Scientists discovered what they think is the cleanest air on Earth. Researchers from Colorado and Australia conducted research on the purity of the air above Antarctica's Southern Ocean. They found a region between the south of Australia and Antarctica "unaffected" by human activity. Scientists say the area formed the atmosphere in the lower clouds. The analysis of the air showed that it was free from "anthropogenic aerosols". These are pollutants or particles from human activity, or dust from other continents. The scientists called this pollution-free area, "truly pristine".
The scientists analysed airborne microbes in the clouds over the Southern Ocean. They tracked where the DNA of the microbes came from. They monitored wind trajectories to detect how far the microbes travelled. They found that the atmospheric eco-system was "isolated," self-contained, and free from contaminants from elsewhere in the world. The microbes came from the Southern Ocean rather than other continents. The researchers concluded that the Southern Ocean is one of very few places on Earth that has been "minimally affected by anthropogenic activities".