Orange County Register

A huge dust storm has produced unusually dense air pollution in Beijing, China, whipping up particulate that possibly could drift all the way across the Pacific and temporarily make local sunsets appear richer in color.

So says Charlie Zender, a UC Irvine earth system scientist who studies how airborne chemicals affect the atmosphere.

Asian dust storms usually peak in April. But a big storm swirled out of Mongolia and the dust mixed with the pollution already rising from vehicles and industry in Beijing. The resulting air pollution is so bad that Chinese officials are urging people with respiratory problems to stay inside, reports Reuters.

Such particulate has crossed the Pacific before.

“The years 2001 and 2002 were especially heavy and remnants of these events were noticeable on the West Coast including O.C.,” says Zender. “The event is blowing our direction in the prevailing westerlies. Whether it will survive the Pacific storms that could wash it out is uncertain. Events typically take 5-7 (days) from Gobi/China to the O.C. Dust can make glorious orange/red sunsets.”

The particulate scatters light, making the colors red and orange more dominant.

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