Yellow Sand - A Rogue Here, An Angel There
Hiya Folks, back from a long vacation and the mood is still upbeat. :)
Would like to add a little to the article below. Sand storms from Gobi desert which cover everything in Beijing in a thick layer of dust from March to May every year, might not entirely be a bad phenomena!
Strong winds from Siberia sweep down over the Gobi desert and hurl dust and stones high in the air, from where they travel with the wind across China over the Korean peninsula, reaching Japan and sometimes United States. Yellow sand as it falls over Beijing and South Korea, causes rough skin, allergic reactions and asthma related problems, in addition to damaging material and property. In western China, the dust storms destroy houses and shatter window panes. In South Korea, hundreds of school children are admitted in hospitals because of high fever and nasal inflammation. Little doubt then, that the annual arrival of this sand in these regions is not very welcome. Not only does it raise concern over a serious ecological issue(growing desertification of China's North-West), it also is harmful(and a trifle annoying) to people where it falls.
However, this sand has an environmental upside. It has been found to neutralise acid rain and have beneficial effects on marine environment. It's highly alkaline nature neutralises the acidic nature of the air(due to pollutants) when it reaches east, and helps prevent the occurrence of acid rain. It is rich in minerals and is consumed by plankton in the Pacific which absorb it's minerals. The fish feed on plankton and thus nutrients get passed on to higher levels in the food chain. In Hawaii, researchers say, yellow sand provides nutrients to trees in the tropical forests. It also slows down global warming by converting sulfur-di-oxide from burning of fossil fuels, into sulfur mist which reflects heat back into space.
So as Prof Masaharu Asaba says, once regarded as a bad guy, yellow sand rides on westerly winds and serves as a good guy in remote places. This shipment from the Old Silk Route tastes bitter or sweet, depending on where it lands.
Nature sure works in mysterious ways. :)
Would like to add a little to the article below. Sand storms from Gobi desert which cover everything in Beijing in a thick layer of dust from March to May every year, might not entirely be a bad phenomena!
Strong winds from Siberia sweep down over the Gobi desert and hurl dust and stones high in the air, from where they travel with the wind across China over the Korean peninsula, reaching Japan and sometimes United States. Yellow sand as it falls over Beijing and South Korea, causes rough skin, allergic reactions and asthma related problems, in addition to damaging material and property. In western China, the dust storms destroy houses and shatter window panes. In South Korea, hundreds of school children are admitted in hospitals because of high fever and nasal inflammation. Little doubt then, that the annual arrival of this sand in these regions is not very welcome. Not only does it raise concern over a serious ecological issue(growing desertification of China's North-West), it also is harmful(and a trifle annoying) to people where it falls.
However, this sand has an environmental upside. It has been found to neutralise acid rain and have beneficial effects on marine environment. It's highly alkaline nature neutralises the acidic nature of the air(due to pollutants) when it reaches east, and helps prevent the occurrence of acid rain. It is rich in minerals and is consumed by plankton in the Pacific which absorb it's minerals. The fish feed on plankton and thus nutrients get passed on to higher levels in the food chain. In Hawaii, researchers say, yellow sand provides nutrients to trees in the tropical forests. It also slows down global warming by converting sulfur-di-oxide from burning of fossil fuels, into sulfur mist which reflects heat back into space.
So as Prof Masaharu Asaba says, once regarded as a bad guy, yellow sand rides on westerly winds and serves as a good guy in remote places. This shipment from the Old Silk Route tastes bitter or sweet, depending on where it lands.
Nature sure works in mysterious ways. :)
posted by Pallavi at 3:12 PM
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