scrAPES #1
Article: http://ogoapes.weebly.com/uploads/3/2/3/9/3239894/how_dust_could_solve_californias_drought_-_scientific_american.pdf
Summary:
At the moment, California has been experiencing an extremely severe drought. Over 80% of the state is currently experiencing this lack of rain. However, a possible solution involving dust particles could save us from this. Dust blown over the Pacific Ocean from Asia and Africa is said to possibly be influencing the precipitation here in California. The dust is believed to mix with other various particles in the air, such as sea spray and smoke, impacting clouds and precipitation. However, making precipitation occur is not as easy as it sounds. Dust does not always end up helping making more precipitation. Sometimes, dust can reduce the amount of rain made by clouds even. Clouds are also not always present either, making it difficult for dust to seed and create rainfall. However, with deeper understanding of this phenomenon, it can be possible to maximize the amount of rainfall made when clouds do appear. This could possibly be a cure for the severe drought that California is currently undergoing.
Reflection:
I believe that this discovery could be a huge one. Last school year, seven other students and I had done and internship on California’s drought. This topic seems very interesting to me because of that. California’s drought has caused agriculture to die out and bodies of water to evaporate. If dust from the Eastern countries can help fix this, even in the slightest way, this could be huge. Better yet, if scientists can manage to use this observation to the fullest and exploit it, this could be huge for the state of California.
Summary:
At the moment, California has been experiencing an extremely severe drought. Over 80% of the state is currently experiencing this lack of rain. However, a possible solution involving dust particles could save us from this. Dust blown over the Pacific Ocean from Asia and Africa is said to possibly be influencing the precipitation here in California. The dust is believed to mix with other various particles in the air, such as sea spray and smoke, impacting clouds and precipitation. However, making precipitation occur is not as easy as it sounds. Dust does not always end up helping making more precipitation. Sometimes, dust can reduce the amount of rain made by clouds even. Clouds are also not always present either, making it difficult for dust to seed and create rainfall. However, with deeper understanding of this phenomenon, it can be possible to maximize the amount of rainfall made when clouds do appear. This could possibly be a cure for the severe drought that California is currently undergoing.
Reflection:
I believe that this discovery could be a huge one. Last school year, seven other students and I had done and internship on California’s drought. This topic seems very interesting to me because of that. California’s drought has caused agriculture to die out and bodies of water to evaporate. If dust from the Eastern countries can help fix this, even in the slightest way, this could be huge. Better yet, if scientists can manage to use this observation to the fullest and exploit it, this could be huge for the state of California.