Most people think of aerosols as something you’d get from a spray can but scientists are discovering more about how these atmospheric particles are protecting the planet.
Research led by Griffith University and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in the USA, recently published by the American Meteorological Society, has revealed the role marine biogenic aerosols play in the Arctic and Southern oceans, helping the global challenge climate scientists face – understanding aerosol effects on warming.
Most aerosols have a cooling influence on the climate by reflecting sunlight back into space and altering cloud microphysics. Without their ‘masking’ effects, global temperatures would have increased more than they have since the 18th century.
Until recently aerosols have been acting like a ‘handbrake’ on global warming but Associate Professor Albert Gabric, of the Griffith School of Environment, warns the possible decline in emissions of natural and anthropogenic aerosols in the future could accelerate the warming
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