Story submitted by Eric Worrall
A new study from NASA’s JPL claims Asian air pollution causes worse storms in North America, especially during winter.
![beijing_smog_2[1]](http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/beijing_smog_21.jpg?quality=83)
Lead author Yuan Wang, from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, said: “The effects are quite dramatic. The pollution results in thicker and taller clouds and heavier precipitation.”
The team said that tiny polluting particles were blown towards the north Pacific where they interacted with water droplets in the air.
Dr Yuan Wang said: “Since the Pacific storm track is an important component in the global general circulation, the impacts of Asian pollution on the storm track tend to affect the weather patterns of other parts of the world during the wintertime, especially a downstream region [of the track] like North America.”
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27027876
Assessing the effects of anthropogenic aerosols on Pacific storm track using a multiscale global climate model
Significance
Increasing levels of air pollutants in Asia have recently drawn considerable attention, but the effects of Asian pollution outflows on regional climate and global atmospheric circulation remain to be quantified. Using a multiscale global aerosol–climate model (GCM), we demonstrate long-range transport of the Asian pollution, large resulting variations in the aerosol optical depth, cloud droplet number concentration, and cloud and ice water paths; enhanced shortwave and longwave cloud radiative forcings; and increased precipitation and poleward heat transport. Our work provides, for the first time to the authors’ knowledge, a global multiscale perspective of the climatic effects of pollution outflows from Asia. The results reveal that the multiscale modeling framework is essential in simulating the aerosol invigoration effect of deep convective cloud systems by a GCM.
Abstract
Atmospheric aerosols affect weather and global general circulation by modifying cloud and precipitation processes, but the magnitude of cloud adjustment by aerosols remains poorly quantified and represents the largest uncertainty in estimated forcing of climate change. Here we assess the effects of anthropogenic aerosols on the Pacific storm track, using a multiscale global aerosol–climate model (GCM). Simulations of two aerosol scenarios corresponding to the present day and preindustrial conditions reveal long-range transport of anthropogenic aerosols across the north Pacific and large resulting changes in the aerosol optical depth, cloud droplet number concentration, and cloud and ice water paths. Shortwave and longwave cloud radiative forcing at the top of atmosphere are changed by −2.5 and +1.3 W m−2, respectively, by emission changes from preindustrial to present day, and an increased cloud top height indicates invigorated midlatitude cyclones. The overall increased precipitation and poleward heat transport reflect intensification of the Pacific storm track by anthropogenic aerosols. Hence, this work provides, for the first time to the authors’ knowledge, a global perspective of the effects of Asian pollution outflows from GCMs. Furthermore, our results suggest that the multiscale modeling framework is essential in producing the aerosol invigoration effect of deep convective clouds on a global scale.
The full paper:
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Great. Maybe we’ll get some relief from this drought here in California.
“…the impacts of Asian pollution… tend to affect the weather patterns of… downstream region(s) like North America.”
Downstream region? Look at a globe. China is litterally on the opposite side of the planet from North America.
And the answer is, “Yes!”
From Ewing et al, Cal Berkeley, published in Environmental Science and Technology in 2010:
“We tested whether Pb isotope ratios in airborne particles can be used to directly evaluate the Asian contribution to airborne particles of anthropogenic origin in western North America, using a time series of samples from a pair of sites upwind and downwind of the San Francisco Bay Area. Our results for airborne Pb at these sites indicate a median value of 29% Asian origin, based on mixing relations between distinct regional sample groups.”
What also seems to have been left out are the very considerable amounts of sand particles blown up from the North and Central Asian deserts.
Models can’t replicate current conditions. How are they recreate past conditions.
If the Asia pollution really enhances downstream precip, then Californians should be thankful and hope for more of it.
But, I thought that most aerosols, when increased, caused smaller droplets in clouds and less rainfall. Not true?
So it’s not the Carbon (i.e CO2)?
The change in climate or weather from aerosol forcing is predominated by natural oscillations. Given that aerosols are not well mixed at all, we can only approximate that 90% of climate effective aerosols are naturally sourced and likely due to the combined atmospheric oceanic teleconnections kicking all that stuff up out of our Earth-bound biosphere into our atmospheric biosphere. Any changes from anthropogenic (which can be difficult to ascertain) aerosol ups or downs would be buried in the natural variability intinsic to Earth’s natural biospheric sources of aerosol load.
The study holds no water, air, or aerosols.
