Indrajit S Saluja
WASHINGTON: A study found a newly proposed mechanism in which blowing Sahara Desert dust combined with sea spray to create Mineral Dust-Sea Spray Aerosol (MDSA) which helps in the removal of methane, according to a study conducted by the Washington State University.
According to the findings, sunlight activates MDSA to produce a large number of chlorine atoms, which then use photocatalysis to oxidise atmospheric methane and tropospheric ozone. The study finds that MDSA is the main source of atmospheric chlorine over the North Atlantic. MDSA is primarily made up of blowing dust from the Sahara Desert mixed with sea salt aerosol from the ocean.
