The Earth’s wind patterns have an effect on the soil composition at the bottom of the Great Blue Hole. The low humidity of the continental tropical air mass of North Africa is due to the lack of water and the subsidence of the subtropical high. As the air subsides toward the Earth’s surface, it moves outward away from the center of the subtropical high. The resulting wind pattern from North Africa is known as the northeast trade winds. These winds, and the resulting ocean currents, may be responsible for transporting small particles from the African continent to the Caribbean. When the dry northeasterly trade winds meet the humid maritime tropical air mass, any particles in the air are precipitated onto the land/oceans. The solvent properties of water allow it to transport these particles and nutrients that may be present. This may explain the presence of what geologists believe to be African dust flux that was found in a core sample of the soil at the bottom of the Great Blue Hole.
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| Global pattern of wind and pressure |
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