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Asian Brown Cloud
Sunny Mistry
Air and Water Pollution Prevention and Control Engineering
Fall 2013
October 24, 2013
Mistry
Table of Contents:
2
Introduction:
3
Background:
3
Sources of Pollutants:
5
Impacts to local regions:
7
Resulting illnesses:
9
Ideas and methods to reduce pollution:
11
Conclusion:
12
Bibliography:
13
2
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Asian Brown Cloud
As the population worldwide continues to grow, energy requirements will also increase in order to
sustain the growing population. Densely populated regions around the world will become more and
more common as cities begin to grow in size and density. Due to the processes needed to satisfy their
increased energy requirements, densely populated regions are in turn often noted to emit a great deal
of air pollution. Air pollution is an especially big issue in parts of Asia where regions are densely
populated. These heavily populated regions require vehicles for transportation and coal fired power
plants for electricity, and consequently emit a great deal of pollutants into the atmosphere. This
research paper will go into facts of the Asian Brown Cloud and go into detail on the sources that cause
the brown cloud, impacts to the local region where the brown cloud resides, illnesses as a result of the
pollutants in the air, and develop ideas and methods to reduce the pollution in that area of the world.
Background:
The Asian Brown Cloud (ABC) is a pollution cloud resembling a normal cloud that covers part of the
Indian Ocean, India and Pakistan as shown below in Figure 1. The ABC is approximately 2-miles thick 1
and is visible from an airplane and from space2, as shown in Figure 2 below. Pilots and astronauts have
voiced concern of this cloud over Asia for many years, but no research has been done until fairly
recently. The cloud is visible after the monsoon season from January to March.3
1
De Vries, Lloyd. "'Brown Cloud' Stifles South Asia." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 8 Jan. 2010. Web.
"Earth Summit Has Answer to Asian Brown Cloud." Greenpeace International. N.p., 13 Aug. 2002. Web.
3
Pandve, Harshal T. "The Asian Brown Cloud." www.nih.gov. N.p., 12 Aug. 2008. Web
2
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Figure 1: Locations of Asian Brown Clouds (Marked in Red)4
Figure 2: View of the Asian Brown Cloud from Space5
4
Fuller, Nicolle Rager. "Brown Cloud" Particulate Pollution Amplifies Global Warming. Digital image. National
Science Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web.
4
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Sources of Pollutants:
Unlike normal clouds that are composed of water, the ABC can contain soot, sulfates, nitrates, organic
compounds and fly ash.6 The sources of these pollutants are found in urban, industrial, and agricultural
industries.7 The sources that cause the ABC are burning of fossil fuels by vehicles, industries and power
generation stations. Vehicle pollution is very common in heavily populated countries such as India and
China. There are very little to no regulations on how much emissions are emitted from vehicles.
Emissions from vehicles include the following8:

Hydrocarbons (HC)

Carbon monoxide (CO)

Nitrogen oxides (NOX)

Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10)

Sulfur oxides (SOX)

Volatile organic compound (VOCs)
Many of the pollutants found in vehicle pollution can also be found in other industries listed above. In
addition to the list above: carcinogens such as benzopyrene, benzapyrene and irritants such as
formaldehyde are also present in the atmosphere.9
In addition, burning of agricultural waste, inefficient cookers burning wood, cow dung, and other biofuels, and forest fires are also sources of ABC.10 Some studies have shown that short term and long5
Perkins, Sid. "'Asian Brown Cloud' Threatens U.S. | Science/AAAS | News." 'Asian Brown Cloud' Threatens U.S. |
Science/AAAS | News. N.p., 25 May 2012. Web.
6
"Asian Brown Clouds Intensify Global Warming." Asian Brown Clouds Intensify Global Warming. ENS, 1 Aug. 2007.
Web.
7
ENS, loc.cit.
8
"AP-42: Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web.
9
Ramanathan, V., and P.J. Crutzen. "Project Asian Brown Cloud." Project Asian Brown Cloud: Air Pollution in the
Indo-Asia-Pacific Region: Impact on Climate and the Environment (2001): n. pag. United Nations Environment
Programme. Web.
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term exposure to PM2.5 can reduce lung function and lead to the development of chronic bronchitis,
respiratory infections and asthma attacks in exposed individuals.11 In some cases, premature death
could be caused by exposure to PM2.5. Other studies show that exposure to PM2.5 may also be linked to
greater incidences of cancer as well as pronounced negative developmental and reproductive functions.
This was especially predominant in infants, leading to infant mortality and low birth weight.
