Friday, April 06, 2007

Dust Storms May be Causing Global Warming


Scientists have been studying dust storms now for decades. They have determined that these storms has contributed greatly to global warming and the drastic shrinking of the planet's polar ice caps. But are we talking about Earth? No, Mars!

Computer simulations similar to those used to predict weather here on Earth show that the bright, windblown dust and sand particles affects Mars’ albedo—the amount of sunlight reflected from the planet’s surface. The research, detailed in the April 5 issue of the journal Nature, suggests these albedo variations play an important role in the climate of Mars. It could also potentially explain how global dust storms are triggered on the red planet.

Shaun Saunders sent this in saying that this ties in well with other articles posted here earlier on similar subject matter.

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