Better computer models required to tackle pollution

University of Iowa engineering professor Gregory Carmichael has called for better computer models and increased research to tackle pollution, particularly in atmospheric brown cloud (ABC).

The professor recently made the claims at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, where he said that scientific data on ABC pollution is lacking. Asia was put into the spotlight, with the professor claiming that pollutants from the region are getting increasingly worse.

ABC has been connected to the Indian summer monsoon rainfall, the north-south shift in eastern China rainfall patterns, and the accelerated retreat of the HKHT (Hindu Kush-Himalayan-Tibetan) glaciers and decrease in snow packs. However, current models that track such pollutants make it difficult to predict the pathways and effects of such pollution.

Three recent studies have linked the effects of air pollution with serious health concerns. Stroke, dementia and cardiovascular events such as a heart attack have been linked with both the long-term and short-term effects of pollution.

Creating computer models allow researchers to link emissions to climate and environmental impacts. The vast amounts of variables and the different interactions of pollution, weather and climate are so complex that computer models may be the only useful tools for policy makers

Posted by Lauren Steadman