Air Pollution Makes the Cyclones Twice as Powerful

Researchers managed to find a link between the high level of pollution and the increased power of cyclones, while comparing the natural events which have occurred in the period 1979-1996 with the ones which have become visible from 1997 to 2010.

According to their findings, decreased air quality made the cyclones twice as powerful Middle East and South Asia, with a much more devastating impact upon the safety of local communities.

The air pollution is the negative result of human activity. Coal-burning processes on which the industry still relies have significantly affected the atmosphere, and individuals can now see the damaging consequences with their own eyes.

Differences in wind speed and directions are usually able to control the cyclones, but the considerable amount of emissions changed the entire framework and influenced wind patterns, reduced wind sheer and increased the tremendous power of this natural phenomenon.

Air pollution is no secret for the inhabitants most affected by cyclones. The outstanding amount of emissions led to the birth of a three kilometre-thick dark layer of pollution over the Indian Ocean, identified by experts as the South Asian “atmospheric brown cloud.”

This anomaly is able to capture a lot of light, making the ocean decrease its temperature and perturbing wind circulation.

Scientists were aware of the fact that such a structure is responsible for the growing temperatures in the affected region. The dirty wood and coal-burning business appears to be an even more powerful threat, once correlated with the unpleasant major atmospheric phenomena.

The most effective measure to overcome a potential crisis is to control the amount of emissions which put the balance of vulnerable areas in danger.

Apparently, the consequences can't be neglected, since scientists say that major events which took place in India, Pakistan, Oman, and Iran triggered considerable material losses and, even more important, have put an end to many lives.

"We are showing that pollution from human activity — as simple as burning wood or driving a vehicle with a diesel engine — can actually change these massive atmospheric phenomena in a significant way. It underscores the importance of getting a handle on emissions in the region," declared Amato Evan, the author of the study and a researcher at the University of Virginia.