Beijing: A recent study by PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) has found Asian air pollution as the cause of severe weather, with hazards from the toxic pollution impacting weather patterns, in the rest of the world.
The air pollution in China has detrimental effects on health and environment in the country, with high levels of cardiovascular diseases reported in the region. In Beijing, toxic pollutants are often at dangerous levels, India’s capital New Delhi, also sees air pollution soar to levels far above those recommended by the World Health Organization.
Researcher from the US and China used computer models to study the effects of Asia’s air pollution over weather systems moving across the Pacific Ocean. They discovered a pattern, when tiny polluting particles were blown towards the north Pacific, they interacted with water droplets in the air. This, the researchers said, caused clouds to grow denser, resulting in more intense storms above the ocean.
Cities like Los Angeles received at least an extra day of smog a year from nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide from China’s export-dependent factories. Researchers fear that the aerosol emissions which have gotten increasingly worse in Asian cities, could be the leading cause of the polar vortex which gave the US one of its harshest winters in recent history.