So the circualtion is intensified just as Marcel Leroux explained but these JPL guys decide that aerosols are the culprit to justify an observation that goes against the global warming mantra… I am awaiting the next model that will blame it on particulates from cow farts…
Notwithstanding that it is high pressure rising over Mongolia since the 1970s showing southward displacement of anticyclones that creates smog in Asian cities -or European ones -…
It sounds like a case for reverse climate reparations to me for all the damage and increased mortality brought on the peoples of North America by the industrial giants of China and India.
Why were they relying on models? Why weren’t they taking samples, tagging and tracking the aerosols etc.? You know, why weren’t they doing science?
More nuclei, makes sense. Now, how about the brown cloud + high GCR flux?
Re Tom Rude and the cow fart model; I’m from New Zealand and we already have one. Seriously.
Also seriously anyone who follows tropical waves emanating from Africa and moving westward will find out that the blowing sands from that continent have an enormous effect on their formation. These tropical waves are a forerunner of Tropical cyclones.
These climate McScientists do love their computer games, don’t they?
““The effects are quite dramatic. The pollution results in thicker and taller clouds and heavier precipitation.”
Yeah, particulate pollution is bad, but note the negative feedback! I believe we are in the negative feedback stage of clisci development with all the recent papers highlighting this very unsurprising feature. It may be even useful to cover California in smoke again and let the rain fall.
Great idea, blame the asians!
Sounds familiar to me. Find a racial group and blame them for all your woes.
Sounds like Hitler and his Nazis actually. Maybe if we all go to Beijing and smash the windows of every asian owned shop we can find we will improve the weather in the west. Should be plenty of shops to choose from.
Of course if we did that, things may back fire. Seems to me if Beijing’s polution causes heavy cloud and obstruction of sunlight, this is a ready made answer to global warming because clouds cool the earth!
So lets not knock out the asians but join them to keep the planet cool!
Open fires everyone. Burn all the wood and coal you can. Anyone who has never sat around an open fire with friends and family misses the best experience that life has to offer.
Cheers
Roger
http://www.rogerfromnewzealand.wordpress.com
rogerthesurf says:
Great idea, blame the asians!
Sounds familiar to me. Find a racial group and blame them for all your woes.
Sounds like Hitler and his Nazis actually. And so on.
Roger, you are overplaying your hand. This is a science site, not a political/racial blog.
It is a simple fact that China and many other Asian nations emit huge amounts of CO2. Personally, I see no problem with that. CO2 is harmless, and beneficial to the biosphere. There really is no problem with producing more CO2. It’s all good.
But when you bring Nazis and Hitler into your argument, you are not credible. Base your arguments on science instead, rather than on emotional trigger words like ‘Hitler’ and ‘Nazis”. We will all get to the truth faster.
That’s what it’s all about, no? Scientific truth.
dbstealey,
FYI as soon as a racial group or a country is mentioned, the whole study becomes political.
Furthermore you miss the bitter irony in my words.
But irony aside, there is a smell of racialism in the assertion that Asian people are to blame for western weather, and it does sound not a little like Hitler blaming the Jews for Germany’s woes.
The whole scientific basis of this post is further laughable as it implies that the pollution produced in Asia is actually cooling the planet.
Sorry can’t see anything to apologise about.
Cheers
Roger
http://www.thedemiseofchristchurch.com
We get 200+ days of rain year in and year out. 50 years ago it was caused by Chinese atmospheric A bomb testing. Now it is caused by Chinese air pollution. Heaven help us, without the Chinese we would have no rain. The Pacific Northwest would change from a rain forest to a desert if it wasn’t for the Chinese.
rogerthesurf,
I slogged through your link. Rough going. But I think I agree with your views.
I suppose we are separated by a common language after all.
Cheers.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
ferd,
Thanx for explaining that. I always suspected it was the Chinese!
Well, NASA tracks dust clouds from China across the Pacific, with the dust ending up in southern California. Can satellites be made to track the byproducts of combustion? I’d like to see some hard measurements first, not models comparing conditions today to supposed pre-industrial conditions.
Environmental pollution Is the natural state of being mixed or contaminated with dirt or foreign objects or treasures pollutants makes it look different from the original or from nature. The change for the worse . Also result in very little or no use at all. Adversely affect the health and Environmental pollution, including water pollution, air pollution. Noise pollution And pollution caused by solid waste and sewage .