Return
to Story Page
To print: Select File and then Print from your
browser's menu
Agencies
New York, June 12: A thick brown cloud of pollution the size of the United States has formed over the Indian Ocean, contributing to acid rain and cutting the amount of sunlight reaching the water. The cloud, a mixture of pollutants from vehicle and industrial emissions, could wreak havoc on the region's climate and marine life. Scientists sponsored by the US National Science Foundation spent six weeks earlier this year tracking the cloud with aircraft, ships, balloons and satellites.
The Indian Ocean Experiment, or INDOEX, revealed that the affected area includes most of the northern Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and much of the Bay of Bengal - nearly 10m square km in total. The cloud rises three kilometres into the Earth's atmosphere, and consists of tiny particles of soot, chemicals and carbon monoxide - byproducts of burning fossil fuels. During the winter monsoons, the cloud blows out from Asia over the ocean, and during the summer wet season, it reverses direction to move backover the land. Scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, which coordinated the project, say the pollution is unprecedented in the region's history, and will get worse as the population increases. Aerosol use, which has long been known to promote global warming, is still widespread in Asia. The tiny particles in the cloud reflect the sun's rays, cutting its heat by up to 10 per cent. In the ocean, less sunlight could threaten the survival of water-plants and plankton - key organisms in the world's food chain. Reduced sunlight also means that less water evaporates from the ocean - leading to lower rainfall and increasing the risk of drought. Scientists now want to discover how permanent the cloud is, and whether it is growing.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
------------------------------------------------------------
This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
------------------------------------------------------------