Spring. The word used to bring to mind freshness, clean air and a season renowned for its liveliness and green beauty, but now, in northern China, one increasingly thinks of sandstorms.

Meteorologists have been on high alert since last week when the western city of Lanzhou was hit by the first dusty weather this year.

Sandstorms in northern China are becoming heavier and more frequent with every passing year: In the 1960s and 70s, sandstorms occurred once every two years on average, but in 2001 they came with a vengeance, ripping northern China a total of 18 times. Last year a particularly vicious sandstorm hit China, sending inhabitants scurrying for cover.

People can't help wondering what the situation will be like this year.

Professor Guo Zhengtang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences says the country is not likely to see a fierce sandstorm before March

"China's northern areas experienced more rain and snow last year, which helped alleviate successive years of drought and let the vegetation grow naturally. In addition, there's a sign of a weak cold atmosphere this year, which will also reduce the possibility of sandstorms," Guo said.

However, experts warn that as there are still some desert areas exposed without snow covering, March and April will still be the most vulnerable time.

Since sandstorm started to increase in frequency in the past few years, the government and scientists began to take action, and their work has already seen some positive results.

Doctor Chen Yan is from the State Environmental Protection Administration. He has been involved in sandstorm research for three years.

"In this project, we have drawn up a preliminary conclusion of the major sources of sandstorms which severely hit China. We noted the routes they took and the effect they had, and also provided logical ways to fight the sandstorms," Chen said.

Meanwhile, many government departments are also working on improving the supervision system and alarm notification for sandstorms, aiming to reduce the damage to a bare minimum. Satellites and remote sensors are widely used.

This year, meteorologists are expected to do a better job in informing people of approaching sandstorms. The storm forecast can inform them of the specific date and scope of a sandstorm a couple of days before it arrives.

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2003)