond hansen
<p>Using AirVisual app I notice there is a huge patch of pollution in Africa. I cannot imagine there is a big economic activity to support that huge pollution across almost the whole continent. What could be the cause of those pollution in Africa. </p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/EjVw9.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EjVw9.jpg" alt="pollution in Africa"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-10T18:33:59.123Z
Are the red areas the polluted areas? If so, most of the map is understandable, but some red areas are inplaces where one wouldn't expect pollution, and there are green areas in places where there should be pollution. I gather that most of the monitoring was done by satellite.
Michael Walsby
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-10T20:00:10.073Z
this is a map of particulates PM10 https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/particulates/surface/level/overlay=pm10/orthographic=13.33,5.70,766 most of it is sand
trond hansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-10T21:51:54.197Z
I was wondering why the coast of the Namib Desert would be polluted, but that explains it. It also explains why polluted places which are green don't show up as polluted. Sometimes dust from the Sahara is blown as fa north as Britain, but not very often. These message boxes seem designed to produce typos. It's strange they don't work like other internet typing sites.
Michael Walsby
<air-pollution>
What creates so much pollution in Africa?
vasin1987
# What creates so much pollution in Africa?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-01-10)

Using AirVisual app I notice there is a huge patch of pollution in Africa. I cannot imagine there is a big economic activity to support that huge pollution across almost the whole continent. What could be the cause of those pollution in Africa.

[![pollution in Africa](https://i.sstatic.net/EjVw9.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/EjVw9.jpg)

**Tags:** air-pollution

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Are the red areas the polluted areas? If so, most of the map is understandable, but some red areas are inplaces where one wouldn't expect pollution, and there are green areas in places where there should be pollution. I gather that most of the monitoring was done by satellite.  
> **username_2**: this is a map of particulates PM10 https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/particulates/surface/level/overlay=pm10/orthographic=13.33,5.70,766 most of it is sand  
> **username_1**: I was wondering why the coast of the Namib Desert would be polluted, but that explains it. It also explains why polluted places which are green don't show up as polluted. Sometimes dust from the Sahara is blown as fa north as Britain, but not very often. These message boxes seem designed to produce typos. It's strange they don't work like other internet typing sites.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-01-11. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

What you can see in your image is mostly dust from the shara desert <https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/particulates/surface/level/overlay=pm10/orthographic=13.33,5.70,766>

You will be able to see other types of particles like smoke from combustion like cars-industry-forrest fires,the picture show particles that is 10 microns in size.

On the linked page you can find details of other types of chemical and particulate emissions too like SO2 and CO2 it is a good source for information about the atmosphere.


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