Asian Brown Cloud

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In this Science Update, students explore how rapid industrialization in developing areas of the world, like Asia, increases the amount of soot and other pollutants in the air. This audio file discusses an effort to measure the pollution over Asia and assesses its impact on people and the environment. V. Ramanathan, director of the Center for Clouds, Chemistry, and Climate says that scientist recently completed a project called the Indian Ocean Experiment, which produced evidence of a haze layer surrounding the northern Indian Ocean and much of South Asia, India, Pakistan, Southeast Asia, and China. Using aircraft, ships,
balloons, and satellites to map out the cloud and determine its composition, scientists discovered that the haze scatters sunlight, thus cutting back on evaporation from the ocean and increasing drought conditions. Science NetLinks provides a link to the audio file, a written transcript, and questions to engage students in discussion about the Asian Brown Cloud, its relation to the seasons, and how it affects rainfall and pollution in this part of the world. This activity also contains links to Asian Dust Clouds, a website that describes the effects on the United States, an online article from the project, and another article entitled, “Smog clouds view from space station” from CNN.com.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment