Earth Science

Pollution threatens water cycle › News in Science (ABC Science) News in Science Tuesday, 11 December 2001 ABC Science Online A haze of sunlight-absorbing particles above the Indian Ocean may be grinding the water cycle to a slow halt, says an international study. The tiny aerosol particles — pollutants from burning fossil fuel and vegetation — cut down the amount of heat reaching the ocean, which initiates the cycling of water vapour. The researchers think the aerosols may be 'spinning down' the hydrological cycle of the planet. Their findings, from the international Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX), are published in the latest issue of Science. "INDOEX scientists have provided strong evidence that human-produced atmospheric pollution may be having a profound effect on the Earth's water cycle, weakening it as pollution increases," said Jay Fein, director of the National Science Foundation's climate dynamics program, which funded the research. The concern for the scientists is that the pollution is sitting in an area previously thought to be very clean.