Brighter Clouds: Organic Vapors Linked To Climate Cooling
Monday, May 6, 2013 - 06:40
in Physics & Chemistry
Natural emissions and man-made pollutants have an unexpected effect; they make clouds brighter and have a cooling effect on the world's climate. A quick primer: Clouds are made of water droplets, condensed on to tiny particles suspended in the air. When the air is humid enough, the particles swell into cloud droplets. It has been known for some decades that the number of these particles and their size control how bright the clouds appear from the top, controlling the efficiency with which clouds scatter sunlight back into space. A major challenge for climate science has been trying to understand and quantify these effects, which have a major impact in polluted regions. read more