Sea Spray Detected 900 Miles Inland
Sea spray has been detected in the middle of the United States, 900 miles (1,400 kilometers) from any ocean, a new study says.
Scientists discovered chlorine—a key element in sodium chloride, or the type of salt found in seawater—in Boulder, Colorado's (see map) mountain air.
Boulder's sea spray is too sparse to taste or even smell. But it's still much more abundant than previously thought—and it may be contributing to air pollution, said study team member Joel Thornton, an atmospheric chemist at Seattle's University of Washington.
"We discovered chlorine chemistry happening in a region that we didn't expect it to be happening," Thornton said.
(Related: "Pollution From U.S., Europe, Others Speeding Arctic Warming, Study Says.")
The chlorine discovery above Boulder was accidental, Thornton said.
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