The Chinese Airpocalypse may not represent only the result of pollution, but it may also be fueled by the changes brought due to global warming. Climate change has worsened the smog issue in China. A new study published by scientists on March 15 argued that the variations in the climate in polar regions may have an effect on China’s air pollution. The new research was published in the Science Advances magazine.
- Pollution may not be the only factor which triggers severe smog in China.
- Scientists claim that heavy snowfall in Siberia and the melting of sea ice in the Arctic may be blamed.
- Climate change has caused the smog in China to become even thicker.
Based on the findings, researchers may reveal some clues why the smog problem in China continued to affect the population even after authorities implemented cuts in pollution-triggering emissions. Researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology have analyzed the effect of climate change on regional pollution. They found out that the level of PM2.5 particles over China registered in 2013 was derived from record sea ice melting in the Arctic.
In 2013, China was affected by the densest smog in more than fifty years. Moreover, the high snowfall of the Eurasian’s upper latitudes was also found responsible for fueling the tremendous air pollution in China. Scientists developed computer simulations which indicated that there is a connection between all these natural events. The high record of snowfall in Siberia and the sea ice melting at the North Pole have diminished the amount of cold air, obstructed the southerly route and, thus, contributing to the Chinese airpocalypse.
Professor Yuhang Wang, the lead researcher of the study and also a researcher at the Georgia Tech’s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, claimed that the decrease in sea ice levels and the rise in snowfall have a terrible effect, increasing the climatological pressure ridge structure over the Chinese people. He also argued that these events contributed to a drop in pressure gradients and temperature, moving the East Asian Winter Monsoon to the east.
Moreover, it also diminishes the speed of the wind, and it generates an atmospheric circulation which makes the air in China remain adynamic. Earlier this year, China experienced the same harsh weather, where Beijing and many other cities suffered serious winter haze. Back in September, records shown that in the Arctic there were low levels of sea ice. This was followed by heavy snowfall in Siberia.
Both events were caused by the increase of average temperature at a global level. Climate change is slowly affecting the whole planet, leaving China with no pure air to breath.
Image source: wikipedia