Mystery Ingredient Cleaning Earth's Atmosphere

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Mystery Ingredient Cleaning Earth's Atmosphere

Christine Dell'Amore
National Geographic News
June 4, 2009

Mother Nature has a previously unknown cleaning agent that scrubs away toxic air pollution, scientists have discovered.

What's more, the existence of the still mysterious substance has shaken up decades-long assumptions about our atmosphere's self-cleaning process.

Many studies have shown that trace gases and pollutants in the lowest level of our atmosphere break down naturally, thanks to molecules called hydroxyl (OH) radicals.

But the breakdown spews out ozone, itself a toxic pollutant and a greenhouse gas. (Get global warming facts.)

Not so in China's heavily polluted Pearl River Delta, where experts were stumped to find lots of OH radicals but relatively small amounts of resulting ozone.

(Related: "China's Olympic Pollution Efforts Paid Off, Expert Says.")

"It was a complete surprise to us [that], after such a long time of scientific research, such a big gap has been found," said study co-author Franz Rohrer, of the Institute of Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geosphere in Jülich, Germany.

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Highly reactive OH radicals are continually recycled in the atmosphere through reactions with water vapor and nitric oxide, both naturally present in the air.

Part of nature's self-cleaning mechanism, the reactions break down trace amounts of pollutants, Rohrer said.

But when the radicals are recycled by nitric oxide, ozone is created.

In the Pearl River region, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Guangzhou (Canton), OH radicals were more concentrated than in any other place measured by the team worldwide, Rohrer said.

(Balance of article and internal links at URL above.)

[FBM]

In the Pearl River region, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Guangzhou (Canton), OH radicals were more concentrated than in any other place measured by the team worldwide, Rohrer said.

Clearly, the Chinese are up to something in the Pearl River region. Probably a super-weapon. Mark this on one of the early bombing missions.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

In the Pearl River region, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Guangzhou (Canton), OH radicals were more concentrated than in any other place measured by the team worldwide, Rohrer said.

Clearly, the Chinese are up to something in the Pearl River region. Probably a super-weapon. Mark this on one of the early bombing missions.

"So, who is on our side?"
"800,000,000 screaming Chinese!"
"I thought there were a billion Chinese?"
"There were."

[FBM]

In the Pearl River region, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Guangzhou (Canton), OH radicals were more concentrated than in any other place measured by the team worldwide, Rohrer said.

Clearly, the Chinese are up to something in the Pearl River region. Probably a super-weapon. Mark this on one of the early bombing missions.

"So, who is on our side?"
"800,000,000 screaming Chinese!"
"I thought there were a billion Chinese?"
"There were."

Ya lost me on that one, pardner.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

In the Pearl River region, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Guangzhou (Canton), OH radicals were more concentrated than in any other place measured by the team worldwide, Rohrer said.

Clearly, the Chinese are up to something in the Pearl River region. Probably a super-weapon. Mark this on one of the early bombing missions.

"So, who is on our side?"
"800,000,000 screaming Chinese!"
"I thought there were a billion Chinese?"
"There were."

Ya lost me on that one, pardner.

It's a quote from "Red Dawn". (Russians invade the central US. Europe is sitting out the fight, they've had enough of that kind of shit, thank you.) Just illustrates that 200,000,000 casualties is nada to Beijing. (Bit of a derail, to be sure. )