Floating dust hit most parts of southwest China's Tibet
Autonomous Region on Saturday, the third day of the Tibetan New
Year, a result of high wind and a sudden temperature rise.
A massive dust cloud enveloped the regional capital Lhasa at 8
p.m. on Friday and floating dust and mist shrouded the city on
Saturday. Many residents had to wear masks when going out, leaving
trails of footprints on the dusty ground.
Floating dust is the mildest form of sandstorm, but it affects
air quality severely, according to meteorologists.
The local meteorological bureau attributed the dusty weather to
strong wind that had blown across Tibet since Wednesday.
"Most parts of Tibet became windy on Wednesday," said Purbu
Cerin, the bureau's chief weatherman. "On Friday, the wind gained
force to at least 13 meters per second."
The hardest-hit area of Xigaze Prefecture in southern Tibet
reported wind of 36 meters per second, he said.
Perbu Cerin said Tibet had reported no rain or snow over the
past week. The sudden temperature rise in the past three days had
worsened the arid climactic conditions.
In Lhasa, the high temperature rose to 17 degrees Celsius on
Thursday from minus one on Jan. 1. The lowest temperature rose from
minus 13 to minus two.
Perbu Cerin added the wind was likely to persist, particularly
in the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley, for a day or two.
Scientists say about 217,000 square kilometers of Tibetan land
suffers desertification, about 18 percent of the region's total
territory. The region is China's third most desertification-plagued
region after Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.
Chinese Academy of Sciences experts said the Tibet plateau was
one of the major sources of the country's sandstorms.
(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2008)