Most third world countries do not have access to modern stoves that run off electricity or natural gas, so
they have defaulted to burning cow dung as a cheap fuel alternative for cooking on a stove. However,
when burned, the cow dung releases an abundance of hazardous gases that can lead to pulmonary
diseases and potentially even lung cancer if inhaled. In India, women are the primary victims of
inhalation of these gases since they are generally the cooks, and thus most likely to be exposed to these
hazardous gases. Most houses in this region of the world do not have adequate ventilation required for
removal of these hazardous gases and therefore the region is more susceptible to these diseases.12
Some experts say burning biofuels releases fewer harmful chemicals into the atmosphere than burning
coal. Biofuels can be considered corn, sugar cane and soy. One example was a study done on 26
biofuels and resulted in 21 biofuels that reduced total emissions by 30% compared to burning gasoline.
On the other hand, 12 of the biofuels had an increase in total emissions compared to fossil fuels.
Research has been done to evaluate other cleaner technologies such as burning palm oil or ethanol
derived from corn or sugar cane. It is expected that 10% of the fuel used for transportation is estimated
to be converted to a biofuel by the year 2020.13 This could potentially help reduce the total amount of
pollution emitted in the area due to emissions from inefficient vehicles.
10
"Earth Summit Has Answer to Asian Brown Cloud." Greenpeace International. N.p., 13 Aug. 2002. Web.
"Consumers - Health Effects." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web.
12
Pyati, Anand. "Those Dung Cakes Could Be Harmful: Study." Deccan Herald. N.p., 6 Mar. 2012. Web.
13
Jha, Alok. "Burning Biofuels May Be Worse than Coal and Oil, Say Experts." The Guardian. N.p., 3 Jan. 2008. Web.
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Impacts to local regions:
The ABC impacts many parts of Asia. For instance, the cloud is increasing the temperature in the local
region, which is causing the glaciers on the Himalayan’s to begin to melt at twice the current rate as
predicted by global warming.14 The melting of the glaciers causes other problems downstream such as
flooding which could impact the agriculture and the densely populated cities in the area. Additionally,
Bangladesh, Nepal and northeastern states of India were flooded in 1998 during which Bangladesh alone
lost 1.6 million hectacres of cropland. There were droughts in the northwestern parts of India and
Pakistan in 1999 and 2000, which were also believed to have been caused by the ABC. Droughts can be
caused by a lack of water vapor evaporating into the atmosphere as a result of the ABC filtering out the
amount of sunlight that reaches the ground.15
The ABC also changes weather patterns in the local area, which creates agricultural problems in the
region. India’s rice output from 1985 to 1998 was reduced 6.2 million metric tons due to the ABC.16 This
shows that the ABC influences the local weather patterns in the region and could hurt the local
economy. Figure 4 below displays the percent loss of rice yield in two cities in India from aerosols in the
atmosphere. This loss, which could be attributed to the ABC, reduced rice yield about 2-8%.17 Exporting
in third world countries is very important because it is a major source of income and a bad season could
be devastating for the landowner. Additionally, as pollutant particles begin to settle, the particles could
14
Rosen, Same G. "Smog Cloud Menaces Asia." Newser. Newser, 3 Aug. 2007. Web.
Kalyani. "Greens Urge World Summit to Address Causes of Asia's "Brown Cloud"" Greens Urge World Summit to
Address Causes of Asia's "Brown Cloud" OneWorld.Net, 16 Aug. 2002. Web.
16
Selin, Nicolle. "Atmospheric Brown Cloud." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web.
17
Ramanathan, V., and P.J. Crutzen. "Project Asian Brown Cloud." Project Asian Brown Cloud: Air Pollution in the
Indo-Asia-Pacific Region: Impact on Climate and the Environment (2001): n. pag. United Nations Environment
Programme. Web.
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land on the surface of leaves and reflect the sunlight required for photosynthesis, thus further inhibiting
agricultural proliferation in the area.18
Figure 4: Potential Loss in Rice Yield Due to Aerosol Impact19
Additionally, another impact to the local area is global dimming. The ABC filters out light because of the
sulfates found in the cloud, which reflects sunlight and sends it back to space instead of letting it pass
through. Sulfates are found as byproducts from burning coal and other fossil fuels.20 The main source of
black carbon is cooking fires, which does two things. First, it dries the region by melting glaciers and
then by decreasing the amount of evaporation that is needed for rainfall, which in turn causes
18
Topfer, Klaus, Surendra Shrestha, and Mylvakanam Iynararasan. "The Asian Brown Cloud: Climate and Other
Environmental Impacts." United Nations Evironmental Protection (2002): n. pag. Web.
