Silver lining to Asian dust cloud: more snow in California

Asian dust pollution, kicked up by sandstorms in the interior deserts of the continent, could actually be causing heavier snowfall in California. New research from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego suggests that storm clouds with Asian dust drop more snow on the Sierra Nevada than clouds without the dust. This does not include industrial pollution from burning coal or car exhaust, which actually decreases precipitation. Professor Kimberly Prather joins Madeleine Brand on National Public Radio to explain the implications of the study. <a href=http://www.scpr.org/programs/madeleine-brand/2011/12/07/21671/silver-lining-to-asian-dust-cloud-more-snow-in-cal>http://www.scpr.org/programs/madeleine-brand/2011/12/07/21671/silver-lining-to-asian-dust-cloud-more-snow-in-cal</a> The CBS Evening News also aired an interview with Professor Prather at 6:00 p.m. P.S.T. on December 13, 2011. <a href=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57341838/pollution-from-china-alters-weather-in-u.s-west/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cbsnews%2Ffeed+%28CBSNews.com%29>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57341838/pollution-from-china-alters-weather-in-u.s-west/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cbsnews%2Ffeed+%28CBSNews.com%29</a>