Asian Dust and Smoke Head for North America

Spring is the time that giant dust storms occur in China. One of the biggest in the past 5 years has dumped hundreds of thousands of tons of yellow dust on Beijing.

The dust then headed for Korea and Japan.

As this issue of The Citizen Scientist is issued, the first cloud of dust is predicted to soon arrive at the California coast.

Spring is also the burning season in Southeast Asia. An enormous cloud of smoke from Southeast Asia is also crossing the Pacific close behind the Chinese dust.

These combined events provide important opportunities for student and citizen science research projects. Both dust and black carbon particles can be collected on exposed microscope slides or even exposed adhesive tape. Samples can be easily examined through a microscope.

Photographs of the sun and sky can record the optical effects of the dust and smoke. In particular, the dust may cause brilliant twilight glows during and after sunset.

Readers who collect data and images of these events are encouraged to share them with readers of The Citizen Scientist. Please include your first and last name and all relevant information and send your reports here.

Forrest M. Mims III