Amazing Satellite Photo Of Chinese Dust Storms (Good Article, Too) - BBC

[hatrack]

"Scientists say they believe the dust and sand storms that for centuries have blanketed north-east Asia are becoming more dangerous to people's health. They think the storms are now combining with airborne pollutants emitted by human activities, and are adding to the region's severe air quality problems.

Similar dust storms from the Sahara have been blamed for spreading illness and destroying Caribbean coral reefs.

EDIT

What scientists believe is happening now is that the intensity of the damage caused by the storms is increasing, and that they are combining with pollutants like soot and microscopic particles given off in vehicle exhausts and by power plants.

Researchers funded by the US space agency Nasa have found bacteria and fungi are transported in plumes of dust from the Sahara across the Atlantic. They say a fungus isolated in the dust from Africa, Aspergillus sydowii, has been shown to cause sea fan disease in coral reefs throughout the Caribbean."

EDIT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3585223.stm

[On the Road]

1. Thanks for That

I understand the desert is slowly moving toward Beijing just like the Sahara is moving South. Seems like global warming exacerbates the trend.

[mmm]

2. Art Dumb Bell talked about the coming super storms

He is a Dumb Bell to be certain but I think his
advisers are correct on this one. When you alter the path
of natural weather systems too rapidly you will create...
way too much of one and nothing of the other.
Higher highs and lower lows. Yet to be seen, yet uncontrollable,
monstrosities.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Bell (and Strieber) did a good job

I normally don't put much faith in their ideas beyond entertainment value (Bell) or thought-provokation (Strieber) but The Coming Global Superstorm was a very good piece of popular science writing.

Their description of the Superstorm as being single, immediate, and overwhelming was probably wrong -- but not by much. They presented the current research very well. The fictional parts, written by Strieber, were some of his best writing, and the movie The Day After Tomorrow (opening May 28th) is based on it.

If you're afraid that your skeptic friends won't like you anymore for speaking well of Bell and Strieber, their websites have lists of links to the best sources of scientific information on abrupt climate change. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute has a fine one that is only a click away at http://www.whoi.edu/institutes/occi/currenttopics/ct_abruptclimate.htm

--bkl