Chinese Dust Plumes and Climate Change

A study funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation has provided evidence that man-made pollution in the Far East is affecting the storm track over the Pacific Ocean. Power plants and industrial sites in China and India are discharging enormous amounts of pollution, much of it soot and sulfate aerosols, into the atmosphere where the prevailing winds blow it east over the Pacific Ocean and eventually all over the globe. Aerosols can affect cloud droplets, change cloud dynamics, and ultimately affect weather all over the planet. Over the past two decades, satellite imagery and computer models have shown an increase in the amount of deep, convective clouds of from 20 to 50 percent, indicating an intensified Pacific storm track

Atmospheric aerosols, primarily soot and sulfate from the burning of coal, have increased over the past few decades, with most of the pollutants originating in China and India. Both nations have rapidly growing economies, and the factories and power plants necessary to propel the expansion create huge amounts of pollution, which is affecting weather patterns across the globe. Adding to the man-made soot and sulfates are dust plumes from the deserts of Mongolia and Western China, where dust has been an environmental pollutant for centuries. As the dust moves east across industrialized areas, it picks up man-made aerosols, and it has been estimated that about one million tons of this combination of natural and man-made pollution falls on Beijing every year. As a consequence, the level of microscopic aerosols is seven times the public-health standard established by the World Health Organization.

These Asian dust plumes can circle the globe in three weeks, and on some days almost a third of the air over Los Angeles and San Francisco will have originated in Asia, carrying up to three-quarters of the black carbon particulate pollution found on the West Coast. While the general air flow is from west to east , there is concern that the pollution will affect polar regions with dire consequences. Soot composed of black carbon, accumulating on ice and snow, would absorb more solar heat and enhance polar melting, resulting in rising sea levels.

It has been suggested that the plumes of pollution have a mixed effect on global warming; while the soot is absorbing solar heat, the plumes themselves may be blocking over ten percent of the sunlight over the Pacific Ocean. Ironically, the Asian pollution could be slowing down the pace of global warming, and if sulfate emissions are curtailed, global temperatures may rise faster than predicted.  (from A Mars Odyssey–http://www.amarsodyssey.com/2007/07/31/chinese-dust-plumes-and-climate-change/ )

NASA Scientists Study Possible Future Droughts

NASA scientists, by comparing historical records of how changes in the sun’s output affected past climates with model projections of how rainfall patterns would change with warmer global temperatures, have found that a future warming of the Earth’s climate would likely produce droughts in the same areas as in ancient times, with the possibility of them being even more severe. Much evidence from the Mars data is being used to further this theory, along with data from other planets.

There is already evidence of changing patterns of rainfall, with much of the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Middle East rapidly getting drier. Severe consequences in as little as twenty years could be expected if current trends continue, imposing serious water resource problems on the affected populations.

The NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies climate model enabled researchers to determine that changes in solar output in the remote past increased surface temperatures leading to changes in atmospheric moisture and circulation. The result was severe droughts as confirmed by the records of tree rings, fire and lake sediment found across the U.S., Mexico, Peru, and the Yucatan Peninsula. These reliable records of historical climate conditions over the past 1,200 years confirm a significant increase in drought in those areas during times of increased solar activity. The amount of solar output is based on chemical isotopes produced in relation to the sun’s brightness. In areas of the tropics, ocean sediment data reflects changes in rainfall, and indicates increased precipitation.Increased solar output breaks up oxygen molecules which raises ozone concentrations in the upper atmosphere. The resulting increase in upper atmospheric temperatures causes changes in the circulation to the Earth’s surface, and, with surface temperatures warming, rainfall patterns are exaggerated. Areas receiving greater rainfall, such as the tropics, usually receive even more moisture, and dry areas become even drier, both because of less precipitation and higher temperatures drying out the soil’s existing moisture.

The computer model used by the researchers indicated that greenhouse gases warm the atmosphere similarly to changes in solar activity, showing that drier conditions could affect the subtropics. Areas such as the southwestern U.S., Mexico, areas of North Africa, the Middle East, and Australia, already experiencing water problems, could become drier, while the western Pacific, areas along the equator, and parts of southeast Asia could see increased rainfall.

Scientists think the past periods of drought confirmed by the new research affected ancient peoples such as the Pueblo dwellers of New Mexico and Arizona, who were apparently forced to abandon their homes in the fourteenth century. (http://www.amarsodyssey.com/2007/07/17/nasa-scientists-study-possible-future-droughts/)

Curry ingredient may fight Alzheimer’s

The following has been taken from several websites, as it is going around a lot right now. We credit WebMD for it, due to the site’s medical creditability.

An ingredient in curry may help stimulate immune system cells that gobble up the brain-clogging proteins that mark Alzheimer’s disease, U.S. researchers said.

They said they isolated a compound in turmeric, a yellow spice that gives Indian curry powder its distinctive color, that appears to stimulate a specific response against Alzheimer’s symptoms.

It may be possible to infuse this compound into patients and treat the incurable and fatal brain condition, Dr. Milan Fiala of the University of California Los Angeles and colleagues said.

Other research has shown that curcumin, an antioxidant found in turmeric, can help prevent tumors from forming in the laboratory and in rats. (http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20050105/curry-spice-may-fight-alzheimers-disease)

Tech Help for Thirsty Plants

“This device is very precise, and will allow a plant to receive just the right amount of water,” said Hans-Dieter Seelig, a research associate at the University of Colorado-Boulder’s  BioServe Space Technology Center, in a news release. “If a plant can tell a water valve when to open and when to close, farmers are going to save a lot of money.”

With Colorado producing four leading crops of corn, wheat, hay, and potatoes, it is no wonder that their 30,000 farms and ranches and 30.7 million acres of agriculture land are able to produce about 105,000 agriculture jobs. With this in mind, it is exciting that the University of Colorado-Boulder invented a little sensor to clip on leaves, “measuring the leave’s thickness and corresponding need for water,” according to CBS News on June 15, 2007. From there, the data is sent wirelessly to irrigation systems.

Exclusive rights belong to AgriHouse Inc., which is a high-tech company in Colorado, and is able to negotiate a license for the sensor’s technology for next year. Existing sensors and technologies, such as the soil moisture sensors, are not accurate in the provided information, according to Richard Stoner, founder and president of AgriHouse. The difference between the old sensors and the latest developmental ones, is that the latest device is now a non-intrusive device that treats the plant in a gentle manner in order to interface with the world of digital information. It is nothing short of a miracle, for both plants and man for communication of needs for watering and the application of fertilizers.

AgriHouse, the parent company of Aeroponics International licensed, is also known for researching agriculture products for advanced agriculture technology for Earth and Space. Both companies offer NASA funded and developed high performance food production systems and bio-controls. They also produce USDA National Organic Program Certified “All Natural Plant Amendment” that is a liquid concentrate proven by NASA on the MIR Space Station and the Space Shuttle for vegetables, fruits, citrus, field crops, and many more.