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Dust from deserts trigger rainfall in Tibetan plateau
11/Sep/2006: Aerosols and particulate matter blowing in from desert regions trigger rainfall in the Tibetan plateau, according to a recent NASA study. Tiny dust particles from the desert region accumulate in the atmosphere over the northern and southern slopes of the Tibetan plateau triggering rainfall in the early monsoon period.
The NASA research team studied the aerosols blowing in from deserts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Western China and the Middle East, using computer models to understand how they are altering the Asian monsoon water cycle.
Aerosols and other small particles from the desert absorb the sun’s radiation and heat up the air around them. The heated air rises above, drawing moist air from the Indian Ocean in to northern India, resulting in pre-monsoon rainfall in the foothills of Himalayas, in the month of May. This effect will generate more rains in northern India, while the southern part of India will suffer from lesser rainfall, as most of the moist air is drawn towards the northern region.
Carbon particles from industrial emissions and bio-fuel burning, amplifies the heating effect in this region as carbon absorbs more heat than aerosols and other particulate matter in the atmosphere. This phenomenon will lengthen the rainy season in northern India and may cause the glaciers in Himalayas to melt leading to land slides in Nepal and in north-east India. The NASA research team is now planning to confirm their findings using observations from satellite and through AERONET, a global network of ground- level aerosol sensors, which will be deployed in Nepal to assist this research.
Kesavan Siva
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