Much of the pollution we see is 'natural' in origin

One of my clients from the Midwest asked me this week how 'natural' pollution affects the climate, particularly in regards to global warming.

Per-haps the biggest obstacle to being able to understand our ever-changing climate is the role played by natural pollution. We've been told for decades that "all pollution is bad," especially the manmade type, and that we must "clean up our planet" by "going green." But, here's the TRUTH.

The oceans, for example, produce more carbon dioxide (CO2) than all of Mankind's activities combined. It's part of a 'natural' cycle.

Volcanoes emit huge amounts of ash and hazardous gases. These upper-level clouds of ash will often encircle the globe producing cooling that can last for months or even years in some cases as the rays of sunlight are significantly reduced. The last time this happened was in 1991 when Mt. Pinatubo 'blew its top' in the Philippines. The Earth's average temperature fell by more than a degree Fahrenheit by early 1992.

Dust clouds likewise pollute. Just a few years ago, a huge dust cloud from North Africa was carried clear across the Atlantic to the eastern shores of the U.S. Locusts (huge grasshoppers) were likewise transported with the dust to the East Coast.

Meteoric impacts during the geologic ages have also created 'meteoric dust,' another type of pollution. This dust, believe it or not, can actually cool the planet if the particle size is large enough and widespread. A 'meteoric haze' may develop in the 'mesosphere,' which is located at an altitude of between 30 and 50 miles above the surface of the Earth.

Let's not forget that trees, grasses and other plants also produce pollen. We humans, including this hay fever-plagued climatologist, sneeze repeatedly and have watery eyes when confronted by these particles in the spring and autumn months. This is the type of 'natural pollution' that is part of the cycle of life. We must live with it.

Trees emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that help create a naturally-occurring haze in many forested areas. For example, the bluish color of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Appalachian Chain, that runs from Pennsylvania southward into Georgia, are linked with the haze of VOCs caused by tree pollution.

In short, it isn't just we humans that produce pollution. Some minor culprits are naturally associated with the air, land and water around us. We can't change this part of our natural environment, only accept it, and try to cope with the various impacts to our daily life events.

NORTH IDAHO WEATHER REVIEW AND LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS

We did see some additional, mostly light, snows earlier in the week as predicted. However, our long-range outlooks do not forecast any more snows in the region, especially at the lower elevations, until at least late October or early November.

In the meantime, we should continue to see a rather normal springtime weather pattern of 'sun and showers' into mid to late June and, possibly, into early July. A warm to hot summer season with only occasional thunderstorms is also in the 'meteorological cards' for residents of North Idaho.

I'll have more details this next week in regards to the probable fate of our current 'fickle' El Nino sea-surface ocean temperature event. Will it live a while longer or quickly die out? Only God knows.

Also, my new book, "Weather and Bible Prophecy," has been receiving great reviews. We're putting them in the mail as quickly as possible. For more information, go to www.WeatherProphecy.com.

Cliff Harris is a climatologist who writes a weekly column for The Press. His opinions are his own. Email sfharris@roadrunner.com