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Climate Change: Aerosoles? Dutch Section: Algemeen Nieuws Politiek Nieuws Klimaatverandering (Startpagina) Wolkenvorming CO2 of H2O? Int. section: Climate Change (Start page in English) CO2 or H2O? References: earthobservatory.nasa.gov: Seasonal Changes in Indian Aerosols (Nov 20 2010) earthobservatory.nasa.gov: Smog over China (Oct 14 2010) www.realclimate.org: Calculating the greenhouse effect (21 January 2006)

New Opacity in Global Warming Slowdown
(Spectrum.ieee.org), July 23 2011 - A group led by the top atmospheric geochemist Susan Solomon has found that higher aersol levels during the first decade of this century may account at least in part for why global warming has been slower than climate models predicted on the basis of greenhouse gas buildup. Aerosols, which can be projected into the atmosphere from both natural sources like volcanoes and human sources like coal-fired power plants, shield the Earth from incoming solar radiation. They wash out of the atmosphere quickly, however, compared to most greenhouse gases and so their effect is relatively short-lived.
> spectrum.ieee.org: New Opacity in Global Warming Slowdown

NOAA study suggests aerosols might be inhibiting global warming

(PhysOrg.com), July 22, 2011 A new study led by the U.S, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that tiny particles that make their way all the way up into the stratosphere may be offsetting a global rise in temperatures due to carbon emissions. And while scientists cannot yet say with any certainty where exactly the particles are coming from, they are saying that they have confidence that such particles have likely muted global temperature gains by as much as a third of what they would have been. They team, led by John Daniel, a physicist at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) in Boulder, CO, has published their results in Science.
> www.physorg.com: NOAA study suggests aerosols might be inhibiting global warming
> www.sciencemag.org: The Persistently Variable “Background” Stratospheric Aerosol Layer and Global Climate Change

NOAA study: Increase in particles high in Earth’s atmosphere has offset some recent climate warming

New York, July 21 2011 - A recent increase in the abundance of particles high in the atmosphere has offset about a third of the current climate warming influence of carbon dioxide (CO2) change during the past decade, according to a new study led by NOAA and published today in the online edition of Science.
> www.noaanews.noaa.gov: NOAA study: Increase in particles high in Earth’s atmosphere has offset some recent climate warming

Asia Pollution Blamed For Halt In Warming: Study

London, July 5 2011 - Smoke belching from Asia's rapidly growing economies is largely responsible for a halt in global warming in the decade after 1998 because of sulphur's cooling effect, even though greenhouse gas emissions soared, a U.S. study said on Monday.
The paper raised the prospect of more rapid, pent-up climate change when emerging economies eventually crack down on pollution.
> www.bbc.co.uk: Global warming lull down to China's coal growth
> www.physorg.com: Global warming pause linked to sulfur in China
> Kaufmann et al: Reconciling anthropogenic climate change with observed temperature 1998–2008

New Assessment of Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone's Role in Climate Change
ScienceDaily, (February 20, 2011) — Black carbon (BC) and tropospheric ozone (O3) are harmful air pollutants that also contribute to climate change. The emission of both will continue to negatively impact both human health and climate.
> www.sciencedaily.com: New Assessment of Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone's Role in Climate Change
> planetark.org: Curbing Soot Could Slow Climate Change: U.N.

A Snapshot of Particles in the Air

New York, December 25 2010 -

Tiny solid and liquid particles—some you can see, some you cannot—can be found in the air everywhere on the planet, at any time of year. The amount of particles, known to scientists as aerosols, fluctuates naturally with the seasons and natural events, as well as with human activities. Dust storms, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and salt spray from the winds over the ocean are the most common and abundant producers of aerosols. Humans generate them, too, through the burning of fossil fuels, manufacturing processes, and fires for cooking, heating, and agricultural clearing.

This map shows the global distribution of aerosols in August 2010, and the proportion of those aerosols that are large or small. Yellow areas are predominantly coarse particles, like dust and sea salt, while red areas are mainly fine aerosols from smoke or pollution. Gray indicates areas with no data. The brighter or more intense the color, the higher the concentration of aerosols.

The map was compiled from data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites.

> earthobservatory.nasa.gov: A Snapshot of Particles in the Air