Polar climate change worsened smog in China: U.S. study

Who could have thought that the melting ice in the Arctic would be an important cause of the record-breaking heavy smog in Beijing?

But a study published in the U.S. journal Science Advances said so, and offers proof.

China has for years been trying to find the root cause of the smog. In January, a team led by Tsinghua University and German scientists were stuck with the murky conclusion that the cause is complicated.

The new study published on Wednesday may have revealed another part of it.

According to the article, the pollutants in Beijing's air couldn't always be blown away by wind, partly because of the Arctic climate change.

"Statistical analysis suggests that the extremely poor ventilation conditions are linked to Arctic sea ice loss in the preceding autumn and extensive boreal snowfall in the earlier winter," the article said in its abstract.

Furthermore, smog in northern China is likely to worsen, the scientists said, since the ice in the Arctic is still melting faster and faster.

If the article is correct, China may have to conquer the northern edge of the world to save its air quality.