Scientists studying earth’s climate have found that dust from the Sahara Desert travels thousands of kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean before arriving at the Amazon rainforest, one of the most important ecosystems on the planet.

According the research supported by NASA, strong winds carry large amounts of mineral-laden desert dust from the Sahara into the upper atmosphere. This dust then travels across the Atlantic Ocean which transports the dust to South America.

Dust contains important nutrient sources, such as phosphorus, which plants need to grow. When these dusts reached Amazon Rainforest, it falls on the ground and bring back nutrients which have been lost over time due to heavy rainfall which washes out minerals from the soil.

According to researchers, this natural process is crucial because it keeps the rainforest healthy and helps in growing trees and plants throughout the region. The Amazon rainforest also plays a major role in the earth’s climate because it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and regulate the temperatures. It also provides a home for thousands of plants and animals and to different species.

Scientists have remarked that such an occurrence demonstrates a link between various regions of Earth's environment. For example, a desert region located within Africa directly impacts on the ability of thousands of miles away in South America, both in terms of their respective ecosystems and their overall ecological resiliency.

By understanding these natural processes, scientists are able to better study climatic systems, and to predict impacts on global ecosystems from variations in the global environment.