Rain And Climate Influenced By Dust And The Microbes That Ride On It Read more at http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113212766/rain-climate-influenced-by-dust-and-microbes-that-ride-on-it-081414/#reX5EPdlVdK4Fj26.99

 Dusty air blowing across the Pacific from Asia and Africa plays a critical role in precipitation patterns throughout the drought-stricken western US. Today, a scientist will present new research suggesting that the exact chemical make-up of that dust, including microbes found in it, is the key to how much rain and snow falls from clouds throughout the region. This information could help better predict rain events, as well as explain how air pollution from a variety of sources influences regional climate in general.

She will present a talk on how aerosols impact clouds and climate at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society. The meeting is taking place here through Thursday and features nearly 12,000 scientific presentations.

“We’ve learned that not all of the particles in the air at high altitudes have the same influence on clouds. We’re starting to think that these differences contribute to how rain gets distributed,” says Kim Prather, Ph.D.

Most of the dust that Prather’s team at the University of California, San Diego, detects in clouds and precipitation originates in Asian and Chinese deserts. It gets swept westward by the jet stream where it mixes with a variety of other airborne particles such as sea spray and smoke. Prather says that each of these types of particles — collectively known as aerosols — has its own, distinctive impact on clouds.





FULL ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND:
Read more at http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113212766/rain-climate-influenced-by-dust-and-microbes-that-ride-on-it-081414/#reX5EPdlVdK4Fj26.99

American Chemical Society: http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en.html

Dr. Kim Prather, Prather Research Group : http://atofms.ucsd.edu

Related Topics: Particulate, Aerosol, PM 10, PM 2.5, Meteorology, Environment, Air Quality, Atmospheric Sciences, Dust