19
Ramanathan, V., and P.J. Crutzen. "Project Asian Brown Cloud." Project Asian Brown Cloud: Air Pollution in the
Indo-Asia-Pacific Region: Impact on Climate and the Environment (2001): n. pag. United Nations Environment
Programme. Web.
20
Nuttall, Nick. "Press Releases November 2008 - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)." Press Releases
November 2008 - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). United Nations Environment Programme, 13
Nov. 2008. Web.
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droughts.21 Additionally, the filtered sunlight reduces the total amount of photosynthesis required to
meet agricultural demands and results in reduced viability.22
Resulting Illnesses:
As more research is completed, the link between air pollution and short and long-term health issues
becomes more evident. Populations in heavily polluted areas are at a higher risk of developing
pulmonary and heart diseases, which are a result of inhalation of pollutant particles in the air. The most
susceptible populations are infants and elderly people. Air pollution was the cause of death in an
estimated 700,000 people worldwide in 1997, based on a study completed by the World Health
Organization, the World Resources Institute and the US Environmental Protection Agency. This number
is predicted to increase to approximately 8 million in the year 2020 based on the analysis completed by
the Working Health Organization group.
In India, it is estimated that 500,000 premature deaths occur due to indoor air pollution. This death
count includes both mothers and children up to the age of five. The deaths are due to the lack of
knowledge of particulate matter 2.5 and 10. Due to their relatively small size, the particles get lodged
deep inside the lung tissue and cause cancer and other respiratory infections if inhaled.23
Many of the megacities in Asia are also the most polluted cities in the world, as shown below in Figure 3.
This chart shows that the air quality in these 11 megacities is poor. This is due to the use of dated
technology and non-restrictive emissions control. Ten out of the eleven cities listed in Figure 3 show
21
Biello, David. "Brown Haze from Cooking Fires Cooking Earth, Too: Scientific American." Brown Haze from
Cooking Fires Cooking Earth, Too: Scientific American. Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2007. Web.
22
Topfer, Klaus, Surendra Shrestha, and Mylvakanam Iynararasan. "The Asian Brown Cloud: Climate and Other
Environmental Impacts." United Nations Evironmental Protection (2002): n. pag. Web.
23
Topfer, Klaus, Surendra Shrestha, and Mylvakanam Iynararasan. "The Asian Brown Cloud: Climate and Other
Environmental Impacts." United Nations Evironmental Protection (2002): n. pag. Web.
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that they exceed the World Health Organization limit on small particulate matter by more than 100%.24
As in the previous paragraph, these pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10) can be lodged deep inside of lung
tissues and cause respiratory diseases.
Figure 3: Air Quality in 11 Megacities
Ideas and methods to reduce pollution:
Progress has been made to attempt to resolve the ABC issue. For example, 70 scientists identified
sixteen-control measures that could reduce the total amount of emissions given off by pollutant
sources. A couple methods described were installing clean burning cooking stoves and installing particle
filters on vehicles. This was noted to help reduce the black carbon and methane output that exists in
these developing countries.25 Although this is a difficult and expensive task, it is imperative to
24
Ramanathan, V., and P.J. Crutzen. "Project Asian Brown Cloud." Project Asian Brown Cloud: Air Pollution in the
Indo-Asia-Pacific Region: Impact on Climate and the Environment (2001): n. pag. United Nations Environment
Programme. Web.
25
Pandora, Neeno. "China’s Air Pollution: The Need for Solutions." Urban Times RSS. N.p., 11 Apr. 2011. Web.
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accomplish considering that this is currently the most populated part of the world with an approximated
60% of the world population residing in this area.26
There are also plans to monitor this area of the world by using unmanned drones similar to how the
cloud was first analyzed. Unmanned drones will be able to monitor the area without the need of a pilot
and crew. The majority of the data can be collected on the ground and analyzed to monitor the air
pollutants in that region.27
Regulating the air emission in the area would be another step. Government officials would have to
setup a similar structure like the EPA that would create and mandate requirements for emission control.
An example of this is shown below in Figure 4. This table shows that a 75% reduction in emissions from
the location coal fired power plant reduced the mortality, emergency room visits, and asthmas attack
rates.28 If a similar initiative was launched in southern Asia, lives could be saved. The initiative would
have to work its way down (start off with a very low regulation so the local power plants can adopt the
regulation and as years progress, increase the regulation to reduce emissions even further).
