Microscopic dust from desert storms has been hiding the true extent of global warming, study finds

CBS News spoke with Stuart Evans for a story about new research that found microscopic dust from desert storms may have a small but significant effect on global temperatures. The study out of UCLA found an increase in atmospheric dust since pre-industrial times has had “a slight cooling effect on the planet” and masked just how much the planet has truly warmed over the decades. Evans, who studies atmospheric dust but was not involved in the new research, said the study helps provide a “benchmark” for how much change we have seen regarding atmospheric dust. "It provides a starting point for further studies of the human impacts on this piece of the climate system," Evans said.