China Dust Storm Chronology, April 2001
05 April
Cyclone began in the Sinkiang Basin of northwestern China and in southern
Mongolia.
07 April
The resulting dust storm, stretching up to 2,000 km (1,240 miles) in length
and up to 800 km (500 miles) in width, moved east over northern China
and Korea.
08 April
Storm was visible over eastern China, Japan, and Russia’s Far East.
10 April
Dirty yellow cloud left Asia and continued moving eastward.
15–16 April
Whitish haze from the storm reached North America, the cloud stretching
from Calgary, Alberta, to Arizona. Air particulate concentrations in Aspen,
Colorado were measured at concentrations four times higher than the week
prior.
17 April
Air samples taken by NASA plane over Boulder, Colorado, revealed a dust
plume about 6.4 km or 4 miles thick, stretching from roughly 4,500 to
10,700 m (15,000 to 35,000 ft) above Earth’s surface. Skies over
Florida were white with dust.
20 April
Cloud covered New England, in the eastern United States.
21 April
The entire dust cloud moved over the Atlantic Ocean.
Compiled by Janet Larsen, Earth Policy Institute.
Email: jlarsen@earth-policy.org
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