‘Airpocalypse’ smog events in China linked to melting ice cap, research reveals

Stagnant weather caused by fast-melting Arctic ice helped create conditions for China's recent extreme air pollution events, scientists say

Climate change played a major role in the extreme air pollution events suffered recently by China and is likely to make such "airpocalypses" more common, new research has revealed.

The fast-melting ice in the Arctic and an increase in snowfalls in Siberia, both the result of global warming, are changing winter weather patterns over east China, scientists found. Periods of stagnant air are becoming more common, trapping pollution and leading to the build up of extreme levels of toxic air.