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China Faces High Frequency of Sand Storms
A series of 15 sand storms have hit large areas of China last spring, and more are expected over the next few years, according to a Chinese meteorologist.
The latest issue of Outlook weekly cited statistics from the State Climatic Center as indicating that the sand storms in China this year were the most serious in the past 50 years.
A vast region, including northwest, north and northeast China, as well as regions along the Yellow, Huaihe and Yangtze rivers, suffered from the sand and dust blown on the wind.
According to Chen Yu, an expert at the center, there have been nearly 70 sand storms in northwest China over the past five decades, and 21 in the past ten years.
"The trend will continue," said Lu Juntian, another expert.
"There have been five periods with high frequencies of sand storms in China over the past 1700 years, with each period lasting about 90 years," Lu said, adding that probably China is about to enter a new period of frequent sand storms.
The sand and dust have caused serious air pollution, difficulties in everyday life, and even casualties and economic losses. This spring alone, sand storms caused 30 million yuan ( about 3.6 million US dollars) in direct economic losses to the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China.
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