According to a recent paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, biological soil crust (a community composed of microorganisms, lichens and non vascular plants living on the soil surface, mainly distributed in drylands) may reduce the global dust emission by 55% and prevent the release of about 700 million tons of dust every year. These findings underscore the importance of biological crusts in managing global environmental change.
Biological crust is compared to the "living skin" of global drylands. It covers 12% of the global surface and reduces land erosion by increasing soil stability. In smaller scale wind control experiments, this stabilization effect can reduce dust. However, the impact of biological crusts on the global atmospheric dust cycle, an aerosol that has an important impact on the climate, is still unknown.
In view of this stabilizing effect, the University of Almeria in Spain assessed the impact of biological crusts on the global dust cycle and the corresponding climate in the current and future environment. The research team found that biological crust can greatly reduce sand lifting and sedimentation, and reduce the dust load by 55%. Subsequently, biological crusts may affect the dust climate effect in a manner similar to the direct impact of aerosols from human activities on the climate. However, if the loss of biological crust (caused by climate change and land use intensification) is as serious as expected, the author estimates that the global dust load will increase by 15% by 2070.
The research team concluded that the impact of biological crusts on the global dust cycle and related climate impacts are of great significance to human health, biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem functions. Therefore, they point out that these findings suggest the need to consider biological crusts as an important component of global change.