Toxic heavy metals reach top of the world (Everest)

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19803-toxic-heavy-metals-reach-top-of-the-world.html

 

[DougPaul]

I'll continue my reply here so you don't think your post went over like a lead balloon...

Given that Caribbean coral is being killed by diseases brought in by windblown African dust, I'm not surprised that Indian dust can be blown onto Everest. Some residents of Bangladesh suffer from arsenic in their shallow-well water, so arsenic is in their soil and it is also not surprising that some of it would blow into the Himalayas.

Also, snow forms by nucleating around a particle of dust or pollution, so at the heart of every snowflake is a particle of nitrate, sulfate, dust, or etc. (Just in case you were wondering why melted snow has a funny taste...)

Doug

 

[pedxing]

Is there any reason to think Indian dust would be a more likely cause than Industrial pollution from China (or India).

 

[Little Rickie]

I'll continue my reply here so you don't think your post went over like a lead balloon...

or blown away like dust in the wind.

 

[DougPaul]

Is there any reason to think Indian dust would be a more likely cause than Industrial pollution from China (or India).

Presumably it can be chemically analyzed and matched with a source.

One can also look at the wind patterns--the monsoon winds bring moisture up from the Indian Ocean into the Himalayas and presumably bring Indian dust as well. I don't know what the prevailing winds are the rest of the year.

To take a wild guess at the winds: China spans ~20 deg N to ~50 deg N. (The continental US is ~25N to 48N.) Most of the US has prevailing winds from the west. If one assumes that China is in the same wind belt, then the prevailing winds would be from the west and since the larger population centers in China are to the east of the Everest region, then the industrial pollution would generally blow away from the Everest region. (The Himalayas have a significant effect on the global wind patterns--I just don't know what the effects are.)

Doug

 

[TCD]

I think this is a reasonable estimate for the dust source. It's well known that the soot from Chinese industry ends up in the US Pacific Northwest (despoiling the snow on Rainier, rather than Everest).

 

[TEO]

It's well known that the soot from Chinese industry ends up in the US Pacific Northwest (despoiling the snow on Rainier, rather than Everest).

Really? Do you have a source? Are you talking about despoiling it chemically or physically?

 

[TCD]

Both.

http://www.climate.noaa.gov/index.jsp?pg=/news/news_index.jsp&news=story_chinagprus.html

http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=392&catid=10&subcatid=66

 

[Little Rickie]

Is nothing sacred anymore.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Everest ice core shows sources of dust

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7598/is_20090715/ai_n32414493/

and, another one

http://soap.siteturbine.com/faculty/faculty_files/publications/1082/Kang_AtmEnv_2002.pdf

and more

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/metals-in-mount-everest-ice-from-central-asia

 

[pedxing]

Interesting stuff. Thanks for the info.

Despite some disagreements on man-made contributions it sounds like industrial activity parts of Asia - mostly central Asia, thus not primarily China, is a factor.