26
"Current World Population." World Population by Continents and Countries. One World Nations Online, Apr.
2012. Web.
27
Biello, David. "Brown Haze from Cooking Fires Cooking Earth, Too: Scientific American." Brown Haze from
Cooking Fires Cooking Earth, Too: Scientific American. Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2007. Web.
28
Ramanathan, V., and P.J. Crutzen. "Project Asian Brown Cloud." Project Asian Brown Cloud: Air Pollution in the
Indo-Asia-Pacific Region: Impact on Climate and the Environment (2001): n. pag. United Nations Environment
Programme. Web.
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Figure 4: Potential Health Benefits from Better Emission Control
Conclusion:
As the world’s population continues to grow at an exponential rate, the amount of air pollution will
grow alongside it. Pollutants from many different industries are emitting contaminants into the air,
which is resulting in the development of the ABC. The ABC is the result of many years of heavy pollution
and not realizing the consequences downstream. As a result of the ABC, the cloud contains many
contaminants that have been emitted into the air via man-made sources. This results in a buildup of
pollutants and water vapor, which creates the cloud. This cloud impacts the agriculture in the area by
changing the local weather patterns, flooding, and reducing photosynthesis required for plant growth.
Additionally, the increase in cause of death due to air pollution is increasing at an alarming rate. Finally,
methods are available to reduce the total amount of air pollution emitted, but nothing has been
developed to clean the air that is already polluted. Due to the densely populated cities in Asia, this is a
major concern that affects millions of lives. These issues can be reduced if more regulations were put
into place to help decrease the pollutants emitted from the major sources.
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References
"AP-42: Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.
Web.
"Asian Brown Clouds Intensify Global Warming." Asian Brown Clouds Intensify Global Warming. ENS, 1
Aug. 2007. Web.
Biello, David. "Brown Haze from Cooking Fires Cooking Earth, Too: Scientific American." Brown Haze
from Cooking Fires Cooking Earth, Too: Scientific American. Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2007.
Web.
"Consumers - Health Effects." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web.
"Current World Population." World Population by Continents and Countries. One World Nations Online,
Apr. 2012. Web.
De Vries, Lloyd. "'Brown Cloud' Stifles South Asia." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 8 Jan. 2010. Web.
"Earth Summit Has Answer to Asian Brown Cloud." Greenpeace International. N.p., 13 Aug. 2002. Web.
Fuller, Nicolle Rager. "Brown Cloud" Particulate Pollution Amplifies Global Warming. Digital image.
National Science Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web.
Jha, Alok. "Burning Biofuels May Be Worse than Coal and Oil, Say Experts." The Guardian. N.p., 3 Jan.
2008. Web.
Kalyani. "Greens Urge World Summit to Address Causes of Asia's "Brown Cloud"" Greens Urge World
Summit to Address Causes of Asia's "Brown Cloud" OneWorld.Net, 16 Aug. 2002. Web.
Nuttall, Nick. "Press Releases November 2008 - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)." Press
Releases November 2008 - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). United Nations
Environment Programme, 13 Nov. 2008. Web.
Pandora, Neeno. "China’s Air Pollution: The Need for Solutions." Urban Times RSS. N.p., 11 Apr. 2011.
Web.
Pandve, Harshal T. "The Asian Brown Cloud." Www.nih.gov. N.p., 12 Aug. 2008. Web.
Perkins, Sid. "'Asian Brown Cloud' Threatens U.S. | Science/AAAS | News." 'Asian Brown Cloud'
Threatens U.S. | Science/AAAS | News. N.p., 25 May 2012. Web.
Pyati, Anand. "Those Dung Cakes Could Be Harmful: Study." Deccan Herald. N.p., 6 Mar. 2012. Web.
Ramanathan, V., and P.J. Crutzen. "Project Asian Brown Cloud." Project Asian Brown Cloud: Air Pollution
in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region: Impact on Climate and the Environment (2001): n. pag. United
Nations Environment Programme. Web.
Rosen, Same G. "Smog Cloud Menaces Asia." Newser. Newser, 3 Aug. 2007. Web.
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Selin, Nicolle. "Atmospheric Brown Cloud." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.
Web.
Topfer, Klaus, Surendra Shrestha, and Mylvakanam Iynararasan. "The Asian Brown Cloud: Climate and
Other Environmental Impacts." United Nations Evironmental Protection (2002): n. pag. Web.
<http://www.ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/~ernesto/F2013/AWPPCE/Feedback/Mistry/UNEP-ABCExecutiveSummary.pdf>.