Charcoal Whirlwinds and Post-Fire Observations in Serengeti National Park Savannahs

Researchers documented rare 'charcoal whirlwinds'—dust devils that lofted large quantities of charcoal into the atmosphere following wildfires in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. These phenomena, observed in two distinct savannah regions (Western Corridor and Lamai), exhibited unique characteristics such as color, funnel shape, and height, depending on local land cover types and fuel canopies. The study leveraged field observations, meteorological data, and satellite imagery to analyze the spatiotemporal patterns of these whirlwinds, though direct measurements of particulate matter were not conducted. Findings suggest that charcoal-laden whirlwinds play a significant but understudied role in redistributing organic material across landscapes, with potential implications for regional-to-global atmospheric particle fluxes and depositional environments like lakes and wetlands.

Courtney Mustaphi, C. J., Vos, H. C., Marchant, R., & Beale, C. (2022). Charcoal Whirlwinds and Post-Fire Observations in Serengeti National Park Savannahs. Tanzania Journal of Science, 48(2), 460–473. https://doi.org/10.4314/tjs.v48i2.20