Soru

Each summer, massive plumes of dry, mineral-rich air known as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) drift westward across the Atlantic Ocean. This atmospheric phenomenon plays a critical role in regulating tropical cyclone activity. The SAL is characterized by extremely low humidity, strong wind shear, and high concentrations of airborne dust particles. When the SAL encounters a developing tropical disturbance, its dry air acts as a sponge, absorbing moisture from the surrounding environment. Because tropical storms rely on warm, humid air to fuel their updrafts, this sudden ingestion of dry air immediately weakens the storm’s convective core. Furthermore, the strong horizontal winds within the SAL generate intense wind shear, which disrupts the vertical alignment of the storm's circulation, preventing it from organizing into a cohesive system. Finally, the mineral dust itself reflects incoming solar radiation back into space, cooling the sea surface temperatures below. This thermal cooling reduces the ocean's evaporation rate, which in turn deprives the storm of the heat energy necessary to sustain or intensify its structure.

According to the passage, the ocean's evaporation rate is reduced as a direct result of which of the following?