Australia is in the middle of one of their worst drought of recorded time. Bone dry topsoil is vulnerable to be swept away by the wind, the same thing that happened in America during the dust bowl. The windborne soil is creating enormous dust storms like this one which hit Sydney yesterday. The pictures are both gorgeous and disturbing. To me they look like something out of science fiction. Can you imagine going about your business on what you think is just a foggy morning until the sun comes over the horizon and everything turns red?
All the dust used to be topsoil. The fertility of central Australia is literally blowing away in the breeze, and for me that tips the balance solidly from gorgeous to disturbing.