Scientists have studied the colors in more than 500 paintings of sunsets in hopes of gaining insights into theclimate change, media reported Thursday. "The initial idea arose from the fact that we saw an increased reddening of colors in sunsets which followed large volcanic eruptions, particularly Krakatoa," said Christos Zerefos, who led the research at the National Observatory in Athens. By measuring the amount of red and green in the paintings, the scientists aimed to calculate the amount of dust in the atmosphere. The greater the pollution, the redder the sunset, Zerefos said. Scientists examined 554 paintings from 181 artists and categorized 54 of them as "volcanic sunset paintings" because they were painted within three years of major volcanic eruptions. The scientists measured the color ratio in all the paintings and found that those with the highest red to green ratio were in the volcanic group. In the study Zerefos and his researchers wrote that artists "appear to have simulated the colors of nature with a remarkable precise coloration." That precision could make the paintings useful in tracking environmental pollution over the past few centuries. "They all may have different ways of painting, but the colors they used were representing the real environment," Zerefos said.