When clouds hang out with pollution: Clean-sky clouds more susceptible to pollution's pressure, research finds
Friday, October 26, 2012 - 08:30
in Earth & Climate
Clouds are influenced by the company they keep. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) found that ocean-hugging clouds in clean regions are more affected by pollution than clouds in an already polluted setting. Cloud trails from ships, called "ship tracks," are a small-scale example of this effect. Pollution exhaust from ships forms streaks of clouds that are brighter than neighboring clouds. The researchers learned that the amount of pollution already in a region strongly moderates any effect on cloud characteristics from additional pollution. Their study was published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.