East Meets West: The Impact of Asian Pollution on Clouds, Weather, Climate Change

Using the newest aircraft for environmental research, scientists are launching a project to study and track plumes of dust and pollutants which originate in Asia and travel across the Pacific to North America. Captured as “event”, it is believed they are so large in size as to have an affect on cloud formation, weather and global climate change.

The Pacific Dust Experiment (PACDEX) will be launched in late April and continue for two months.

"PACDEX will open a window into what happens to the atmosphere as these massive plumes cross the Pacific Ocean. The plumes affect clouds, precipitation, and the amount of sunlight that reaches Earth," explains National Center for Atmospheric Research scientist Jeff Stith, a principal investigator on the project. "We want to determine how the various particles of dust and pollutants in the plumes influence clouds and climate, and how far downwind those effects occur."

Sulfate particles found within the plumes cool the planet by blocking solar radiation, at the same time that other particles of black carbon create a warming effect by absorbing sunlight. Various particles may also mask up to half of the global warming impact of greenhouse gases. Future warming will be influenced by the amount of particulate matter emissions originating in Asia.

Dust and pollutants also reduce light, contributing to the “global dimming” phenomenon that can affect temperature and precipitation.

See the Source:
The National Center for Atmospheric Research and the UCAR Office of Programs

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