Chinese Scientists Present Sandstorm Report

A report presented by some Chinese Scientists pointed out that this spring's sandstorms were unprecedented in the amount of time they lasted, their frequency, intensity, and the area they covered. And, it points to the La Nina phenomenon as a major cause.

The bulk of the sand and dust was traced to parts of Inner Mongolia and northern Hebei province.

The report also made some suggestions on how to stop this problem.

One was to increase the amount of vegetation in those areas by a large amount to cut back on the use of grasslands for grazing cattle.

Another was to establish a comprehensive monitoring system to measure the sand and dust and a forecast system. It said that satellite remote sensing and radar could be used for this.

The report was prepared by a special group of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.



Please visit People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/