Another nervous shock happened to the residents of the Russian capital on April 26, 2012. From the southwest, with a strong gusty wind, a greenish-yellow cloud covered the entire sky. To complete the chilling picture, a small dust-like substance of green color began to settle on the roads, cars, window sills and balconies. For a long time after the event, the Internet was full of frightened entries on the topic “green cloud, Moscow” on blogs and social networks. All this was seasoned with impressive photographs. Indeed, images from the scene look frightening and even mystical, so the violent reaction of people to the green cloud that covered Moscow that day is not surprising.
Immediately, many explanations were invented for what was happening. Most of the versions provided for a conspiracy of the authorities in order to hide some kind of man-made disaster from people. They wrote different things: a chemical plant in Podolsk exploded (the cities of Kaluga and Chekhov were also mentioned); there was a fire and a release at the glue factory; the toxic mixture is sprayed from helicopters. Some even tried to connect the strange green cloud with the coming apocalypse (pessimistic forecasts prophesied it at the end of 2012). PanicAt that time, many residents of Moscow and the Moscow region succumbed to the moods. Passions were also stirred up by employees of some educational institutions and kindergartens, who told the children about the explosion at the Podolsk chemical plant and sent them home.
Fortunately, the situation cleared up the next day. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia and the authorities of the Moscow Region unanimously denied the rumors about harmful man-made emissions. According to the official version, the green cloud over the capital was a suspension of birch and alder pollen. The trees massively and simultaneously bloomed and pollinated, literally during one night throwing a huge amount of pollen out of the earrings into the air. According to experts, in the air samples taken, the concentration of the substance emitted by trees significantly exceeded the usual annual volumes (19654 units / m3, when in previous years 950 units / m3 were recorded - i.e. 20 times higher).
Among the sources who confirmed such information were representatives of Rospotrebnadzor, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Moscow Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection, Moscow State University, the Greenpeace branch in Russia and others. Experts agreed that a thick green cloud over the metropolis appeared due to the sharp warming that came that year. As a result, trees that usually bloom at different times, this time caused such a peculiar natural phenomenon. Light pollen can be blown into the atmosphere up to a height of 10 km and not settle on the ground for a long time. That is how the pollen suspension was transferred from birch forests near Moscow tocapital.
To the delight of Muscovites, no harmful chemical emissions were recorded in the industrial cities of the Moscow region at that time. But the pollen has brought problems to many people. Indeed, in addition to the fear caused by her appearance, she marked a threat to the he alth of thousands of allergy sufferers and asthmatics. Therefore, both the Ministry of Emergency Situations and doctors advised everyone who is prone to allergic reactions to tree pollen to take appropriate medications and, if possible, stay at home for several days until the suspension settles or is washed away by rain.
I wonder if we'll see green skies this year and beyond?
