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From sand to snow in California

Snow falling in California can start off as dust in the Sahara desert, research has shown.

Due to heavy winds early in the year in Asian deserts and the Sahara, enormous dust clouds are lifted into the troposphere and carried across the Pacific Ocean. Studies conducted on snow found in Sierra Nevada showed evidence of Asian mineral dust.

Scientists believe these discoveries may help in predicting ice-initiated precipitation and therefore aid water conservation in the area.

Read more at Carnegie Mellon University

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