Unidentified chemical reactions taking place in some polluted air may be a source of hydroxyl radicals, data from a new field study suggest.
Hydroxyl (OH) radicals result from a series of sunlight-stimulated reactions in the atmosphere involving ozone, nitrous acid and hydrogen peroxide. The highly reactive hydroxyl radicals, which typically persist in the air no more than one second before they combine with volatile organic chemicals and other gases, help the atmosphere cleanse itself, says Franz Rohrer, an atmospheric chemist at the Jülich Research Center’s Institute for Tropospheric Chemistry in Germany.
Field data gathered in China’s Pearl River delta during the summer of 2006 hint that unknown reactions taking place in some polluted air can generate substantial — and unexpectedly large — amounts of hydroxyl radicals, Rohrer and his colleagues report online June 4 in Science.
The team took round-the-clock measurements of various atmospheric constituents in a rural yet heavily populated area about 60 kilometers northwest of Guangzhou. In that area, pollutants wafting from nearby cities mix with volatile organic chemicals produced by local trees and other vegetation, says Rohrer. Atmospheric concentrations of unburned hydrocarbons are high, but levels of various nitrogen oxides (NOx) are low.
While analyzing the data, the researchers noted an unexpected surge in hydroxyl radical levels — but without the prerequisite increase in ozone levels that should have accompanied it — around noon each day. At their peak, hydroxyl concentrations measured about 15 million radicals per cubic centimeter, between three and five times that expected according to current models of atmospheric chemistry, the team notes. All together, the unknown source or sources of hydroxyl produced enough of the chemical to have boosted its concentration about 28 parts per billion each hour.
China has developed more secure operating software for its tens of millions of computers and is already installing it on government and military systems, hoping to make Beijing’s networks impenetrable to U.S. military and intelligence agencies.
The secure operating system, known as Kylin, was disclosed to Congress during recent hearings that provided new details on how China’s government is preparing to wage cyberwarfare with the United States.
“We are in the early stages of a cyber arms race and need to respond accordingly,” said Kevin G. Coleman, a private security specialist who advises the government on cybersecurity. He discussed Kylin during a hearing of the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission on April 30.
The deployment of Kylin is significant, Mr. Coleman said, because the system has “hardened” key Chinese servers. U.S. offensive cyberwar capabilities have been focused on getting into Chinese government and military computers outfitted with less secure operating systems like those made by Microsoft Corp.
“This action also made our offensive cybercapabilities ineffective against them, given the cyberweapons were designed to be used against Linux, UNIX and Windows,” he said.
The secure operating system was disclosed as computer hackers in China – some of them sponsored by the communist government and military – are engaged in aggressive attacks against the United States, said officials and experts who disclosed new details of what was described as a growing war in cyberspace.
Russian state television accused the United States on Sunday of spying on China and Russia after secretly turning its only remaining air base in Central Asia into a state-of-the-art surveillance center.A U.S. defense official dismissed the allegations as ridiculous on Friday, when Rossiya television, widely seen as an official mouthpiece in Russia, released a clip of the documentary it aired on Sunday about the Manas base.Kyrgyz and U.S. officials could not be reached for comment late on Sunday.Kyrgyzstan told Washington in February to close the base near the capital Bishkek, used to send supplies to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, after it secured a $2 billion economic aid package from Russia. The Americans are due to leave in August.
At its beginning stands letter “M”
As in Mohammed’s most blessed name!
In the middle stands letter “N,”
That means Nabi [prophet]—prophetic men.
Then at its end stands the letter “S”
This is the tail of a Lion, no less!
What name do these three consonants make?
From these three letters the sounds we take,
Reading them out we get “MaNaS.”
The closing of the Kyrgz air base should be a warning to the Obama administration that ignoring Central Asia will have a negative impact on the region’s freedom, says Stephen Blank for EurasiaNet.
INTELLIGENCE chiefs have warned that China may have gained the capability to shut down Britain by crippling its telecoms and utilities.
They have told ministers of their fears that equipment installed by Huawei, the Chinese telecoms giant, in BT’s new communications network could be used to halt critical services such as power, food and water supplies.
The warnings coincide with growing cyberwarfare attacks on Britain by foreign governments, particularly Russia and China.
A confidential document circulating in Whitehall says that while BT has taken steps to reduce the risk of attacks by hackers or organised crime, “we believe that the mitigating measures are not effective against deliberate attack by China”.
With tensions already rising due to the Chinese navy becoming more aggressive in asserting its territorial claims in the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy seems to have yet another reason to be deeply concerned.
After years of conjecture, details have begun to emerge of a “kill weapon” developed by the Chinese to target and destroy U.S. aircraft carriers.
First posted on a Chinese blog viewed as credible by military analysts and then translated by the naval affairs blog Information Dissemination, a recent report provides a description of an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) that can strike carriers and other U.S. vessels at a range of 2000km.
The range of the modified Dong Feng 21 missile is significant in that it covers the areas that are likely hot zones for future confrontations between U.S. and Chinese surface forces.
The size of the missile enables it to carry a warhead big enough to inflict significant damage on a large vessel, providing the Chinese the capability of destroying a U.S. supercarrier in one strike.
Because the missile employs a complex guidance system, low radar signature and a maneuverability that makes its flight path unpredictable, the odds that it can evade tracking systems to reach its target are increased. It is estimated that the missile can travel at mach 10 and reach its maximum range of 2000km in less than 12 minutes.
Supporting the missile is a network of satellites, radar and unmanned aerial vehicles that can locate U.S. ships and then guide the weapon, enabling it to hit moving targets.
Unidentified chemical reactions taking place in some polluted air may be a source of hydroxyl radicals, data from a new field study suggest.
