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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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Colossal Chinese Dustball Circles Earth in 13 Days

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(Newser) – A dust cloud weighing nearly a million tons kicked into the atmosphere by a massive storm in China's Taklamakan desert circled the world almost intact in 13 days, the Telegraph reports. Scientists, who used NASA satellites to track the path of the dustball until it fell apart over the Pacific Ocean, say their research suggests dust from Asian deserts may play a bigger role in the Earth's processes than had previously been realized.

The Taklamakan desert is a major source of dust transported and deposited around the globe, according to researchers.
The Taklamakan desert is a major source of dust transported and deposited around the globe, according to researchers.   (©Lucio A)
Tribes people walk through China's vast Taklamakan desert.
Tribes people walk through China's vast Taklamakan desert.   (Getty Images)
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The most important achievement is that we tracked this through one full circuit round the globe. Nobody has done this before.
- Itsushi Uno of Kyushu University's Research Institute for Applied Mechanics

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