Chinese air pollution crosses Pacific to Western U.S.

• Author: Herro, Alana
• Position: EYE ON EARTH - Brief article

Air pollution from China is traveling across the Pacific Ocean and ending up on the West Coast of the United States, according to a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research in March. The particulate pollution, known as black carbon, absorbs sunlight and heats the upper atmosphere, and may be contributing to warmer spring temperatures along the coast, the researchers say. It arrives mostly in the form of soot from automobile exhaust, agricultural burning, and other sources.

The study reports that the pollution traveling from Asia accounts for as much as 77 percent of the black carbon emitted into North America's lower atmosphere during the spring season. Although the transported soot represents only a small share of air pollution near the Earth's surface, it can have a significant heating effect two kilometers above, especially over the Pacific, which drives much of the Earth's climate. "That's the primary concern we...