Large_Al
01-10-2003, 09:45 AM
The story (http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2003/01/01092003/ap_49318.asp)
Natural atmospheric scrubber not in decline, study finds
LOS ANGELES — A natural chemical that scrubs pollution from the sky is more abundant than previously believed, leading scientists to wonder if they have been underestimating the atmosphere's ability to cleanse itself.
A new study by European scientists shows levels of the chemical, hydroxyl, are probably steady or even on the rise. Details appear Thursday in the journal Nature.
The report contradicts a U.S. study published in 2001 suggesting hydroxyl levels have dropped dramatically since 1990. The author of that report, Ronald Prinn of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was out of the country and unavailable for comment, his secretary said.
Hydroxyl, or OH, is important because it chemically reacts with a range of polluting gases, including methane and carbon monoxide, and removes them from the atmosphere.
The short-lived chemical is difficult to directly measure. Instead, scientists measure concentrations of chemicals that react with it.
Natural atmospheric scrubber not in decline, study finds
LOS ANGELES — A natural chemical that scrubs pollution from the sky is more abundant than previously believed, leading scientists to wonder if they have been underestimating the atmosphere's ability to cleanse itself.
A new study by European scientists shows levels of the chemical, hydroxyl, are probably steady or even on the rise. Details appear Thursday in the journal Nature.
The report contradicts a U.S. study published in 2001 suggesting hydroxyl levels have dropped dramatically since 1990. The author of that report, Ronald Prinn of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was out of the country and unavailable for comment, his secretary said.
Hydroxyl, or OH, is important because it chemically reacts with a range of polluting gases, including methane and carbon monoxide, and removes them from the atmosphere.
The short-lived chemical is difficult to directly measure. Instead, scientists measure concentrations of chemicals that react with it.