Humanmade pollutants may be driving Earth's tropical belt expansion: May impact large-scale atmospheric circulation
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 15:31
in Earth & Climate
Black carbon aerosols (tiny carbon particles produced from biomass burning and incomplete combustion of fossil fuels) and tropospheric ozone, both humanmade pollutants emitted predominantly in the Northern Hemisphere's low- to mid-latitudes, are most likely pushing the boundary of the tropics further poleward in that hemisphere. The researchers caution that an unabated tropical belt expansion would impact large-scale atmospheric circulation, especially in the subtropics and mid-latitudes.